Northern State Recreation Area

Outside the old cattle barn

Today, 21 Senior Trailblazers traveled from Bellingham to Sedro-Woolley, a short half-hour drive south, to visit the remnants of the Northern State Mental Hospital and the newly renovated Northern State Recreation Area on the site. Many of the old buildings are still standing, after many decades since it was abandoned as a mental hospital. It was built in the early 1940s to help with the overcrowding in the two extant hospitals of the day. From that link:

The state had the Northern State Mental Hospital built to ease the strain on the system. It quickly became the most crowded hospital in Washington state, with over 2000 patients by the 1950s. Although it was touted as one of the “good” mental institutions, where patients were treated with relative kindness, doctors at the asylum were known to perform horrifying experiments, including lobotomies and electroshock therapy.

We walked around the grounds, inspecting some of the buildings and imagining what it was like when it was in use. The buildings are often in amazingly good condition, after so many years of disuse.

It must have been well used

A lovely grove of trees

We walked through the cemetery, where the deceased were mostly cremated and put under small concrete markings with a number and sometimes initials of the person who died. There have been many people over the years who have tried to discover the identities of these remains.

A plaque to honor those buried here

We wandered through the remaining buildings and also went on some of the trails that have been added to the place, finding much beauty among the sorrowful remnants of the old hospital. We stopped for lunch in front of the abandoned buildings of the main hospital.

Sitting in the shade

For a place that has been vacant for so long, it is still in good condition and obviously upkeep continues. It's a lovely place to visit, even after all these years have passed. 

gtMaking our way back

The setting of this hospital could not have been more serene and hopefully some of the people housed here had decent lives. There are several books that have been written about the place, and I will find the time to look them up. It was an educational and exceptional day in many ways. I thank our leader, Barb, for bringing us there, and introducing me to a fascinating historical monument.

:-)