1. Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital
This place was opened in 1876 with the purpose of relieving the overcrowded state asylum in Trenton. The irony is, that this place also became overcrowded in a short time of 4 years.
In fact it was so crowded, the dining rooms needed to be turned into dormitories, so by 1914 it held 2412 patients (and only had actual room for 1600). And it didn't stop there. At the end of the second World War it had 7674 patients.
The place was closed up in 2000, but it had been mostly abandoned since 1988. The truth is, it wasn't actually closed because of the lack of money, but because of the many suicides, pregnancies, sexual assaults, and to top it all off, the escape of a convicted rapist.
2. Taunton State Hospital
This hospital was also born because of overcrowding another building. Despite a public outcry the facility opened in 1854, and it became one of the worst hospitals in history.
In fact, it was so horrible, it was called the concentration camp of mental hospitals. there are stories of torture, medical experiments and murder circulating about it, where patients were hacked to death, boiled alive, frozen to death and their limbs removed and attached to other patients.
The place was closed down in 1976 and mostly destroyed after that.
3. Rockwood Insane Asylum
This was Upper Canada's first mental institution for the criminally insane, and it was completed in 1870. Though this is a pretty late time, the patients were already admitted since 1862, even if the place was mostly uninhabitable.
While the male patients were placed inside the main building, the female ones were sent to the stables.
The doctor who ran the place had to rely on alcohol at daytime and sedatives at night to control the patients, and subjected them to bloodletting, enemas, blistering and leaching.
Because he thought that the criminally insane weren't at all more dangerous than the normal insane, he made it possible to open the place up for them too in 1868.
When he died his successor sent the criminally insane back to where they came from.
The place was shut down in 1997.
4. Central State Hospital
This hospital was opened since 1827, but it had only 5 patients in it. Till 1928 the number of patients in it exploded into 3000, and the overcrowding was such a big problem that the criminally insane had to be housed in the same place with the people who only needed to overcome simple social issues.
When in 1994 tales of patient abuse began to surface the state government closed the place up.
Here's a letter a former patient wrote:
"All of the trespassers of these places need to be more careful of whose law they are trespassing against. Spiritual or physical.
I watch these videos and I remember things that are sad not scary.
Look you all, you are illegally trespassing and possibly disturbing a miserable sacred ground of long forgotten souls, that were forgotten by any one that loved them long before they arrived here. I received electric shock therapy here twice illegally in 1979. when I was there all you can hear were muffled moans and see smug orderlies with the power of day and night for everyone there. Give this place a rest. Someone tear down the hall of tears please.
It is interesting that people look for the other side, and probably inevitable that one would want to know what waits for them there. But the places of violence and misery may have outcomes unsavory for both the physical and spiritual .A reasoning voice of understanding is what most people need who have not experienced the troubles these institutions provided...perhaps you will expand and let the voices mingle from both sides of the spectrum..."
5. The Northern State Mental Hospital
In 1893 the town of Sedro Wolley was in an economic crisis, so they came up with the idea of building a third mental hospital for the criminally insane to have create more jobs.
The first building was opened in 1906, but the patients were only admitted from 1912 on.
The hospital managed to bring the local economy back to life, but the town became dependent on it.
The total number of the people who died there is unknown, but there is an unmarked graveyard behind the gymnasium containing at least 1000 bodies.
It was closed in 1976.
6. Rolling Hills Asylum
This place was opened in 1927, because of a law that said, all municipalities had to have a place that took care of people who were not capable of taking care of themselves.
They took in drunks and unwed mothers, and they converted the place into a farm, where every person admitted had to work.
It was closed in 1974, and by this time the buildings were not only serving for the insane, but as a nursing home too.
7. Riverview Hospital
It was opened in 1913, and it also had a farm that was run mostly by patients. The place had an arboretum, a nursery and a botanical garden for their therapeutic effect on the patients.
The highest patient population of the place was 4500, with units like Acute Psychopathic, Male, Female, Veteran, and Tuberculosis clinic.
Eventually the farm and the male unit was closed down, and by now it only has 256 beds.
The place is in a lot of movies, since it's "the most filmed site in all of Canada".
8. Kings Park Psychiatric Center
The place was owned by the County, but -because it had the popular problem of overcrowding- the state took it over and made it able to generate its own electricity and food.
In 1950 there were 10000 patients housed in it, but by 1990 it was mostly closed off.
In 1996 the hospital was closed down entirely and the patients were transferred to another hospital.
9. Norwich State Hospital
This is a short lived place, that was opened in 1904 and closed in 1996. It started off with 1 building, and eventually grew to 30, and it housed not only the mentally ill, but the criminally insane too. It also had units for Tuberculosis patients, geriatric patients and chemically dependent patients.
Here's a short cap-up from a person who lives near the place:
"The former hospital grounds are definitely owned by the City of Norwich. The site is currently surrounded by a fence and patrolled 24 hours a day by a security force. The reason for the fence and security is the large amount of vandalism done to the property since the closure of the hospital. The only way to enter the grounds without incurring a trespassing charge at the very least is to gain permission from the city.
They described the grounds as still very beautiful sitting on hill beside the river. The old Victorian buildings are suffering from neglect but still remain an awesome sight. Photos and video can still taken from the public side of the fence and most windows in the buildings are open in which items belonging to both the staff and patients are still visible.
Anyone with the financial ability to redevelop the site is encouraged to contact the city with their plans. Most of the old buildings have large amounts of asbestos in their roofs and therefore any clean up would need to remove this poisonous substance at a very large financial commitment. There have been plans submitted to the city (including one for an amusement park) but none have been able to bring the cash needed for the large undertaking."
10. Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
This hospital was built in 1881, and opened in 1864. It became dangerously overcrowded (with 1800 patients instead of 250). The population was made up mostly of drug addicts, epileptics and mentally handicapped.
When in the 80's the attitudes towards the mentally ill changed the population declined. eventually the hospital was turned int a state prison.
Almost every one of these hospitals have asbestos problems, and every single one of them is said to be haunted. The info was took from this site.
