The hospital first opened its doors in 1904 in Norwich, Connecticut. It was built in an idyllic location chosen for its therapeutic properties overlooking the River Thames.
The Norwich Insane Asylum was built isolated from civilization, which worked to its benefit as it began to grow during its early years sprouting new buildings that accompanied the original construction (see aerial view of the hospital here). These new construction projects included patient wards, staff cottages, laboratories and workshops. All of the structures were interconnected by a large network of underground utility tunnels. These tunnels transported electricity, hot water, and patients to various areas on the grounds. The hospital remained self-sufficient, almost like a small town, with its own power plant, pump house, working farm, kitchen, theater and church.
Over 3,000 patients and 1,000 employees were residents on the asylum grounds in the 1950’s.
Slowly patients began to leave Norwich State Hospital due to deinstitutionalization and it permanently closed its doors in 1996. Since then time has basically stood still on the property with a few exceptions. Currently there is talk about converting the grounds into a theme park, but nothing has been set in stone.
After a long tedious drive we leave the car in a commuter parking lot close to the buildings. Ever the vigilant group of explorers we notice a State Trooper making his rounds and dive into the forest for cover. Luckily we outsmarted the police yet again and after regrouping walk along the Thames River for a few hundred feet. We finally see the abandoned pump house looming in the distance and decide to make this our entryway into the campus.
This site has a reputation for being well guarded, well patrolled, and does not take kindly to trespassers. I am always on edge when exploring across the Atlantic and the numerous “State Property – No Trespassing” signs that litter the grounds did not bode well for my paranoia. Instead of exposing ourselves above ground to security and prying eyes, we decided to take the underground route through the utility tunnels.
Using the tunnels we explored many buildings without ever being forced to go outside. This method of travel was soon confirmed to be the safest. On our first attempt to venture outside we were only a few feet away from a security officer in a black uniform. Fortunately he didn’t look our way and we quickly receded back into the tunnel network. For a while we hid in the abandoned theater so we could look around the campus without being seen.
This encounter with security dampened our spirits and made our visit a whole lot shorter than we would have liked. We made our grande exit through the empty chapel, this allowed us to avoid walking back through the forest. As we were walking back to the commuter lot to pickup our car we noticed the State Trooper had been watching us as we suspiciously walked down the road. I wonder where we went to and were coming back from?!
Archive document introducing a new therapy (click to enlarge):
Special thanks to Dr. Bob for sharing the old postcards.
I grew up off rt.2A across the cove and I remember they had radio announcements and a warning system when someone escaped. I wasn't allowed out one evening due to that. My brother used to be a regular at Brookside Café where some of the safer patients used to go to wet their whistle. I went inside for a dance recital when I was younger and it was open, It was a pretty traumatizing place for a kid to see: a man strapped down to a gurney, a woman pacing back and forth screaming at a brown spot on her apple. They would pay $25 (I think) to someone who brought in a possible patient. Its a shame, the buildings were beautiful!
We been here together so long. I miss you and I love you forever.
easy to get in without risk at night, adds to the creepy meter too!
iam back
Hello all
Looks like I'm a few years to late to make urban exploration into my hobby. I live in Germany (from my point of view no good country for urban exploration anyway) and can't travel that far and even if I'll stay close to Germany it would be hard. But looks like there would be no point in it anyway since the most good places are demolished or there locations are hard to find
its all gone the beast is dead!!!!!
Would someone please let me know what's left and how to get in? I'm going to take work off and plan a trip soon if it's still work it!! Thanks! nsheridan37@gmail.com
it's play time........
Danielle are the Doctors houses still there? I was last there in 2013 and would love to photograph the doctors houses. Cyril www.cyrilplace.com
its been to long
feels forever ago that i was stationed at the base near the hospital. now im out of the military and loving life!!! was thinking about this place today and figured id stop by this old website to say hi and hows everyone doing? the conversations we used to have on here were so intense!!! so i saw on Facebook somewhere that they are tearing it down!? what a shame. is seaside sanatorium still around? sparkles how ya been?
I'm dying with this place.
All but a handful of buildings have been demolished in recent years. The few that remain are in the process of being torn down. The administration building has been sealed up for future preservation. Another great asylum bites the dust
what is the current status of the property, where is the best place to get in, coolest shit to see, are the tunnels sealed now. please shoot me an email at justin.malinow@gmail.com this place definitely looks awesome.
I want to find out if the Matthew Naab was a relative of my family.
Hey i wanna go check this place out but i wanna check out the doctor homes and the other side of the road got any info for me......
Is this place still there and would I be able to get to it to take pictures or is there security?
Yes some of the buildings are still there,and all the drs cottages are still there, up the road up a private driveway, but they have started knocking buildings down, prob 3 or 4 this past year, I live 9 houses away from the hospital, if you ever come back make sure you visit the old doctors homes , they are beautiful homes, filled with old furniture and left behind belongings! They plan to have all the buildings gone with in the next 2 years, if that helps!
I'd like to find records of patiences that were attmitted there can anyone help me with patience records.
I went a total of three times. We went the long way around went past the chapel and into the woods and ended up coming oout on the train tracks. Walked a little bit further and came in threw the back, the first building we came by we saw a shadowy figure in a window on the upper floor. There are lights and cameras everywhere, but in this spot there were no lights. We walked all along the back portion of it and came up to the ball field and ditched back under the fence. the last time we went as we got out and was walking back to the commuter lot, there were about 5 or 6 people out with flash lights looking for us. Almost didnt make it, This place is crazy haunted, and very unsafe. But also very spooky, felt eyes on us the whole time
I really hope not, last time I was there it was mostly leveled, but there are certainly still enough buildings there to make a trip worth it for me, I should be going there really soon to see the damage this month.
I was just wondering has it all gone now? Duffy
Brigham is gone, that was my favorite building. I don't know if anybody noticed, or cares anymore...
Looking to go also to check it out. Very much into checking these places out. Im in danielson not far. Not a amateur when it comes to checking out locked off places. Email me if you wanna go too. Prepared todo whatever it takes to get in but not trying to destroy anything. In it for the history and pictures. Not5mrh@gmail.com
I drove by the other night and saw a group of kids running through the clearing by the road a little ways up past the cemetary. I wonder if they were running from security?
I moved to this area and got interested in going inside. I would like to know if it is still possible to get in. Please email me back at sydneynicole@live.com Thank you!
Does nobody post on here anymore? All the good people are gone.
Joey,
I recently moved to the area and drove by this one day. I've since been hooked on the idea of getting inside. You seem to have the most current info on the property. Is it still possible to sneak in? Please email me at mrhudson0527@marykay.com
wow the same old story
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