Status: Partially burned/some parts being rehabbed

I’d like to start off by saying that I’m SO glad we didn’t turn around and go home after one unsuccessful attempt at finding this urban exploration gold mine. Upon entering the town in which Letchworth Village was supposedly located on our quest to find it after my friend’s co-worker told him about it, we immediately saw buildings that very much matched the description of what this one-time home for the feeble minded was supposed to look like–only, they were definitely NOT abandoned. We drove around the big stone buildings with the high white columns and could plainly see that the town was using them for meetings and other functions. Before we almost gave up and left, we even ended up on a golf course by the 10th hole with the car. It seemed like this quest was a bust.

Luckily, though, we decided at the last minute to take a drive around the area and sure enough, we stumbled across buildings very similar to the ones we just saw but they looked as if people hadn’t walked through their doors in years. They were slightly smaller than the ones that were in use, but they were the same style and covered with brilliantly colored red, yellow, and orange ivy, compliments of the lovely autumn season.

There were many buildings to explore and MUCH to find. Fortunately for us, they weren’t extremely violated by delinquent kids. The graffiti was minimal and although everything wasn’t exactly in its place, it was still there nonetheless. In the patient buildings, we found TONS of gurneys, old appliances, furniture, paintings, clothing, books, and lots of evidence of the patients who were once kept here. The buildings aren’t hard to get into, yet it seems that not much has been taken from here.

One of the key points of interest we hoped to find while at Letchworth Village was the morgue. We had an idea of what building it might be in, especially since we saw a sign for “Lab Parking”. This was our biggest clue that we were nearby. And of course, with a little bit of poking around we did find it–strangely enough, in the same building where we found what looked like school classrooms. I must say, it was pretty darned cool. The autopsy table, chilling though it appeared, still stood in the autopsy room, complete with drains for bodily fluids. The freezers were still intact and I was rather impressed with the huge wooden doors on them. Nice.

We didn’t have the chance to explore every building in Letchworth Village because the campus is pretty big and we were losing daylight, but we hope to get back there before it’s either demolished or restored. We have heard talk of it being restored for use by the town but we’re not sure when this will take place. Hopefullly not TOO soon because Letchworth Village was a great find for mental hospital/home enthusiasts.

- Ember, 2004

2009 Update
I’ve been to Letchworth a few times over the past few years, and the condition of it has just gotten worse and worse. There’s much more vandalism, Stewart Hall has burned down, and part of one of the old main buildings has also burned. It also appears as though a few of the buildings are being rehabilitated to be used.