The Creepy Tradition of taking your Prom Date to the Allegheny County Morgue

Yes back in the 20's to50's it was seen as a cool tradition to take your date to observe the unknown at the Allegheny County Morgue

The Morgue for many years had an observation deck  they called the chapel you walked onto where you could look thru glass windows into the coolers  and observe the preserved body's of those who where unknown. My aunts and uncles talked about going on there Prom date to see the body's

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2009/06/07/Allegheny-County-morgue-on-the-move-again/stories/200906070191

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/7668549-74/former-county-morgue

 Call it creepy to say the least and guys setting up their dates on a dare  so they could hold them tiight but what ever the cause it sure sounds like a macabre thing to do. 

When I was a young man I visited the morgue as part of a trip planned by the Law Enforcement Explorer Post  777 I belonged to  which was sponsored by the old Station 7 on Southside .  and we saw some of the items used and learned some of the history of the morgue including the fact  They painted over the windows in the chapel in 60's so you could no longer observe the body's and how the morgue was at one time  was attached to the county jail and was then moved by horse and man power to its present location.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19870518&id=tstRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6m0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3230,5711231

 Its all closed now and has been taken over by county health dept but the memories of our greatest generation going to see the body's will be remembered for many generations to come as we pass down their story's .