1858 - 1993
This building is yet another Kirkbride in an Elizabethan style; often described as a confusing structure.
It is secluded and covered in decades of overgrown greenery. I thought it was well worth the long drive!
In 1855, this site was chosen for the state's 3rd hospital for the insane. A time capsule was
buried in the cornerstone of the hospital to memorialize this significant event after a big ceremony on the
4th of July. Like most others, this asylum was self contained and had farm houses and agricultural.
At it's peak in 1954, there were approximately 2500 patients and 500 staff members.
Around 1975 patient population was drastically reduced to 600-700 patients and in 1978 patient population
decreased even more as a direct result of Brewster v. Dukakis (standard treatment for mentally ill patients
shall be the least restrictive environment).
In 1998, a group decided to locate and memorialize the burial site of more than 181 patients buried there from
1858 and 1920. Although the burial grounds have been located, it has not been memorialized.
There were a lot of interesting finds here. There was a beautiful auditorium and at least two pianos that I
could find, a morgue in the basement with lots of cool equipment, an enclosed courtyard, old school I.V.
hook up, X-ray machine, a solitary confinement cage in the tunnel,...
The Kirkbride was explored from tunnel to attic – where we got some great aerials. These floors were
downright shady; you could see them dip down when you walked on them in many spots. In some
rooms it was raining and in others looked like small ponds, there were also rooms with mold and grass.
Many of the tunnels were flooded out as was the cafeteria.
EXTERIOR
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Aerials taken from the attic
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INTERIOR
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