The Danvers State Hospital is long closed, but its legacy lives on and still haunts the lives of those formerly residing there and their families.
Most of the original buildings of the Danvers State Hospital, also known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, or The Danvers Lunatic Asylum, were demolished in 2006. However, there are plenty of photos of the inside of the rotting asylum from fearless urban explorers.
Let’s take a look inside, shall we?
Danvers State Hospital opened in 1878 in rural Massachusetts, about 17 miles from Boston. Like many mental health facilities at the time, the founders opened Danvers with high hopes for treating, and rehabilitating their patients.
share
Sadly, also like its fellow institutions at the time, conditions quickly spiraled out of control and did more harm than good for the residents.
share
During its early years Danvers was a remarkable safe haven of treatment and rehabilitation for its residents.
share
The facility was so successful that they even offered a training courses for nurses. A pathological research laboratory was also added to the hospital in 1895.
share
This early growth was due to Danvers having some remarkably progressive mental health treatment policies for the time.
share
In the 1890’s Dr. Charles Page, the superintendent at the time, declared that mechanical restraints were unnecessary for patients. They did more harm than good, he said.
share
However, around the turn of the century, extreme overcrowding at the facility turned this approach on its head.
share
The hospital was only built to house about 600 patients at maximum capacity. However, by 1939, over 2,000 residents were packed into the building.
share
Overcrowding forced the hospital staff to compromise on their view of physically restraining patients. There are reports that staff used various inhumane treatments to control the resident population.
share
These include reports of shock therapy, straitjackets, drugs, and lobotomies. In fact Danvers State Hospital is said to be the birthplace of the pre-frontal lobotomy.
share
This became the norm at the hospital until the 1960s. That was when massive budget cuts began to impact the facility. This lead to the first building closing on the Danvers campus in 1969.
share
Eventually, the hospital was closed for good in 1992, after being ravaged by further budget cuts. The land was then sold to a developer who knocked down most of the remaining hospital buildings in 2006. What remains today is only the facade of the hospital’s main administrative building. At the moment the property remains vacant and undeveloped.
share
Talk about a creepy place to be. Just think of all those people who suffered, and lived out their lives in that place. It’s heartbreaking. While it would have been an interesting place to visit, I’m glad it’s knocked down. Maybe those people’s souls can finally have some rest.
