Pennhurst
Pennhurst Teaching Resources
The following list includes resources that can be incorporated into a lesson on Pennhurst Institution, along with underlying themes. Teachers can evaluate which resources are most appropriate for their grade levels.
Readings
Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, on Pennhurst
Essay - “Ghosts are Scary, Disabled People are Not: The Troubling Rise of the Haunted Asylum”- essay by disability historian
Essay “Who Should Tell the Story? The Pennhurst Haunted Asylum and the Pennhurst Museum in Public History” – on disabled people reclaiming the Pennhurst Haunted Asylum
Interviews
Interview with Pennhurst survivors
Interview with Dr. Mary Shreiner who collected the interviews above
Media
Documentary (1 hour 21 mins)- on Pennhurst, reform efforts, and closure
NPR Newscast (4 mins)– “Haunted House Has Painful Past as Asylum”, on Pennhurst history and the haunted house
Pennhurst timeline digital timeline of Pennhurst related events spanning from 1897-2015
video (5 mins)- “Disability is not a Costume- What you Need to Know this Halloween” on the disabled villain trope and including disabled people in disabled stories
Historical Material
Video (53 mins)- 1968 NBC10 original expose on Pennhurst State School. Content warning- Dehumanizing and disturbing images, language, and other content
1969 news article about Pennhurst conditions, Content Warning- dehumanizing and disturbing language and discussion
Pennhurst historical images with descriptive context
Lesson Plans