Established in 1854, it was originally known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Taunton. In 1994, the property was added to the National Register of Historic . Slowly and over the course of Tauntons first few decades reports began to emerge of abuse and neglect, but little attention was paid to these. In 1975 generations of the cult operating at Tauntons met the end of their free reign when scandal and rumor became uncontrollable for the Governor of Massachusetts and he order the facility closed for good. As the hospital population began to decrease again with the advent of new medications and treatments, the original building was deemed obsolete and was closed in 1985 and left abandoned. Related: 24 Pictures Of Vacant Mental Hospitals Around The World That No One Should Ever Visit. amzn_assoc_linkid = "c303ceb8e49f64fa807c415e527efab7"; Copyright Matthew Christopher Photography LLC 2004-Present. Taunton State Hospital in Taunton, Massachusetts was founded as the State Lunatic Hospital at Taunton and opened in the spring of 1854. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Patients and caretakers alike have risked punishment or dismissal for refusing to carry out their duties if it required entering the basement a second time. Taunton State bore witness to hundreds of psychiatric patients and, more notably, a couple of notorious serial killers. The entire building was closed and boarded up in 1989 when it became one of the most famous abandoned places in Massachusetts. Ridens aliquid indoctum an est, his ad movet graece, vim ut omnes mentitum appetere. The creepy abandoned hospital Taunton State is a psychiatric hospital located in Taunton, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, most of it is now demolished but some of it remains and stands as a testimony of what once was. Floor collapses were not uncommon in Taunton; ones like this indicate that they probably happened suddenly as the joists gave out. It was the second state asylum in Massachusetts built at a time when understanding of mental health was much different than today. At the start of 1900 Taunton was overloaded with the criminally insane. This form only gathers feedback about the website. Shot: May 2006. None of these even begin to compare to the Taunton State Hospital Shadow Man. My research assistant and I first went to the Taunton State Hospitalformally known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Taunton in the 1800's and early 1900'sand the hospital has a spooky history. It was the second asylum in the state of Massachusetts, built to ease congestion at the hospital in Worcester. Daily updates on UFO sightings, ghost encounters, conspiracies, mysterious phenomena and everything crazy and weird. Today people can access the prison. However, its hard to really use the word nurse when describing her. The Metropolitan State Hospital was located in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA and opened in 1930. . Is the old Taunton State Hospital still standing? The leading independent voice for aviation news and insight. The Danvers State Hospital remained abandoned for 13 years as it continued to fall into disrepair. The whole truth would never be revealed to the public. The prison camp and hospital were abandoned in 1934 and left to decay. Taunton State Hospital is a chapter in my book, Abandoned America: Dismantling the Dream. 1886 Receipt Lincoln Dairy. What they left were fields of unmarked graves where burials were noted only with a small metal spike baring the number of the patient, strange symbols and stains throughout the basement, and a presence described only as shadows and pure evil. Taunton, MA. Listen to the new Abandoned America podcast here! After the 1930s, buildings such as sick wards and juvenile facilities and crisis centers were constructed adding to the overall intricate structure of the complex. He can be reached on Instagram at aaronspray. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In 1975, the main part of the hospital was closed and abandoned. To relieve the pressure of a rising patient population from its only asylum in Worcester, the state appointed a commission to find a site for a new asylum in 1851. The original design was able to accommodate 250 patients. In 1854, no more then three years after the facility was completed, the killings and torture began. It seems that the cult was broken up by the sudden closure of Taunton State Hospital, and fortunately it also appears that they did not return when some of the smaller buildings were reopened for clinical care of mentally ill youth. 60 Hodges Avenue Extension Taunton, MA 02780-3034 Phone Number (508) 977-3000 Hospital Location Taunton State Hospital 60 Hodges Avenue Extension, Taunton, MA, 02780-3034 Map Key Affiliated. Dead nurse claims she met God and learned the purpose of life, 8 Dangerous Signs of Evil Spirits in Your House, Scientists told how dangerous a meeting with aliens for humanity, Nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas, on planets could indicate the presence of life, Ararat Lunatic Asylum - The Place Where 13,000 Patients Were Killed, Athens Lunatic Asylum - Ohio's Most Creepy And Haunted Place, Creepy Ghost Places: Danvers State Hospital, Jane Toppan - Serial Killer And Nurse At The Same Time, The Warminster Thing: 1964 Astounding UFO Sightings, Psychic Detectives: Gordon Smith The Medium Finds Missing Soldiers Body, Present At a Hanging: Real Ghost Story From Iowa. The reason for which this asylum was constructed was none other but to take some pressure of the asylum in Worcester. The hospital was not without the cruelty one would expect of a facility for the criminally insane at turn of the century 1900, but Taunton staff went far beyond anything conducted at facilities such as Athens or Danvers. Taunton State Hospital entrance use | Taunton, Hospital . The T. Boston. Your feedback will not receive a response. Kirkbridge Buildings notes: "its most striking features are the enclosed, raised walkways connecting the main structure to the two infirmary buildings which were added in the eighteen-nineties. One of its most beautiful features . About . In the 1800s, there were rumors that the hospital was being operated by a Satanic Cult who would take patients into the basement to conduct dark rituals and even human sacrifices. Up and Over. It was built in 1853 for $151,742.48 to relieve the State Lunatic Hospital at Worchester, which had been built twenty years earlier and was already dangerously overcrowded. Next, there was the inventor of the celestial navigation method known as the Sumner line (line of position) the sea captain Thomas Hubbard Sumner. 2 Taunton State HospitalMassachusetts, USA. Buy a signed copy via this link or get it on Amazon using the link below to learn more! Posted: August 2014. These gentlemen designed the asylum in a rare and breathtaking neo-classical style on top of 620,000 square meters of land earshot from the Mill River. The first major expansion of the complex happened in the 1870s and the rest followed between 1887 and 1906. Taunton State Hospital's cirved hallways were one of its most memorable and beautiful features. An attempt at restoration was made decades after its closure in 1999, but this was not to last. It was the second state asylum in Massachusetts. Then, on the night of March 19, 2006, a massive fire broke out in the center of the building, which included the administration and theater. Not unless you bring them back after youre done with them. It's a story that bears witness to the many mental asylums that once dotted the country. Welcome to Taunton State Hospital. And so happened in April 1854, when the new lunatic hospital was opened. Hundreds of patients in her care were intentionally pushed past heart and organ failure at which point she would proceed to have intercourse with them, and once finished resuscitate them. 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003. Taunton State Hospital. 1887 Rent Receipt. The story of Jane Toppans activities from her time as a nurse is truly down to the bone disturbing. Welcome to Taunton State Hospital Taunton State Hospital History Taunton was built in 1854 and was originally named State Lunatic Hospital at Taunton. Its almost fitting that Jane would be committed for life to Taunton State Hospital where the staff were more like her than anybody knew. Join us on Patreon for high quality photos, exclusive content, and book previews Posted in Massachusetts Creepy May 05, 2017 by Sophia The Story Behind This Evil Place In Massachusetts Will Make Your Blood Turn Cold Taunton State Hospital was founded as the State Lunatic Hospital in 1854. Taunton State Hospital haunting's "This hospital was built in 1854 to alleviate the strain on the hospital in Worcester. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; An official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Shut them down and leave them to rot for fifty years and youve got decades of ghost stories to tell just from looks alone. This psychiatric hospital originally was known under a different name of State Lunatic Hospital at Taunton, and in its time it was the second state asylum in Massachusetts. But still many of the newer buildings of the abandoned complex remain on the campus. Closing of the facility began at the wingtips and by the 1980s, almost all services had been relocated. Over its lifetime it was expanded at different times and grew to include over 40 buildings and structures. Today one is only greeted with the decaying wings of the Kirkbride Building. In 1994 the complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. As parts of it were demolished numerous architectural features were salvaged and sold across the nation (including iron gates, vintage plumbing, lighting fixtures, furniture, and granite). Originally known as the State Lunatic Hospital at . He is passionate about traveling and opening up the world for other intrepid explorers. The main part of the hospital (known as "the Kirkbride Building") closed in 1975, and the buildings fell into disrepair. Hospitals of this psychiatric type are said to have been self-contained cities. An equally daunting structure stood between us and . A .mass.gov website belongs to an official government organization in Massachusetts. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, ea has ignota putent. Over time Taunton was expanded to include over 40 buildings, but by 1975 its decline had already begun. Taunton Police Arrest Warrant, 1870. Although it was not as large or as the asylum in Worcester, this asylum was one of the most impressive. The shadow man lives in the basement of the main Kirkbride building, now long since destroyed. What it must have been like for a countryman to arrive at this imposing structure in 1854! Rogers Brothers Groceries, 1887. Taunton State Hospital: an Abandoned Kirkbride Building in . The Taunton State Hospital (State Lunatic Hospital) conjures up the image of horror movies with sane people being kept at mental asylums in a form of extrajudicial prison. Taunton State Hospital, originally the State Lunatic Hospital at Taunton, was the second such facility in Massachusetts. Air crash with plane and UFO is only a matter of time, claims politician, Strange Extraterrestrial Life Might Be Hiding Inside Stars. This psychiatric hospital originally was known under a different name of State Lunatic Hospital at Taunton, and in its time it was the second state asylum in Massachusetts. Some of the newer buildings are said to continue operating as the Taunton State Hospital (unfortunately, these grounds are not open to the public). Next: 25 Photos of Deserted Hospitals That Make Us Hide Under the Table, Aaron is a first-hand traveler who has visited more than 80 countries around the world. Taunton State Hospital had slowly begun turning into one of the cruelest hospitals, or more commonly referred to as concentration camps, for the mentally retarded and insane that ultimately ended in murder or suicide. After its completion in 1854, the second State Lunatic Hospital began taking in patients. One cant be too sure if they locked away the Taunton State Hospital Shadow Man in the facilitys destruction, or set him free when they sold it off around the nation. It was one of the more beautiful works of hospital art in the country. Related: 25 Things Urban Explorers Have Discovered (That Creep Us Out). For Jane her patients were no more than toys, and the treatments no more than reckless experimentations for curiositys sake. A lock icon ( Taunton State bore witness to hundreds of psychiatric patients and, more notably, a couple of notorious serial killers. Also once known as the 'State Lunatic Asylum,' Taunton remains closed to the public, but its eerie legacy lives on in Massachusetts. But perhaps one day one will be able to see the remains of this impressive complex, including the abandoned tunnels connecting the various buildings in the complex. Some of the most famous patients that made a home out of this hospital were the sociopathic serial killer Jane Toppan. Photos: 65. The left wing was completely destroyed and the right wing was partially damaged. If youre feeling like its a good thing that building has been demolished you may be a little uneasy with what they did immediately beforehand. We will use this information to improve the site.