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Outside the old cattle barn |
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.
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It must have been well used |
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
:-)
I'm sure very few of these institutions are left. Many were torn down very quickly to in some way hide the wrongs that were done.
ReplyDeleteWe knew noting about this plac e either. I'm glad you found it serene. That's putting it to good use.
ReplyDeleteI found this post very moving - particularly the detaills of the cemetery without names. I do hope that the serene atmosphere helped then and was appreciated as much as it is today.
ReplyDeleteIt's a unique hike but a good idea.
ReplyDeleteThat was a different hike than you usually take but informative! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThey had so many patients, seems like it should have been larger. Glad you enjoyed the hike.
ReplyDeleteThat had to be a nice change to visit a historical building on one of your hikes! Looks like it was decent weather, too. :)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. However, I cannot imagine being institutionalized. Ugh.
ReplyDelete