Its stone walls and arched entry have been painted with colorful graffiti, and the utter darkness inside the structure makes it feel much longer than it really is. Ownership was transferred to the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts in 2009. Designed by architect George Dutton Rand of Weston & Rand, the brick and flagstone building stood 4 stories tall with a Gothic clock tower dominating the center. She visited the hotel in 1865 and has been seen as a quickly vanishing apparition, along with one of her children. After At the Capitol building, some say ghosts walk at night. Guests and staff alike have reported paranormal activity in the inn, including lights turning on and off, strange knocking noises and furniture that moves around by itself. The historic Sessions House dorm at Smith College campus was originally built in 1710 with a secret passageway inside which the owners could hide from attacking Native Americans. Worcester State Hospital. All rights reserved. Its definitely a unique spot and is even more captivating in the fall months. Today, not much is left of this old ghost town but strange boulders that dot the property. Many elements of the Kirkbride building were sold or auctioned off, including timber, marble, iron gates, antique plumbing fixtures, and slate roofing tiles. If you are on the hunt for a great respirator to more safely observe some of these incredible abandoned places in Massachusetts, we highly recommend the3M 6800for a full-face option and theNorth 7700if you would prefer a half-face option. Killer Urbex Note: During World War II many of the students and staff enlisted in the war effort leaving older men and boys to tend the farm, work the kitchen, and stoke the coal-fed boilers. Massachusetts is rich in history and abundant in abandoned sites. Over the decades, most of the original buildings constructed as part of the farm commune were destroyed by fire, although the old Lutheran cemetery remains intact on the site. This design choice focused on more open areas for communal work, and eliminated the small cells of previous designs. The historic inn was built in 1884, and has been restored and renovated to its former glory by the current inn owners. In 1999, the large dome collapsed and the site was left abandoned and in ruins. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for the best Mental Health Clinics & Information in North Urban explorers discovered the site was easily accessible and relatively untouched since its closure. Winds carried the fire which set the mountain top ablaze. The one featured at this location has recently been purchased and is now considered private property. Dr. Kirkbride theorized that plenty of fresh air and sunlight helped cure insanity and so, the hospital was built in the design of a bird with wings extended, to make the most of natural sunlight and air circulation. Webmembers and residents of the Adams area. Built in 1869 on a tract of land away from the city, By the 1930s, over 2,000 mentally ill patients were crammed into every available space. The state began the long process of deinstitutionalization in the 1960s, releasing patients to group homes or other institutions. The public-exposure and changing societal view of mental illness started the deinstitutionalization of the hospital in the mid-1970s. The owners deemed the cost of upgrading to code would be too costly. Houghton Mansion/Masonic Lodge, North Adams - Chauffer John Widders "Chauffer John" Widders was a happy man living in North Adams during the early 1900s. For the better part of a century, the Chester-Hudson Quarry provided the economic foundation for the town of Becket, a bucolic community tucked into the foothills of the picturesque Berkshire Mountains. This began to change during the early 1900s as more manufacturing and a new train line were built right outside the building. While there isnt a whole lot left, it provides a unique look at how prisons operated during the turn of the century. By 1883 the factory expanded to nearly 400,000 square feet and has powered by five electric engines and multiple water wheels spun by the current of the Mill River. Killer Urbex Note: The Kirkbride building was closed in 1975 and left abandoned and neglected while the eastern infirmary building remained in operation. At the time it was prohibitively costly to keep the site in operation. The rubble was cleared and an effort was made to salvage parts of the remaining hospital, such as the iconic clock tower. High atop a cliff in Cape Cod, overlooking one of the most dangerous maritime shipping routes, is the North Truro Air Force Station. Due to its proximity to the reservoir, the area around the tunnel tends to be muddy, with several inches of standing water at times accumulating inside the tunnel during the summer rainy season. In the 1700s Massachusetts experienced the American Revolutionary War. The institution opened in 1886 as the Westborough Insane Hospital immediately received 200 patients from nearby overcrowded facilities. People have reported full body apparitions, cold spots, slamming doors and some claim that the ghost has actually appeared and spoken to them. What we do know is that these towers were part of a coastal artillery defense network tasked with protecting the Boston Harbor during World War II. In the middle of a New England forest sit the crumbling ruins of World War II-era ammunition storage bunkers. Another movie filmed at Danvers State Hospital, Home Before Dark (1958), features rare footage of the hospital interior and exterior during operations. Instead of following the classic Kirkbride layout, architects designed the buildings in the New Cottage style. The former home of Albert Charles Houghton and his family, the Houghton Mansion is now being used as a Masonic temple. Famous students of Lyman include Robert DeSalvo, the Boston Strangler. The hospital was an impressive looking structure. Just 24 years and $21 million later, the tunnel was complete. Clinton Tunnel. Slowly the horrific conditions of Belchertown State School were brought to light. The ruins of a Massachusetts prison farm can still be found crumbling the woods of a state park. Passing through a hill on the northeast side of the reservoir, the tunnel opened to rail traffic in June 1903 as part of a 105-mile route for the Central Massachusetts Railroad, which connected the cities of Boston and Northampton. 2023 Atlas Obscura. Get the latest news, guides and updates, straight to your inbox. Competition and mounting maintenance costs forced the owners to begin construction on a new hotel to replace the old Eyrie Hotel. Of all the abandoned places in Massachusetts, the Belchertown State School has the darkest and most tragic history. This was the first of many lawsuits that would follow regarding abuse and wrongful death. The farm raised meat, produce, and dairy for the prisoners kept under lock and key. In 2015 new owners announced they would like to rehab the theater but little progress has been made. Known as Jolly Jane by the staff, Toppan laid next to her patients while they died. The building is an impressive piece of architecture built in Beaux Arts-style with impressive limestone arches visible from the street. Development of the annex included construction of a rail spur that connected to the Old Colony Greenbush Line, which was used to transfer the ammunition stored in the Annexs bunkers to the Hingham Shipyard. WebThe Ghosts of Houghton Mansion. WebThey broke ground in 1851. While administrators sought to de-institutionalize the facility and empty the school, the legislature struggled to fight overcrowding. For more about obtaining permission to explore abandoned places in Massachusetts, check out our guide Explore Abandoned Buildings: How To Get Permission. The now-abandoned State Hospital in Westborough, Massachusetts was originally opened in 1848 as the State Reform School for Boys. See our Dead Malls Guide for more. Fencing soon surrounded the grounds but the structures remained abandoned and neglected. While repairs ensued, many of the younger boys were housed in the old mill while the older boys were sent to sea to work on several prison ships. 2023 Atlas Obscura. The rumor mill says the building is haunted by a former employee, a gymnastics coach, who committed suicide. It's haunted by original builder Captain Jonathan Hunt's granddaughter Lucy and her lover, Johnny Burgoyne, a British general whom she met when Cemeteries near North Adams, MA A stone tower pokes out of the trees in North Truro making you feel as if youre back in the middle ages. Learning disabled, deformed, or handicapped individuals, women experiencing menstrual anger and men who excessively masturbated were hospitalized alongside violently ill criminals. Despite the enormous size of the school, living conditions were very poor due to overcrowding, under-staffing, and general squalor. Staff was underpaid and overworked which led to abuse and other extreme practices. Without enemy ships, cargo could traverse to other more resource-rich areas for settlement. The horses allegedly swap positions, seemingly overnight. Although videos and stories of explorations of this creepy abandoned school made it one of the most famous abandoned places in Massachusetts, not much exploring goes on now. In 1859, a massive fire was set by one of the boys, gutting the building. The grounds, once immaculate and manicured, are now overgrown with weeds. Originally designed to showcase pianos manufactured at the site, this ornate hall became the center of musical culture in Boston by 1911. Instead of iron bars, residents were trained to stay at the facility using honor, education, and the threat of corporal punishment. Folks have seen an unidentified Guptills Woods, and a certain nearby house off Pollock Road, are rumored to be haunted. Steeped in history and richly abundant in historical sites, todays urban explorers seek out new adventures in this old land. Killer Urbex Note: Westboroughs patient population reached its peak in 1959 with 2,100 patients and 800 staff. This was the brothers big bet on moving picture film to be the next big idea in entertainment. Low wages created staffing shortages, and overcrowding at the facility led to substandard care. Worcester State Hospital was an insane asylum built following the famous Kirkbride principle wings spread wide from the central administration building, one wing housing male patients, the other wing, female patients. Many of the boys sent to the school had committed severe crimes but some were merely guilty of truancy, poverty, or stubbornness. Despite housing some violent criminals, the institution had no gates or locked doors and resembled an open campus prep school. A new reform school was built for the boys a few miles away. Whats left?if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'urbexunderground_com-mobile-leaderboard-2','ezslot_14',156,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-urbexunderground_com-mobile-leaderboard-2-0'); The theater hasnt been used since its closure 1942. Featured on TV's Ghost Hunters, the estate and museum of artifacts relating to novelist Edith Wharton is said to be home to the ghost of Wharton herself. 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