Share

cover art for The King of Letchworth Village (Letchworth Psychiatric Village - Thiells, NY)

abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast

The King of Letchworth Village (Letchworth Psychiatric Village - Thiells, NY)

Season 1, Ep. 9

It's 1972, and Geraldo Rivera is on a mission to expose the horrific conditions inside psychiatric hospitals across New York. Fly back in time with Blake where he meets a curious, new imaginary friend named Carl who shows him around the abandoned, infamous psychiatric facility Letchworth Village in Thiells, NY.


(Note: For the best immersive experience, we strongly suggest you wear headphones 🎧 for every episode of abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast.)


This episode features Sam Simahk.


Learn more: http://www.allamericanruins.com


Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise with All-American Ruins.

More episodes

View all episodes

  • A 10,000 Year-Old Story: All-American Ruins & Human Nature Odyssey

    41:36
    Transmedia storyteller Alex Leff is the host of Human Nature Odyssey, a podcast that takes a unique look at humanity, civilization, and the fate of the world. In this bonus episode (which originally aired as a bonus episode for Human Nature Odyssey Patreon subscribers), join Alex as he interviews Blake where they discuss, what else? Abandoned spaces. Special thanks to Alex for letting us use this great audio.Learn more and subscribe to Human Nature Odyssey: https://www.podpage.com/human-nature-odyssey-1/Listen to more Human Nature Odyssey bonus content on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/humannatureodysseyPlease contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise with All-American Ruins.
  • Gratitude Transmissions from The Book of Exeter

    11:43
    Blake explores a passage about ruins from The Book of Exeter, the oldest known and largest collection of Old English literature. Join him as he revisits a poetic, 10th century urbex perspective while reflecting on his gratitude for the reception of season 2-- and listen in for some exciting news about what’s next for abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast.Catch All-American Ruins in the wild:“Exploring the Abandoned with Blake Pfeil” - Atlas Obscura: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/podcast-exploring-the-abandoned-blake-pfeil “Unabandoned with Podcaster Blake Pfeil of All-American Ruins” - American Hysteria: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7qKg3EzrbTGh8WfxuBB3K3?si=pT3F9JuSTcerWz1UgVYOqQ Lost Highways, Season 5: “American Gothic” - History Colorado: https://www.historycolorado.org/lost-highways/2024/02/21/american-gothic “All-American Ruins: PANIC! LIKE THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE” - On Air Fest Official Select: https://www.onairfest.com/official-selects/panic-like-the-house-is-on-fire-blake-pfeil “All-American Ruins: Isabel & the Allentown Mafia” - UK International Radio Drama Festival: https://radiodramafestival.org.uk/ All-American Ruins: Nominee, Best Indie Podcast - The Ambies (2024): https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/ambies-2024-nominations-list-1235827600/ All-American Ruins at Podcast Movement Evolutions on 3/27/24: https://evolutions.podcastmovement.com/schedule/ “All-American Ruins: Isabel & the Allentown Mafia” - Prix Marulić International Festival of Radio Plays (Croatia): https://prix-marulic.hrt.hr/main-info/pre-selection-results-2024-11400955To read the transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.blakepfeil.com/aar-podcast.htmlTo learn more, visit: http://www.allamericanruins.com
  • 12. Sober (Neuweiler Brewery - Allentown, PA)

    14:42
    In the season 2 finale of abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast, join Blake as he reflects on his journey to sobriety while wandering the ruins of the Neuweiler Brewery, where he narrowly escapes a run-in with security.This episode features:Isabel WilderNik Magill(Note: For the best immersive experience, we strongly suggest you wear headphones 🎧 for every episode of abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast.)To read the transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.blakepfeil.com/aar-podcast.htmlTo read the original story this episode is based on, click here: https://medium.com/@allamericanruins/chapter-20-sober-f250f88d4a3bTo learn more, visit: http://www.allamericanruins.comPlease contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise with All-American Ruins.
  • 11. Zombies (AFI Industries - Port Jervis, NY)

    15:05
    Overlooking the dusty trijunction of Port Jervis, NY sits the ruins of the AFI Packaging Plant. Join Blake on his triumphant return to the abandoned space in the middle of summer 2022 as he reflects on the pandemic and loneliness, against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse fantasy.(Note: For the best immersive experience, we strongly suggest you wear headphones 🎧 for every episode of abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast.)To read the transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.blakepfeil.com/aar-podcast.htmlTo read the original story this episode is based on, click here: https://allamericanruins.medium.com/chapter-8-silent-hill-and-the-zombie-apocalypse-7c6dc84f3a7To learn more, visit: http://www.allamericanruins.comPlease contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise with All-American Ruins.
  • 10. A Chance Encounter (Pass Creek Market - Curtin OR)

    20:38
    The accidental discovery of a curious abandoned space leads Blake to a chance encounter -- with a man named Steez. Join Blake as he explores the ruins of Pass Creek Market in Curtin, OR, a casualty of the 2008 housing crisis. And meet Steez, an off-the-grid hippy with an unusual appetite for deep conversation about capitalism, imagination and ghosts.This episode features:Jeremiah Wenutu(Note: For the best immersive experience, we strongly suggest you wear headphones 🎧 for every episode of abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast.)To read the transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.blakepfeil.com/aar-podcast.htmlTo read the original story this episode is based on, click here: https://allamericanruins.medium.com/chapter-22-a-chance-encounter-a2bf315594c1To learn more, visit: http://www.allamericanruins.comPlease contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise with All-American Ruins.
  • 9. Sex, Drugs, Depression (Central Middle-High School - Painter, VA)

    18:46
    Welcome to Painter, Virginia, home of the abandoned Central Middle-High School. Wander its ghostly hallways with Blake as he reflects on the American education system, explores class warfare, and has a brief encounter with death... and possibly Elizabeth Warren.(Note: For the best immersive experience, we strongly suggest you wear headphones 🎧 for every episode of abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast.)To read the transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.blakepfeil.com/aar-podcast.htmlTo read the original story this episode is based on, click here: https://medium.com/@allamericanruins/chapter-21-sex-drugs-depression-354c3da40591To learn more, visit: http://www.allamericanruins.comPlease contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise with All-American Ruins.
  • 8. Mrs. Dalby and the Gravekeeper of Hatteras Island (Unknown Shanty - Hatteras, NC)

    18:17
    Sometimes, an abandoned space can summon a ghost - or maybe it’s just a figment of the imagination. Either way, join Blake as he accompanies you to the ruins of a seaside shanty, standing proudly on the edge of a graveyard overlooking the mighty Atlantic Ocean in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. (And don’t be surprised if you both run into a ghost named Mrs. Dalby.)This episode features:Elisabeth HenryNik Magill(Note: For the best immersive experience, we strongly suggest you wear headphones 🎧 for every episode of abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast.)To read the transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.blakepfeil.com/aar-podcast.htmlTo read the original story this episode is based on, click here: https://medium.com/@allamericanruins/chapter-17-mrs-dalby-and-the-gravekeeper-of-hatteras-island-c0f701762b03To learn more, visit: http://www.allamericanruins.comPlease contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise with All-American Ruins.
  • 7. Gerry: Requiem for a One-Night Stand (Waterfall Park - Rodanthe, NC)

    16:05
    Follow Blake to the ruins of Rodanthe, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where he guides you through the abandoned Waterfall Park and reflects on his childhood dreams, being single again, and a long-awaited one-night stand.This episode features:Tiernan Pfeil(Note: For the best immersive experience, we strongly suggest you wear headphones 🎧 for every episode of abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast.)To read the transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.blakepfeil.com/aar-podcast.htmlTo read the original story this episode is based on, click here: https://medium.com/@allamericanruins/chapter-18-gerry-1b3370a21a28To learn more, visit: http://www.allamericanruins.comPlease contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise with All-American Ruins.
  • In Which I Let You Go at the Ruins of the Universal Atlas Cement Plant

    13:28
    On the banks of the Hudson River near Catskill, NY sits the abandoned Universal Atlas Cement Plant. Shut down between 1976-77, Blake wanders among the smokestacks and echoes of days gone by, reflecting on the end of a relationship, telling the truth, and ultimately, the act of forgiving oneself.(Note: For the best immersive experience, we strongly suggest you wear headphones 🎧 for every episode of abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast.)To read the transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.blakepfeil.com/aar-podcast.htmlTo read the original story this episode is based on, click here: https://allamericanruins.medium.com/chapter-27-in-which-i-let-you-go-at-an-abandoned-cement-plant-fe851b146f64To learn more, visit: http://www.allamericanruins.comPlease contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise with All-American Ruins.