Status: Demolished

NOTE: The name and location of this hospital are undisclosed because there recently has been a problem with vandalism of the remaining vacant building on the campus. This resulted in the offenders being ARRESTED. We do not encourage anyone to even enter the campus, as you will be stopped by on-campus police and questioned. The photos contained within this site were taken many years ago of buildings that have been demolished in 2008. We would recommend that you don’t even bother trying to see what’s left, as there isn’t much that’s even worth the trouble.

Like many other closed-down institutions for mental diseases of this caliber, Gravestone also harbors a shady past of patient cruelty and electroshock therapy long after it was banned. Today, most of the gorgeous Victorian and Edwardian style buildings that made up the campus of Gravestone lie crumbling, a sad testament of how we shun and no longer acknowledge the things that once happened or those who were confined within their lonely walls.

Although parts of the 1000+ acre Gravestone are still used to house psychiatric patients, the campus is still largely abandoned and has been since the 1970s due to the invention of new medicines to help mental illness and the public’s overall attitude toward the treatment of the mentally afflicted. At its peak, Gravestone housed over 10,000 patients, but as years went by, this number declined. The biggest and most majestic building of the complex, the Kirkbride building, was built in 1877 and had the largest foundation of any building in the United States until the completion of the Pentagon in the 1940s. At first glance, it appears as though the Kirkbride building is entirely in use, but driving around it and inspecting it further will reveal that only a small part of it is occupied. It’s quite a strange sight–the main facade is decorated with lights and evidence of activity while just around the corner, an entire wing bears broken windows and severe neglect.

Perhaps the most well-know patient committed to Gravestone was folk singer Woodie Guthrie. May 29, 1956, Guthrie was committed to Gravestone after being arrested for “wandering aimlessly” in the streets. He was later diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, a hereditary condition that causes deterioration of the mind and body until death. During his stay at Gravestone, Bob Dylan even came to visit his idol. Sadly, Guthrie was shifted from hospital to hospital until he finally died in 1967.

Given Gravestone’s sordid history, one would expect there to be stories of the supernatural associated with it. Of course, as with every abandoned asylum or hospital, there are stories of hauntings in Gravestone. The most popular is the story of a patient who attempted to escape through the tunnel system, only to be shot by security officers before he could achieve his freedom. It has been said that his ghost haunts the tunnels to this day. As expected, this is the tale that seems to entice the curious to attempt to find the tunnel system, which some aren’t sure exist.

So what was the first thing we looked for when we visited Gravestone? You guessed it…the tunnel system. We had a very difficult time finding an open door to slip into unnoticed, but after much searching, we did find one. We scoured the building for steps to a basement, and sure enough, we found some dangerously icy stairs that seemed to lead under the ground. Not letting the snow and ice stop us, we made our way down the stairs and explored the basement until we discovered the tunnel entrance.

We weren’t sure where these tunnels would lead us and we were a bit nervous considering that some buildings were in use, but we decided to try them anyway. The tunnels are lined with small rooms containing VERY old medical equipment such as oxygen machines and other unidentifyable things, so they made for a fun exploration along the way. We followed the tunnel one way, and sure enough, we came up in another abandoned building.

One of the buildings we explored was an old surgical building, which contained more REALLY old medical equipment including a very dated electroshock machine. I’ve explored many hospitals and asylums, but I felt we hit the jackpot here–I’ve never been lucky enough to see one up close! Seeing this old, rusted machine made me shudder to think of the suffering on the part of Gravestone’s patients. There were many other old pieces of equipment that I couldn’t identify, and I didn’t want to think what they might have been used for.

As we wandered around, we found many old wheelchairs made of wood, x-ray equipment, chairs reminiscent of the 1960s, children’s toys, and lots of surgical equipment. We ascended the stairs and even stumbled across a couple of operating rooms, one that was obviously very old and one that was much newer. I was extremely impressed with Gravestone, as it had MUCH more to see than most abandoned asylums I’d been to.

Many of the abandoned asylums resemble each other greatly in architecture, layout and decor and Gravestone is no exception. The natural light cast shadows on the pastel walls where the paint was peeling, an almost “cheery” guise to hide much darker secrets. Old, rusted iron beds were lined up against the walls in large dorms where patients were made to sleep. It was quite sad to think about how they must have been crammed together with no privacy.

The only disappointment was that we couldn’t find a morgue in any of the buildings, but I felt quite satisfied with having seen the surgical building, a patient building, and all the goodies contained within.

- Ember, 2003