The administration building, which included male and female wards, wasis a kirkbride, a style of architecture designed specifically for asylums in the 1800s, and is one of the few remaining kirkbrides today, but possibly not for long. Since the hospital has been clearing out, things have gotten quieter at westborough state hospital, and more pie to go around. The property dates to 1848, with the establishment of the lyman school, and in 1884 the westboro. The abandoned westborough asylum a century of history forgotten duration. Westborough state hospital images of america anderson, katherine, baird, mimi on. Portion of westborough state hospital land sold to. Hudson river state hospital, located in poughkeepsie, ny, was built in 1868, and closed in 2003. Westborough state hospital, established in 1884, was a mental institution which specialized in homeopathic treatment for its patients. Westborough cemetery committee invites the public to a memorial service on may 9th to acknowledge and remember those who have been forgotten. The film was produced by nik nerburn, a journalist and independent filmmaker who served as a springboard for the arts hinge arts resident in. Although it was closed in 1973, there is still a lot going on on the grounds that was once a mental hospital.
The hospital was completely shut down towards the end of 2010. Thirtysix of the propertys 100 acres, containing 64 crumbling buildings, a series of tunnels, and a lot of open space, are being sold by the town of westboro. A little about it the westborough state hospital was an mental hospital built near lake chauncy in westborough, massachusetts. By bonnie adams, managing editor westborough katherine anderson has long had an interest in abandoned buildings. Crucial medical advancements, particularly involving alzheimers, were accomplished during the facilitys 126 year history. National register of historic places and is also a u. Westborough state hospital memorial march 21 at 11. Westborough behavioral health hospital has been monitoring the daily events surrounding the covid19 virus and complying with guidance from the cdc and our state and local public health departments. Westborough state hospital, originally westborough insane hospital, was a historic hospital in westborough, massachusetts, which sat on more than 600 acres 240 ha. Bidders tour crumbling westboro state hospital site cbs. Abandoned westborough state hospital by drone youtube. Homecat news westborough state hospital cat trapped. Westborough state hospital westborough, massachusetts. Each one is a valuable contribution to the growing archive of stories and memories of grafton state hospital.
Gcz055 westboro insane hospital crematorium traditional. The hospital s unique treatment methods put it squarely at the forefront of mental health treatment, and it was one of the last state hospitals in massachusetts to close its doors. Less noise at night, too, which is never a bad thing. Westboro insane hospital crematorium gcz055 was created by maskvolk on 10222006. Also known as westboro state hospital, westborough. Such was life in room twentyfive of the front dorm, second floor.
The core campus area was located between lyman street and chauncy lake, north of massachusetts route 9. Westborough state was established in 1886 as a residential treatment facility for the mentally ill. Abandoned community hospitals massachussets mental hospitals. She was the most challenging but i wouldnt give up. Top photo from an abandoned building at trenton state hospital, by david scaglione it can be hard to separate fact from fiction when it comes to asylum stories. Tunnel system oregon state hospital historic district. Apply to mental health technician, counselor, resident counselor and more. Hospitals in or near westborough, ma us hospital finder. The tenbed deaf unit, the two adolescent units, and the intensive residential treatment program one step below state hospital level programs were closed by june 2010. The danvers state hospital was one of the most notorious institutions in massachusetts history. Even if you dont like science fiction you might still enjoy this book. The westborough archive the westborough public librarys.
Town manager jim malloy told the board of selectmen at the boards march 23 meeting. Westborough state hospital is listed on the national register of historic places, and its future is uncertain. Ap a developer has agreed to buy about 38 acres of the former westborough state hospital property from the town and build 700 housing units for people 55 and older. Needless to say, it was difficult to snap many pictures. It is science fiction, but a different type of science fiction.
Seaview hospital was once the largest tuberculosis sanatorium in the country, now listed on the u. The man, who has not been identified, claims to have captured a phantom on camera at the abandoned westborough state hospital in. A portion of the pine grove cemetery in westborough is the site for more than 500 graves for patients with mental health challenges who resided at the westborough state hospital from the early 1900s up to 1987. An urban explorers gold mine news westborough news. Thanks again to meghan and the vendome press for sending me another beautiful book, the. Westborough town officials are warning photographers and wouldbe thieves that wandering around the shuttered westborough state hospital grounds is both dangerous and illegal. Westborough is perhaps best known as the second homeopathic hospital for the insane in the united states and the first example of institutional reuse in the nation. Westborough was the first homeopathic hospital to be established in new england. W hen massachusetts established the hospital in 1884, it was known as westborough insane hospital.
Full text of annual report of the trustees of the westborough state hospital see other formats. The westborough public library will celebrate the publication of westborough state hospital with a lecture by the author, katherine anderson, on thursday, august 1, 2019 at 7. New book on westborough state hospital details a complicated past. Eventually, after a few hours of darting behind buildings, i was stopped by security and told to leave. A committee is currently studying the towns options, such as selling off. Exploring the abandoned westborough state hospital. Shadows in the ward is the latest novel by katherine anderson, author of hospital hill. Buy a signed copy via this link or get it on amazon using the link below to read more. Metropolitan state hospital opened in 1930, just two days shy of halloween, in waltham, massachusetts. Videos today i am going to kill myself but first i am going to dance a film about the legacy of the fergus falls state hospital.
The 20building, 400acre campus was designed to care for the states ill and illstarred, and it had more than a thousand of them. It was initially selfpublished as the highfield mole in 2005, and rereleased as tunnels by chicken house in 2007. The reason its different from most science fiction books is that it has old inventions, a plague, and and they eat mush, but in modern time. The top five abandoned asylums to visit in massachusetts. Town manager jim malloy said the breakins occur almost daily and involve. Us hospital finder android app add to browsers search bar us hospital finder widget. The westborough state hospital cemetery memorial project. In 1976, foxboro state hospital ended psychiatric services, however various entities continued to operate on the campus such as the department of motor vehicles, and jaycees haunted house attraction in the hospitals theater. This provided the advantages of protecting staff and patients from the elements and the ability to cross under busy center street formerly known as asylum avenue without stopping. The hospitals unique treatment methods put it squarely at the forefront of mental health treatment, and it was one of the last state hospitals in. Click on each link below to see the details of each hospital. A newly formed group, the westborough state hospital cemetery project, is hoping to rectify what they feel is a terrible wrong. Best 30 state mental hospital in westborough, ma with.
Westborough the town wants wouldbe trespassers on the state hospital property to know they are not only risking arrest but personal harm if they break into the byzantine network of buildings and tunnels. History and photos of the abandoned westborough state hospital, in westborough, ma. Located near the westborough state hospital was the grafton state hospital. Westborough state hospital, originally westborough insane hospital, was a historic hospital in westborough, massachusetts, which sat on more than 600. The story follows will burrows, a 14yearold archaeologist, who stumbles upon an underground civilization called the colony. I decided to jump on the go visit every abandoned insane asylum in massachusetts bandwagon. Westborough state hospital, formerly known as the westborough insane hospital, was built in the 1800s on hope and compassion. Westborough issues warning to state hospital trespassers. It is sat on over 600 acres of land with nearly 50 different structures and buildings. Westborough state hospital cemetery project committee seeks to remember hundreds of state hospital patients buried with no. This particular book combines elements of suspense, mystery and thriller in unique measures to create an unusual reading experience. Search results are sorted by a combination of factors to give you a set of choices in response to your search criteria.
Abandoned asylums of massachusetts images of modern america. Westboro state hospital cemetery project home facebook. Westborough state hospital book program the westborough. Beneath the oregon state hospital campus lies a network of 1. Hospitals and sanatoriums of the homoeopathic school of. Psychiatric hospital jobs, employment in westborough, ma. Inside the abandoned childrens hospital and tunnels at. On may 9, 2015, a memorial service was held in nearby pine grove cemetery for the more than 500 patients who died at westborough state hospital and whose remains were. Westborough state hospital tunnels part 2 daveey dee. Westborough state hospital officially closed its doors in 2010, with remaining patients and services relocated to the new psychiatric hospital built in worcester. Officials are angry over the breakins at buildings on the ground which started to a few weeks ago when the weather improved. Norwich state hospital is a chapter in my book, abandoned america. Westborough state hospital by katherine anderson, introduction by. Local group will not let westborough state hospital.
Westborough she was seen many times, slinking around the grounds of the mostly abandoned westborough state hospital. Video shows a ghost at westborough state hospital in. Memories of grafton state hospital the following accounts have been collected from various sources over several years by. Westie, who has been seen on the roof of the administration building, in a field and in the tunnels, needed trapping and relocating to a new home. To view more of this site click on an image in the gallery below. The groups members, some of who currently work as patient advocates, are now in the beginning stages of conceptualizing a memorial that they hope to have built at the cemetery. Tunnels is a subterranean fiction novel by british authors roderick gordon and brian williams. At the moment, located on the land is tufts, which is a graduate school for veterinary students and also a veterinary hospital for numerous types of animals. Two years ago, i wrote a post about rockland county psychiatric center, an abandoned insane asylum complex that is easily one of the most haunting places ive ever scouted to my amazement, more than 250 comments have since been left by former patients, doctors and nurses, and residents who lived in the area when rockland psych was in operation. Westborough behavioral westborough behavioral healthcare. Some dormitories werealso still utilized by the department of mental health as a developmental center. Town manager jim malloy told the board of selectmen at the boards march 23 meeting that in recent weeks there has been a surge of unauthorized activity on the property. An abandoned building at westborough state hospital photo by tim pierce this isnt southborough, but i thought some of you might be interested in this story.
Here i try to give you some different views of the hospital. The westborough archive is part of the westborough center for history and culture at the westborough public library and provides a gateway to all of the librarys local. Westborough when the town purchased the former westborough state hospital campus last year, town manager james malloy gained a major opportunity to spur new development. But with little scientific knowledge of mental illness, institutions. The westborough state hospital closed in 2010, but the abandoned buildings are tightly sealed and patrolled by security. Many buried in the potters field were people diagnosed with mental illness who lived out their days at westborough state hospital. At its peak the hospital housed 2,100 patients and 800 staff on its over 600acre campus. It was designed to integrate a preexisting, and recently vacated, reform school for boys. Yp the real yellow pages sm helps you find the right local businesses to meet your specific needs.