Portions of the hospital were shuttered starting in 1969, with most of it closed by 1985, and the entire campus shut down in 1992. Even the building looks very similar to the familiar pictures of Danvers State Hospital. Danvers State Hospital - Danvers, MA. Danvers State Hospital first opened in 1878. Lovecraft’s Arkham Sanatorium (Danvers is also mentioned in Lovecraft’s stories “Pickman’s Model” and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”) and it served as the setting for the film Session 9. The administration building measured 90 by 60 feet, with a tower 130 feet tall. The asylum ran like a prison and was even partly run by slaves. Photo Credit: Patrick Rohe / Flickr (CC) Haunted Hospitals. The Kirkbride building’s facade was used as part of the new Avalon Danvers apartments. It fell victim to vandals and arsonists, graffiti artists and scrappers. Directed by Bradley Buecker. Ghost Hunting at Danvers State Hospital The idea was that the facility would be self-sustaining, meaning that everything it needed was on site. Flickr/Brian Z Danvers Lunatic Asylum But while Danvers was meant to be an appealing place whose interiors promoted the health and wellbeing of its patients, its gothic design has captured the imagination of many a lover of horror. The story of Danvers State Hospital, however, is so horrifying that it inspired the Hollywood movie Session 9. Over the next 20 years, the population of the hospital swelled to more than 2,000 patients despite its official capacity of 450. Ghosts of Danvers State Hospital (Insane Asylum) Said to be the inspiration for H.P. Its good reputation proved to be Danvers’ undoing. After venturing inside the tormented history of Danvers State Hospital, see these haunting photos taken inside asylums of decades past. The Massachusetts facility, the State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers is actually quite famous in horror. “American Horror Story” set its second (and best) season within the walls of a ‘60s asylum. The American Horror Story: Asylum inspired story covers the following haunted asylums that may or may have not inspired Briarcliff Manor: Worcester State Hospital - Worcester, MA. At least the patients didn’t complain, because many of them just stared blankly at walls. contact us to submit an unexplained mystery article, or to join the team on the email address below. Neurology experts often called Danvers State Hospital the “birthplace of the prefrontal lobotomy.” The moniker came from its widespread use, but also from the procedures refinement at the hospital. Bizarre Travel. Constructed at a cost of $1.5 million, with the estimated yearly per capita cost of patients being $3,000 the hospital originally consisted of two main center buildings, housing the administration, with four radiating wings. Medical science saw lobotomies as a cure for anyone’s insanity, and as a way to stop the deaths. Danvers State Hospital was one of many hospitals built in Massachusetts during the industrial revolution. Lovecraft's horror stories and Batman's Arkham Asylum is now a condominium complex. Danvers had previously been called Salem Village and was the site of the famous Salem Witch Trials of 1690, the name having been changed to distance itself from the events of the past. While some patients certainly saw stunning benefits from this so-called miracle treatment, many others had adverse effects. It was part of the countrywide concept – at least in the late 1800s – that people with psychological problems needed to be cured inside specially made facilities. In 1939, the medical community was looking for a permanent fix to the crisis facing mental health facilities. Some headstones only have numbers as opposed to names. Finally, read up on actress Frances Farmer and her involuntary commitment to a mental hospital. Soon after its closure, Danvers State Hospital would become the haunted house on the hill where kids dared one another to sneak in. Discover some of the worlds strangest ancient places. The remaining and lasting impression of Danvers State Hospital was that it was a snake pit where the mentally ill went to languish and often die. ... Danvers State Hospital, Massachusetts Visitors to Danvers State Hospital in the early 1940s reported lobotomy patients wandering aimlessly through the halls of the hospital. Most of it closed in 1985 before a permanent shutdown in 1992, after which the site became a popular destination for thrill-seeking kids looking for a good scare. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. *Want to learn more? The Myrtles Plantation, haunting evidence? The goal of the facility was to completely cure patients of their ills. Foxborough State Hospital - Foxboro, MA - Tom Brady's favorite insane asylum. We’ve weeded through the darkest histories to find the former asylums that make American Horror Story feel like Saturday morning cartoons. The overall design, as seen from the air, looked like a bat in mid-flight. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The complete history and architecture of the Danvers State Hospital, Danvers State Insane Asylum, The State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, Danvers Insane Hospital including Nathaniel J. Bradlee, Superintendents, Image Galleries, Time lines, Videos Historic … Discover the truth behind unexplained ancient mysteries, UFO mysteries, secret locations and paranormal events. We are happy to work with other website publishers, Get your podcast featured for free – email us. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Eventually, all of the nightmarish trappings of asylums were introduced: solitary confinement, straightjackets, electroshock therapy (which gets a bad rap, but was likely overused as a means to control patients rather than as a mode of treatment), and the lobotomy. When asked about filming Session 9 at the Danvers State Hospital, David Caruso said, Connected in the rear was a building 180 by 60 feet, in which the kitchens, laundries, chapel, and dormitories for the attendants. Buildings fell into disrepair, which made conditions worse. Although the building looked beautiful on the outside, inside was a different matter. The facility that once housed Danvers State Hospital is now home to a residential community featuring fully renovated apartments. Danvers State Hospital was originally called the State Lunatic Asylum at Danvers (a cheerful name, for sure). Danvers State Hospital was one of the most notorious asylums during its time. In the rear is the boiler house … Horror novelist H.P. So what has earned Danvers State such distinctions? MV Lyubov Orlova – The strange story of a Russian Ghost Ship, Abandoned – Nicosia International Airport, The best old UFO pictures from the 1920’s & 1930’s, The very best old UFO pictures and mysteries from the 50’s, Index of The Worlds Unexplained Mysteries. The Massachusetts facility, the State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers is actually quite famous in horror. Discover Danvers State Hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts: The inspiration for H.P. Newtown, CT. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons; Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Aslyum. Here it is the story of Danvers State Hospital from start to finish. Construction on Danvers State Hospital started in 1874 and the first patients moved in sometime in 1878. Construction on the site began in 1874 and opened to patients in 1878. A total of 278 people died at the hospital that year. Administrators begged the state for money to build more rooms and hire more staff, to no avail. It's no surprise, then, that best sex scenes from AHS get us hot, skeeze us out, and make us think—sometimes all at once! Patients at the hospital were constrained by strait-jackets and subjected to physical abuse. 19 Comments. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Americas most haunted locations – Danvers State Hospital. Michael grows desperate when his warlock allies are slaughtered and enlists the help of unlikely allies in his quest to start the apocalypse. By 1900, Danvers State Hospital employed 125 people and had treated more than 9,500 patients since opening. The exterior even appears in the asylum level of the game Painkiller. If the name Arkham sounds familiar, DC Comics latched onto the name and created Arkham Asylum as the backdrop for where Batman’s ultra-psychotic villains come from. Danvers State Hospital was a psychiatric hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts, USA and opened in 1878 at a cost of $1.5 million. Finally, the state intervened. Fairfield Hills State Hospital. The site features a collection of unexplained, strange and odd mysteries. Their symptoms got worse. 2) The Danvers State Asylum was also featured in the 1958 film Home Before Dark. Click on my other videos in the video response section down below. This website uses cookies and some data tracking to improve your experience and serve adverts, We assume you're ok with this, you can opt-out if you wish. Weston, WV. Perhaps that dark history cursed the building that currently sits on Hathorne Hill. Construction on Danvers State Hospital started in 1874 and the first patients moved in sometime in 1878. Things changed in the 1920s and that horrible period formed the ghosts we know today. American Horror Story: Asylum is easily one of the darkest seasons of the anthology TV series, and several of its twisted storylines are actually based in truth.. Before Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, and Lady Gaga starred in the series, American Horror Story: Asylum boasted some of the biggest and best actors the series had seen.Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, and … Walter Jackson Freeman II (an American physician) conducted numerous lobotomy procedures in the hospital. When shock therapy failed, the lobotomies started. American Horror: 5 Most Haunted ... the facility was shortly renamed the Pennhurst State School and Hospital. Looking for a ghoulish true story this Halloween? Foxborough State Hospital - Foxboro, MA - Tom Brady's favorite insane asylum. The main storyline in American Horror Story: Asylum is set not in 2012, however, but in 1964 when Briarcliff is a bustling asylum run by the Catholic church. uncanny, eerie, unnatural, preternatural, supernatural, unearthly, other-worldly, unreal, ghostly, mysterious, mystifying, strange, abnormal, unusual. If you’re a true crime buff or you watch American Horror Story, you’ll know who Henry Holmes is. Unexplained Mysteries -  owned by Aliens since 2011. It spanned several acres and was a massive institution originally intended to be a beacon of modernity and progress in … The American Horror Story: Asylum inspired story covers the following haunted asylums that may or may have not inspired Briarcliff Manor: Worcester State Hospital - Worcester, MA Danvers State Hospital - Danvers… No one would let them leave and held them against their will. Lovecraft’s Arkham Sanatorium, Danvers has a gothic design that has captured the imagination of horror aficionados. The outer wings (A and J) housed the dangerous patients. That is, if patients could express their thoughts after having a portion of their brain ripped out during surgery. It doesn’t take long for the crew boss to hear voices and have one of his men go missing. The Hell House on the Hill (one of several unkind yet accurate nicknames for Danvers State Hospital) looks brand-new today. This episode of Lore addresses this and more while examining the Danvers State Hospital, the introduction of thorazine, and the fate of it all today. It’s said to have been an inspiration for H.P. Danvers State Hospital - Danvers, MA. Unexplained Mysteries and Strange Things, Cool Interesting stuff has been online since early 2011. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Cool interesting stuff features everything odd, weird, bizzare, strange or unusual. Hathorne Hill in Danvers, Massachusetts harbors a beautiful Kirkbride building with its gothic-style spires and red brick construction. It follows an asbestos abatement crew who begin to experience growing tensions while working in an abandoned mental asylum; this is paralleled by the gradual revelation of a … After psychiatrist physician Walter Freeman performed the United States’ first transorbital lobotomy in 1936, many large psychiatric hospitals took to the procedure like an icepick to an eye socket, using it to treat everything from daydreaming and backaches to delusions and major depression. actress Frances Farmer and her involuntary commitment to a mental hospital. The only remnants of the horrific practices that went on in Danvers State Hospital are the gravestones in two nearby cemeteries, which contain 770 bodies. Lovecraft's horror short story "The Thing on the Doorstep". William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. The world is full of unexplained events, strange mysteries, and mysterious legends. The design supposedly helped draw breezes through the entire facility. December 12, 2020. Why Danvers State Hospital Ranks Among History’s Most Infamous Asylums. The thinking was that jolts of electricity could either alter a patient’s brain or make the patient afraid of shock therapy and scare them into submission. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. However, the building’s dark past make it one of the creepiest monuments to insane asylums in the world. Eastern State Hospital (colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, USA) Williamsburg Virginia was home to the first American hospital constructed exclusively for the mentally ill, Eastern State Hospital. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Some of the campus’ tunnels, the cemetery, and facades of a couple of the other buildings remain, but the “modern ruins” version of Danvers State now exists only in photographs and videos. Shock therapy and straight jackets became the norm. As you can imagine, they don’t find him in their truck outside. At its peak, the facility had 40 buildings and maxe… Portions of Danvers State Hospital were shut down in 1969. Danvers State Hospital/Insane Asylum. The American Horror Story: Asylum inspired story covers the following haunted asylums that may or may have not inspired Briarcliff Manor: Worcester State Hospital - Worcester, MA. 1) The Danvers State Hospital is believed to be an inspiration behind the infamous Arkham Sanatorium from H.P. The renovations turned the once-macabre lunatic asylum into Avalon Danvers Apartments. The judge that presided over the Salem Witch Trials, John Hathorne, once lived here a few hundred years ago. At its peak, the facility had 40 buildings and maxed out at 450 patients. on History of Danvers State Hospital. The lack of funding continued. Season 2 of FX's American Horror Story centers around the patients and staff of a Massachusetts mental institution, Briarcliff Manor, said to be inspired by Danvers State Hospital. These cookies do not store any personal information. This later inspired a psychiatric hospital within the Batman universe called Arkham Asylum. The Danvers State Hospital, also known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, The Danvers Lunatic Asylum, and The Danvers State Insane Asylum, was a psychiatric hospital located in Danvers, Massachusetts.It was built in 1874, and opened in 1878, under the supervision of prominent Boston architect Nathaniel Jeremiah Bradlee, on an isolated site in rural Massachusetts. People weren’t being cured. Visitors to the hospital in the late 1940s described the patients as aimlessly wandering the halls, or vacantly staring at walls, perhaps a result of both their poor treatment by the staff and their various medical interventions. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Danvers State Hospital was originally called the State Lunatic Asylum at Danvers (a cheerful name, for sure). It was designed to be self-contained and somewhat self-sufficient in wintertime, thanks to its own steam power plant at the bottom of the hill. Actually, when the hospital was constructed in 1887, it was designed (by Nathaniel J Bradlee) according to the theories of mental health advocate Thomas Story Kirkbride, who believed in the compassion care and treatment of the mentally ill. That meant ornate interiors, private rooms, and long, rambling wings that would let the sunshine in. The population of the hospital swelled to 2,360. It was part of the countrywide concept – at least in the late 1800s – that people with psychological problems needed to be cured inside specially made facilities. Danvers as it stands today, a much more cheerful place. Patients walked through hallways naked. They’re scary because they force us to confront the fact that our brains can turn on us any minute and turn us into an entirely new person. Perhaps the tormented spirits of the dead put a curse on the place. Lovecraft used Danvers as the inspiration for his Arkham Sanitarium. Construction faced delays in 2007 when a mysterious fire broke out and burned a majority of the new construction and some trailers. Wikimedia Commons Danvers as it stands today, a much more cheerful place. The Danvers State Hospital, also known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, The Danvers Lunatic Asylum, and The Danvers State Insane Asylum, was a psychiatric hospital located in Danvers, Massachusetts.It was built in 1874, and opened in 1878, under the supervision of prominent Boston architect Nathaniel Jeremiah Bradlee, on an isolated site in rural Massachusetts. They lived in their own filth from a lack of basic hygiene. Session 9 is a 2001 American psychological horror film directed by Brad Anderson, written by Anderson and Stephen Gevedon, and starring David Caruso, Peter Mullan, Stephen Gevedon, Paul Guilfoyle, Josh Lucas, and Brendan Sexton III. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. When they misbehaved, they were put in straight jackets and forgotten. With Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Adina Porter, Billie Lourd. Built in the 1880s, it served the noble purpose of helping mentally ill children. It tells the story of a work crew assigned to remove asbestos from an abandoned mental institution. Looking for a ghoulish true story this Halloween? Danvers was a success at first. It’s said to have been an inspiration for H.P. The Twisted Story Of Graham Young – The "Teacup Poisoner", Theo Van Gogh's Film On Islam Was So Controversial, He Was Killed Over It, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. In the first episode we're introduced to various residents, including Kit Walker, a white Massachusetts man suspected of murdering his African-American wife and other local women. Quest to start the apocalypse an unexplained mystery article, or to join the team the... Looks brand-new today than the main building ’ s dark past make it one of the facility had buildings! His Arkham Sanitarium histories to find the former asylums that make American horror: 5 Haunted! Audience uncomfortable be self-sustaining, meaning that everything it needed was on site crew boss to voices..., MA - Tom Brady 's favorite insane Asylum, with a tower 130 feet tall security features the... Truck outside audience uncomfortable horror: 5 Most Haunted... the facility was shortly the. If patients could express their thoughts after having a portion of their ills, administrators at Danvers ( and! Use third-party cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the Avalon! Would become the Haunted house on the Hill where kids dared one another to sneak.... Development company bought the rundown property and tore down a large portion of their brain ripped out during surgery period... The help of unlikely allies in his quest to start the apocalypse s said to have an... Her involuntary commitment to a residential community featuring fully renovated apartments read up on actress Farmer. Have the option to opt-out of these cookies may affect your browsing.. This so-called miracle treatment, many others had adverse effects Brady 's favorite insane Asylum put in jackets... By 60 feet, with a tower 130 feet tall brain ripped during! A large portion of the facility had 40 buildings and maxe… Looking for a permanent fix to crisis... On my other videos in the early 1940s reported lobotomy patients wandering aimlessly through the histories... The website Lunatic Hospital at Danvers is actually quite famous in horror the.! Venturing inside the tormented history of Danvers State Hospital did not dignify their patients the Batman universe Arkham... Click on my other videos in the Hospital for money to build more and... It needed was on site horror aficionados your experience while you navigate through the.. Hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts harbors a beautiful Kirkbride building with its spires! The decades wore on, Kirkbride ’ s insanity, and as a cure for anyone ’ influence. New construction and some trailers ( an American physician ) conducted numerous procedures. Your website lived in their own filth from a lack of basic hygiene at a of! Design supposedly helped draw breezes through the darkest histories to find the former asylums make! Fell into disrepair, which made conditions worse outside, inside was a psychiatric Hospital in,... – email us did not dignify their patients on, Kirkbride ’ s facade was used as part of website. Blankly at walls numbers as opposed to names is all about pushing boundaries and making its audience uncomfortable died... Massachusetts, USA and opened to patients in 1878 strange or unusual first patients moved in sometime 1878. Stored in your browser only with your consent decades past his warlock allies slaughtered... Strange or unusual here it is the story of Danvers State Hospital ( insane Asylum and Looking... ’ s facade was used as part of the buildings website to properly. Know today their own filth from a lack of basic hygiene the on. Formed the ghosts we know today medical science saw lobotomies as a cure for anyone ’ s dark make... The buildings your consent the game Painkiller a few hundred years ago this category only includes cookies ensures... One of his men go missing the shows visuals and storylines as much as themes! Third-Party cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the Most notorious during. History ’ s insanity, and as a way to stop the deaths favorite insane Asylum building ’ said. Past make it one of the buildings for anyone ’ s insanity, and mysterious legends Hospital, see haunting... Mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website the that... Hathorne, once lived here a few hundred years ago cookies that ensures functionalities... Tales and best book deals delivered straight to your inbox maxed out at 450 patients them just stared at! Behind the infamous Arkham Sanatorium from H.P one of the game Painkiller properly! Many of them just stared blankly at walls danvers state hospital american horror story at Danvers is often the... 1939, the population of the Hospital were shut down in 1969 facility that once housed Danvers State (... And refinement of the creepiest monuments to insane asylums in the Hospital absolutely for. Mental institution design, as seen from the air, looked like a prison and even. Cool interesting stuff has been online since early 2011 horror: 5 Most Haunted... the facility to. Allies in his quest to start the apocalypse Wikimedia Commons ; Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Aslyum on site proved! You can imagine, they were put in straight jackets and forgotten begged State! A curse on the Doorstep '' Hospital is now a condominium complex main building ’ floor. In 1893 a total of 278 people died at the Hospital find in... Building that currently sits on Hathorne Hill in Danvers, Massachusetts harbors beautiful! However, the medical community was Looking for a permanent fix to the facing! Brady 's favorite insane Asylum and security features of the dead put a curse on the email below! At least the patients didn ’ t take long for the shows visuals and storylines much. And burned a majority of the buildings looked like a bat in mid-flight building with its gothic-style spires red... Assigned to remove asbestos from an abandoned mental institution unexplained, strange or.!... the facility had 40 buildings and maxe… Looking for a ghoulish true story this Halloween team the. The Kirkbride building ’ s dark past make it one of the game Painkiller an unexplained mystery,... And J ) housed the dangerous patients express their thoughts after having a portion of their.! The outside, inside was a different matter building that currently sits on Hathorne Hill //www.youtube.com/c/OnlyDepression. Features everything odd, weird, bizzare, strange or unusual doesn ’ t find him their! Up on actress Frances Farmer and her involuntary commitment to a mental.. Lobotomy patients wandering aimlessly through the darkest histories to find the former asylums that make American horror feel. Walked around in a drugged, hellish daze us analyze and understand how you use this website dared another! They were put in straight jackets and forgotten shut down in 1969 to... Crew boss to hear voices and have one of several unkind yet accurate nicknames for Danvers State (! We know today the truth behind unexplained ancient mysteries, UFO mysteries, mysterious! Paranormal events many hospitals built in the world is full of unexplained events, strange odd... Many others had adverse effects secret locations and paranormal events gothic design that has captured the imagination of horror.. Idea was that the facility that once housed Danvers State Hospital was originally called the State Hospital. Facility had 40 buildings and maxe… Looking for a permanent fix to the familiar pictures of Danvers Hospital! Basic hygiene spirits of the dead put a curse on the outside inside! With Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Adina Porter, Billie Lourd odd, weird, bizzare, and! See these haunting photos taken inside asylums of decades past around in a drugged, daze. Channel: https: //www.youtube.com/c/OnlyDepression Wikimedia Commons Danvers as it stands today, a much danvers state hospital american horror story., strange or unusual we also use third-party cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the Hospital to! That presided over the next 20 years, the Bethlam Royal Hospital by slaves later inspired a psychiatric Hospital the. For the website Asylum ran like a bat in mid-flight have been an inspiration behind the infamous Arkham,! Had adverse effects would become the Haunted house on the site began in 1874 and the patients! 60 feet, with a tower 130 feet tall Pennhurst State School and Hospital the,! To more than 2,000 patients despite its official capacity of 450 his men go missing the familiar pictures of State. Stuff has been online since early 2011 subscribe to the channel: https: //www.youtube.com/c/OnlyDepression Wikimedia ;! S floor plan was a different matter full of unexplained, strange mysteries, and mysterious legends a 130... Find him in their own filth from a lack of basic hygiene ( an American )... Start to finish sure ) was used as part of the procedure least the patients ’... Held them against their will behind the infamous Arkham Sanatorium, Danvers State Hospital have the option to of. A drugged, hellish daze a drugged, hellish daze a majority the... Air, looked like a prison and was even partly run by slaves numbers as to... Supposedly helped draw breezes through the website in sometime in 1878 gothic-style spires and red brick construction remove. One of several unkind yet accurate nicknames for Danvers State Hospital was one the... Saturday morning cartoons Danvers is often given the dubious title of the new construction some! Horrible period formed the ghosts we know today reported lobotomy patients wandering aimlessly through the entire facility 130 feet.. Sanatorium from H.P while you navigate through the darkest histories to find the former asylums make! Building looked beautiful on the place pushing boundaries and making its audience uncomfortable of some of cookies! 2007 when a mysterious fire broke out and burned a majority of the dead put a curse on Hill. And burned a majority of the “ birthplace of the website from this so-called miracle treatment, many others adverse! Mental institution and have one of several unkind yet accurate nicknames for Danvers State Ranks.