fjrwillie Loc: MA

We visited here on one of our many motorcycle journeys. It is a National Historic Landmark. Also >>

The hospital's main building is claimed to be one of the largest hand-cut stone masonry buildings in the United States, and the second largest hand-cut sandstone building in the world, with the only bigger one being in the Moscow Kremlin. Source Wikepedia

They have a short video on how lobotomies are performed, as well.

Great place for capturing some neat photos.

Willie

Chadp Loc: Virginia Beach

Well said. 👍

Shel Loc: Lecanto FL

I agree.

johnblenko Loc: Pittsburgh

Ed:

Quite a bit of controversy over my posting I see. I’m not sure if this is the website you are looking for but take a look at urbanatrophy.com. There is something weird about it and Apple. I can’t remember but I think you need to be on a computer; your phone blocks it. No Windows issue that I know of.

There is a former VA hospital in northern Maryland called, if I remember correctly, Perry Point. Because of my background in health care I find the images very interesting.

John Blenko

Railfan_Bill Loc: "Lost Wages", Nevada

John, My luck is that they would keep me and throw away the key!!! RFB

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Are there still a bunch of crazies running around that you can mess with and take photos of?

whwiden

This may fit with the sub culture of dark tourism. It is a thing now to visit places of tragedy, pain, etc. I suppose different sites serve different purposes. Some are natural disasters, some cruelty by man against man ( whether due to ignorance or design), some related to war, etc. But if you think about it, many tourist sites qualify.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

Since I am living with my beautiful bride of 54 years who is declining from dementia, I can appreciate both sides of this discussion. The thought of transferring her to a "memory care" unit feels like putting her in a warehouse. On the other hand, living through 24/7 care is absolutely brutal. Photography has as one function to record and comment on life. In this case recording what passed for care in the past can help translate the emotions of that experience into a present day yearning for better care and additional medical research. One caution to the photographer: the mind is also a camera but some images can never be deleted as easily as a jpeg. What you cannot photograph there is the look in the eyes of someone who is suffering in this way.As the Bible has stated: "death is the final enemy to be overcome ..."

CWGordon

My Mother is locked away with Dementia. She remembers so little. I cannot converse with her. I cannot relate. The pain is mostly for the family. My Mother is frustrated and often depressed. She knows things should be different, but not what. I miss her. I feel so awful for all those who are watching and caring for someone with this disease. My Father died of Parkinsons’ Disease. These are such different effects; I am not sure which is more horrible. Why?
Why do people lose so much of their beautiful lives battling such afflictions. No one has an answer. I hope all of you dealing with a loved one suffering find photography as good a therapy as do I. There are many other therapies, but few that have the peace and quiet and beauty our pasttime provides. Best wishes.

CWGordon

My Mother is locked away with Dementia. She remembers so little. I cannot converse with her. I cannot relate. The pain is mostly for the family. My Mother is frustrated and often depressed. She knows things should be different, but not what. I miss her. I feel so awful for all those who are watching and caring for someone with this disease. My Father died of Parkinsons’ Disease. These are such different effects; I am not sure which is more horrible. Why?
Why do people lose so much of their beautiful lives battling such afflictions. No one has an answer. I hope all of you dealing with a loved one suffering find photography as good a therapy as do I. There are many other therapies, but few that have the peace and quiet and beauty our pasttime provides. Best wishes.

dragon64 Loc: Stewartstown PA

While I am sure many of these facilities can be very interesting and some architecturally fascinating from the outside, many are not good places to visit internally, especially those that still house and treat patients. They can be sad and depressing places. I worked 40 years for a state health agency that operated as many as 40 hospital facilities at the peak of its time. Some were mental health institutions while others were for the mentally retarded, nursing homes, or chronic rehabilitation hospitals. Only 1 facility was for the criminally insane. I worked indirectly with the administrations that controlled the facilities, and therefore was required to visit them periodically. Fortunately, most of my visits didn't require interaction with the patients. Some patients had been in the facility for nearly all of their lives, especially in the mental retardation facilities where the some patients were admitted at a very early age. Many were just children, and many had not seen a family member in years. A very sad and depressing scenario.

With the growth of community treatment, most people today are treated n the community. Of the 40 or so facilities that were in operation just 40 years ago, only 13 remain. I'm sure that number will decline in the near future. Several of the facilities that were closed, were sold. Some had hundreds of acres of land and many had a lot of waterfront property. Most that were sold were redeveloped into significant commercial or residential properties. One of the most fascinating architectural properties is still in existence as a mental health facility. It opened in 1797 and is the second oldest psychiatric hospital in the U.S.
Handsome grounds with many picturesque buildings and locations, but not a place I enjoyed visiting, nor would I want to again.