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Glimpse of horror

Danvers State Mental Hospital is a true horror story whether you believe in the paranormal or not. From the documented abuse patients experienced while living, to their undignified deaths, these patients weren’t treated as humans. Are they angry, waiting for their revenge, or miserably waiting for salvation?

But more importantly, do you believe in ghosts?

A beautiful building of gothic architecture, the Danvers State Mental Hospital was built in 1874, on the old home of John Hathorne, former Salem witch trials judge. But the beauty of the establishment hid something much more sinister.

The hospital was originally built to house up to 500 patients. Eventually, the staff continued admitting people, leading to over 2,300 patients. Because they didn’t have room, they would store patients in both the attic and the basement. 

Rumors spread about the overcrowding, people whispering about dead bodies left forgotten due to abuse, only found days later, rotting on the ground. Patients walking around hallways without clothes, with bad hygiene, no one bothering to take care of them. Although, neglect isn’t the worst form of torture these poor souls succumbed to.

The methods of treatment and crowd control that were used are unarguably inhumane. If patients weren’t compliant with the staff’s requests they would immediately be put in straight jackets and ignored. Electro-shock therapy was a common practice as well, inducing patients into a controlled seizure. However, the cruelest form of “medicine” was lobotomies. 

The Danvers State Mental Hospital was known for its practice in pre-frontal lobotomies. Many people reported visiting the hospital to see empty husks of what used to be people walking the halls aimlessly, not even knowing who they were or what was going on around them. All light was gone from their eyes, just fragments of the person they used to be. 

In the 1950’s, like most medical practices, lobotomies were replaced with something new. Out came chemical lobotomies, drugs used in place of surgery. They were used to decrease the risks that the surgery posed. 

Along with the unorthodox treatments, the hospital did have a documented history of abuse. Even though it’s sad, it isn’t an unexpected act. A lot of mental hospitals have a history of abuse; in the past mental health patients weren’t quite seen as people.

What’s more difficult to comprehend are the patients that went missing, while underneath the hospital’s care. Many patients have gone missing, with no explanation for their disappearance. Why did they disappear and where did they go? Did the staff know about what happened or were they just as clueless as us? With no bodies found, the possibilities are seemingly endless.

So many lives were lost in that hospital that it seems, to any believer, that there must be ghosts. Somewhere during the ’40s and ’50s, the daughter of an administrator had her paranormal encounter. She was playing in the attic with her sister when she saw an apparition in the corner of the room. It was an old lady, scowling down at them, rocking in her chair.

After telling her father about the encounter they were supposedly banned from the room. Is this because the father was aware that ghosts existed? And is it possible he had his ghostly encounter? His other daughter, like her sister, told her father about her haunting apparition. Resting peacefully at night, she was disturbed by a force ripping off her bedding, only to look up and see a glaring phantom standing before her bed.

This “ghost” seems a little more far-fetched. As possible as it is, it seems much more likely that they just fell off, or the little sister just wanted to be included in the hauntings. However, turning away possibilities could be turning away from the truth.

Due to budget cuts, the building shut down on June 24th, 1992. However, that wasn’t the last we’d hear from the institute. People would still visit the hospital after it closed, just to get a glimpse of what once was. Its creepy aura made it a popular tourist attraction and was even used to film some horror movies. 

Tour groups used to go through the asylum, and many of them described hearing voices, unattached to living bodies. They would hear tortured groans and shrill, crying shrieks. But are they the agonized songs of the dead? Or are they just a cheap trick of a tourist trap?

Right before the tours came to an end they discovered a system of tunnels beneath the hospital. It is hypothesized that during the hospital’s apex, it was not only used as a way of quick transportation but also, as a way to hide the more “extreme” patients from the public eye. It is believed that during visitations, the hospital would send these specific patients to the tunnels so that the hospital could maintain a respectable reputation. 

It is said that the first administrator, Thomas Kirkbride, haunts the tunnels below. His floating figure reminds those who see that there are some things beyond our comprehension. Today, parts of the labyrinth remain, most blocked off, away from the eyes of the public.

In 2007, condos were built, replacing the demolished burial place of the hospital. During the construction process four buildings burnt down. If that was a sign from the other world we did not receive the message, and the condos finished construction, opening its doors. 

The police have received calls from the residents of the condos, complaining about bone-chilling noises, and desperate cries, only for the area to be empty, not a trace of life.

As sickening as the Danvers State Hospital is, you can’t deny it’s interesting history. And with people continuing to live on the hospital’s remains, who knows what other stories might come forth…