An investigative look into the past of an abandoned mental hospital.

A dark forest, unkempt hills and an overgrown road separated us from an abandoned insane asylum. However, this asylum represented a self-contained town more so than an institution. Once driven by its on-ground power plant, the hospital also had dormitory buildings, a kitchen, an administration building, a re-purposed and recently closed juvenile detention center, a children’s ward, and a psychiatric ward, amongst other facilities.

Venturing through the forest, up the hills, and beyond the overgrowth, we spotted the structure, camouflaged by dying vegetation. Inside the children’s ward we went…

The building was a long hallway with eight similar wings adjoined, each with a curved array of windows facing outwards.

Separating these sections in the middle was a large cafeteria. “VIOLENCE IS NEVER THE ANSWER” had been painted on one wall. A broken pipe spewed water onto the mossy blue-green floor tiles. Across from the cafeteria was the dark descent into the basement. Hopping from wood panel to wood panel, we avoided the pools of water to catch a glimpse of what was lurking under the floor boards. Mostly empty rooms reflected our flash lights except for the costume room, still fully stocked with intricate dresses, shirts, and many other types of props once used in the hospital’s theater.

Up another set of stairs and we were back on the main floor looking at the large, boxy windows that would have “welcomed” guests into the building. Two sets of doors led us into a large, open theater. It was so dark that even a camera flash couldn’t distinguish what was occupying the space. We walked down to the stage, aisle by aisle. The seats were all still there, some open as if still in use. On the stage, an untuned grand piano sat, buried under inches of dust. The right side of the ceiling had collapsed, bringing down an accumulation of asbestos. We didn’t stick around much longer.

Across from the children’s ward was one of the many dormitory buildings. Once inside, hallways became identical, but the rooms did not.

Some remnants of patient’s decorations remained. One patient had left football team stickers neatly aligned above the doorway. Little else of interest was left behind in this dormitory or the others. Returning downstairs, we found an entrance into the tunnels that connected all of the buildings underground.