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.
For the record, I've been exploring my ass off-in and out of ct.
28 days later... Oh, and the nsh site has a history with both settlers and before that-Indians . There are still remnants in the woods on both sides of the campus.
www.preston-ct.org
for those keeping track. here's a chairman who is tring to get rid of the vice chair, then when he thinks its been eliminated he takes the week off..... so who runs a meeting with no chairman or vice chair?
I think i did in fact read someplace that artifacts (arrowheads and sharpening stones) were recovered from the Norwich site..I could be mistaken however.
The show "Scariest places on earth" claimed that a man had "escaped" Norwich.. Abducted a nurse and had chopped and buried her remains throughout the site.. I never found any articles at the Library concerning the story..Nor any records with the patients name involved. There was an article about the finding of a human Tibia in a vent in the 70's..which is pretty odd.. State of CT did an investigation on the treatment of patients, Concerning living conditions etc.. Dig deeper into the box at the State Library and you'd be surprised what dirt comes out..
JPT- I don't mean to harp on you "old Fahts" ..I just find it amusing that you can keep up with us Young Guns at your age.. You mention the 60's.. (HA) ..Most of us can't remember the 80's.. It's just plain entertaining.. Odd you should change your name to JPE.
I am surprised that the peqot's haven't dipped they're hands in the pot yet.. I know they had been mentioned when the development bids were being sifted through..But I am surprised they didn't claim that they had connections to the site..and would like to honor they're ancestors with yet..another ..Casino.. Casino of the insane would have a good ring to it. Like you said however..soon I will hit the billion dollar mark and we can all live in harmony.. I wonder what an accurate bid would be on the property..given that any bid would have to include abatement etc..
Well, with the very obvious exception of Shaun of the Dead, has there been any other notable British Zombie films made?
A lot of gruesome things occur, but I get rather upset when they involve children. I'm sure there were some incidents at NSH that were covered up, as was common in those days. I'd love to see them do a full cadaver search of the property before they raze it. Then again, they dig up some bones, that will be a show stopper , especially if they turn out to be the remains of a local tribal ancestor! Wouldnt THAT be a laugh- after all the blow and bluster, if it would turn out that one of the tribes has a legit claim on the land? Turn it into a college for Indian Studies or something like that! Probably have to pay Preston their $1 back for it!
Dated? Um, yeah, its not exactly a State Secret that I've just crested the half century mark! The term I regularly use for myself, "Olde Faht" would be clue also!
Born in Norwich, lived a good part of my life there, seen it go from a nice city where you could walk around and shop, stop at the 5 & 10 and have a slice of lemon pie, ride the bus back home, to what it is today. Give the political things credit, they ARE trying to get the downtown a little better, but closing the Y didnt help, and theres still too much low life living there to revitalize it. If they truly want to make Downtown a better place, they need to a) draw business back in, and b) drive the dirtballs out.
But , after Pubme hits his Billionaire mark, we wont have to worry! Put in some rails, and little cars, like a haunted house ride, so us olde fahts (see?) can get around without breaking a hip!
Waterbury, Hartford , New Haven, Bridgeport, are all cancers and just need to be cut off , irradiated to kill any lingering disease, and turned into parking lots! And dont even get me started on New York City!
lol..So would this enema still clean up the Southern CT, and also Waterbury, Hartford areas? because in this case it would have to be a multi-port enema. Back in the 60's JPT?? ..your really dating yourself here.. The Norwich Asylum in England is actually rich with some gruesome history.. There was a news paper article that was accidentally posted here about "Norwich Asylum" ..A man who was requesting medication to go to sleep was denied..the man left his room hours later went into a children's ward and ..well.. Lets just say he killed one child with a fireplace poker and the man was found standing over another child with a spatula full of brains. I haven't seen anything that gruesome coming out of Norwich history..(Yet)
You don't know anything about Zombie's??? ..My distant friend..You'd better limber up..And brush up on your weapons building.. An epidemic is coming.. hahaa
Well, I'm afraid you'd probably be disappointed. Norwich was at one time, back in the 60s, a real gem, but recently downtowns become kind of crummy. Some of the residential neighborhoods are slummy, drug areas.
Dont get me wrong there are still some nice places, but I dont have a lot of use for downtown now.
In fact, I think if they ever gave Connecticut an enema, the tube would go right in Norwich!
...sorry, I meant intrigued by...lost my train of thought halfway through that sentence...
This is a beautiful collection of pictures! I live in Norwich CT's namesake in England and I'm intrigued in our name twin! I'd love to come and visit one day.
I know nothing about zombies. Just wanted to put that out there.
Just out of curiosity..If you have been on site.. Even to lets say get a look at Bell.. Why would you come here with a "help" post? ..Not saying at all that your some sort of impostor.. Just curious why you'd ask some broad questions about the site..when you've "been" on site within the past week.. I doubt the "glass" walls have been reduced to nothing..Being that they have a hard enough time keeping UE and others out..I dont think they would completely blow out an entire wall..The porch is gone..However I didn't notice the glass missing. meh..
Does anybody know what the bell building was used for in its history, the architecture of that building is amazing, and also any info. on its current state because I was there about a week ago and thought I saw the those huge glass walls on the front of the building reduced to a pile of rubble.
Your posts never seem to let me down.. What are you even talking about? "I could nut haaavee dune what the fake Blah Blah" what are you even talking about.. Your last post clearly read..that you know there were children there because your "related" to one of "two" kids born at NSH.. why is this even relevant? ..Whatever the "fake" post was..it's not here anymore.. And it was more than likely you regardless.. I can request to know the type of I.P the post came from..Surely yours wouldn't come up as a static I.P would it.? ..Or wait.. 3 states away.. hhmm.. Some sort of official business with your "TOP SECRET" security job? ..or is there a Myspace convention?
Joey.. Norwich is amazing..inside and out. The history behind each building is aw inspiring.. The state of the tunnels?..Don't rely on them..New collapses have forced many of us UE above ground..Also giving a UE more adrenaline and chances to explore farther into buildings which aren't connected to the tunnel system.. You can find my Email somewhere in the back posts..I can be contacted with questions related to NSH.. By no means will I tell you any POE's..however I can give you useful suggestions.. Norwich will never meet it's "demise" ..within' the the time period of construction I will become a billionaire and buy the site..At which time I will have a contractor for the abatement process..An architect to rebuild the structures to their original beauty..And after all is said and done I will open the site to UE's only.. Dont fret tho!!! ..I will make sure it's still dirty.. LoL.
I have read so much about nsh on this page and various other sources and have been there about five times but if anybody has any information on how to get into the buildings now, and also the state of the tunnels because I feel most of them are collapsed, it would be most appreciated, Norwich is gorgeous and I would love to see as much of it as possible before it's eventual demise comes.
jpt i do not have any brothers or sisters so that last post was from a fake i have been just waching all of this from the shadows an also from three states away so i could have not dune what the fake said iwas going to do lol damn iam not that good llolololllolol go get him
You could continueally file reports with the local PD, and have them come and set up a deterent car. In putnam they have a car they leave with a dummy in it, causes folks to slow down quite a bit.
By filing complaints, in the event someone does get hit, you have evidence available about how long you have been concerned. Also, contact some of the news agencys, some of them love to write up stories like this, kinda forces the cops to be more diligent.
Nope it's always the classic roll and go situation.. I've seen a handful of accidents since I've lived on this street..It's just odd that someone would feel the need to gain that much speed between two stop signs which is a total of four blocks..Most people don't see the second stop sign and end up locking up their brakes on a regular basis. The speed limit through the entire street is 25.. Last year my neighbors dog had run out in the street and was hit by a car..The woman was asked why she was going so fast and she had claimed "I'm on my way to Chemotherapy" ..At a speed as boring as 25mph can be..you can stop NO matter what the situation is.. I doubt I will dress up as a disturbed village person pointing a hair dryer at cars..However..I think I will utilize the crosswalk in front of my house a bit more often..I will wait for the drag racers to be halfway down my street and just start crossing..It works out either way.. A) they stop and they are now shaking to the fact that they could have just killed someone.. OR B) I get hit by a car and (my luck) live it and am awarded a hefty sum of monies in which I can buy a nice house with a mile long driveway so I dont have to see nor worry about people's speeds..
Ball cap, sunglasses and a hair dryer.... Fashion police?
Guess they got to get to stop a lot fatser- do you see any of them REALLY stop, or do they slowdown and roll thru. Tell you what, sit in your car with dark glassas and a ball cap and point a hair dryer at the speeders, bet they slow down- nothing illegal, just weird!
Anyone watch the show "Dexter" on shotime? ..It's a story of a Blood-spatter specialist who works for Miami police dept..But has a split personality of a serial killer..It's an absolutely amazing show.. It's available free on Netflix if you wanted to check it out..Dexter was "trained" by his father to kill with purpose because Dexter has an urge to kill..Dexter's purpose was to take out the "bad guys" ..who also had body counts..He see's it as cleaning up the city..Amazing amazing story line tho..
Current annoyance.. is the fact that there is a stop sign one block from my house..And another one block in the other direction..yet people still go 65mph between the two stop signs.. Why is this? do you really get there faster? geeezzee..
I was basing mine on experiences of my Brother, Cousin and best friend, who worked predominantly in this state DOC. I suppose different states could have different proceedures. Maybe if you PO a CO in Nevada, they hit you with 10,000 volts of compliance.
I think Arizonas Joe Arpaio should be in charge of ALL prisons!
I was going by the documentary based on max security pens..They showed a lot of the equipment they'd use in the case of an inmate not complying.. But I suppose you are right..That for the every-day restraint it would be much more simply the process you had listed. More or less I believe that the LTL weapons that they have (In the Prison and NOT carried around for show and tell) are meant more-so for the risk of a riot..where they'd be dealing with more than One individual at a time. They did show the use of both pellet "grenades" and LTL shotguns with rubber cork..Also the use of Stun shields..They were meant as "extreme cases" in my last post..Not as an everyday means of correcting an individual who doesn't want to clear his tray at (chow) .. I agree that they aren't allowed to carry weapons inside the facility..that would just be a disaster waiting to happen.. By the way..the movie "Felon" is actually pretty good.
Bomb- We heard this last time..remember..? ..I doubt you want me to post the "story" you left us here last time.. Remember..? ..At any rate..It would be documented. If it were documented..I can find it. Without a doubt I will have the answer...Is JOhn O I mean Bomb..A Born madman from Norwich? You'd be surprised what you find at the State library regarding Norwich..There's a librarian there that I know..He'd be willing to show you around the related files..to prove that You and your sister weren't born at Norwich..or ..said related individual. Bomb..if you were never guarding Norwich..You'd know nothing about it..If you were put at a Kmart..You would tell everyone that your mom went to Kmart and had you in isle 12 next to the lornadune's ...it's more entertaining that way also.
yes there were childern at nsh but what a lot of people do not know is that there were two baby`s born at nsh a boy an a girl. how i know this is real because i know the girl that`s just say she could be family if you know what i mean small world ha
Actually, you are a bit off on CT DOC. They do not use stun guns, or any form of ballistics in normal day to day MOAB (Managment of aggressive behaviour), altho they have a different acronym for it today.
Standard proceedure is to first try to talk to the inmate, and see if he can be reasoned with. This actually works in over half the scenarios, when the inmate understands that what the officer is saying is what is going to happen, the easy way or the hard way, the inmates choice. In the event the inmate doesnt comply, a supervisor (LT) is brought in to reinforce the officers orders. Next step is to bring in more officers to physically restrain and/or direct the inmate. In the event of a cel extraction, a 7 man team is employed - a supervisor with mace, an officer with a videocamera to document the incident, and a 5 man take down team, consisting of one officer with a convex sheild, and 4 officers, one to restrain each limb. Typically, the inmate is then given 2-3 verbal orders to comply, followed by a dose of mace, the door is opened and the sheild man pins the inmate to the wall or floor, and the other officers take control of their assigned limb. Once the inmate is controlled, cuffs are applied, sometimes 4 point restraints attached to the bed, and a medic is called into to examine and treat any injuries the inmate may have suffered, including washing the face to dilute the mace. This method has proven to be the most effective and causes the fewer injuries to the inmates and the officers. While many think the officers dont care about injuring the inmates, and honestly, most probably dont, what they DO care about is the astonishingly enormous pile of paperwork that any use of force incident requires. 4-6 hours of forms and reports. And no officer wants to be stuck after his shift is over writing reports. Therefore, if the officer or the LT can talk the inmate into complying, their job is easier.
No weapons such as clubs, stun guns, etc are allowed in a facility, as they can be taken away and used against the officers. Even the badges are sewed on patches now, so no inmate can tear one off and use the pin as a weapon. Drugs to subdue a violent inmate are administered by the medic if required, but only after the inmate is physically restrained with cuffs and several officers. And the officers in general love the video taping, as it provides evidence that the use of force was in accordance with approved methods, and indemnifys them from lawsuits from inmates citing physical abuse during the incident. Regardless, its a requirement in St of CT correctional facilities now.
Of course, during a riot, the CERT (Corrections Emergency Response Team) uses more aggresive tactics, as the disturbence is much less controlled. And, in some curcumstances, dogs were used, partially for the psychological aspect, and partially for the safety of the officers.
My questions are based on the methods I've seen used on TV "reality" shows, they seem much more logical. A restraint chair is in effect a wheel chair with cuffs for the legs, arms and body. Once strapped in the inmate can be easily moved to whatever location they want. It seems the inmate is in a relatively safe and comfortable position, and as such I could see a similar type of restraint system used for the mentally impaired.
My questions about children then leads to the next question- segragation from the adult population. One would assume that would be the case. IDK how effective academic education would be for the mentally impaired, but I assume that ANY education that the child retained would be of benefit. Could that classroom have been used for adults with the mentality of children? IDK, just asking the questions, and seeking enlightenment form those more knowedgable than myself.
- I do think there were surely young patients at Norwich towards the closing..Russel has classroom's with (ABC) banners and simple math in them.. It could be looked into I suppose..next time I'm in Hartford area.
- As far as the current inner-workings of today's mental hospitals is concerned..Most Community hospitals have a somewhat "temporary stay" psych hospital in them.. There are a few other places in the state where mentally ill are housed..such as one of my favorites..CVH. The hospitals use a somewhat (perfected) version of the same treatments used back in the history of NSH.. Restrain techniques are updated with the use of (Haldol) sedating the patient almost instantly..reducing risk to both patient and staff.. Four point restraints are now used with padded buckles..rather than the Sheet restraint technique which was commonly used during NSH's time. Medications are obviously a huge difference in the time periods. JAILS..differ quite a bit.. As you mentioned they do have chairs etc that inmates are strapped in and left to (wallow in their Sh*t).. however much more force is delivered via guards..Not all mentally ill patients are assumed or proven guilty of being aggressive. Jails tend to have a more violent atmosphere regardless. Jails are given training in use of less than lethal weapons, tear gas, soft ballistics, stun guns, and physical force.. You wouldn't catch that in your everyday mental hospital. Spit masks and four points a shared in both scenario's..As are the use of suicide-proof blankets and those fashionable paper suits.. But Hannibal has proven every possible deterrent to be useless..
Yeah, What Paul said! You need that 4.0 GPA to go and get a good job, kiddo! Enough crawling around dusty old buildings, get out there and start paying taxes to support us olde fahts Social Security when we retire!
I was going to say it was a long night, as I got to bed around midnight and got up at 4, but it was actually a short night. Closed my eyes, and seems like 1/2 hour later I was up and at it.
A topic related question: What was the youngest age of the patients at NSH? Were there any kids? I know back in the day, a friend we put there for a few days, I suppose it was for observation, as she was released rather quickly. She was in her teens.
A friends brother used to work there, had his arm broken by a patient who was obviously mentally handicapped, just reached over and broke the arm, no anger, just didnt understand what he was doing.
Watching "JAIL" last night, they had a combative suspect, they strapped him to a restraint chair and put a "spit hood" over his head. Wonder what mental hospitals are like now, with todays restraint methods being more "humane' ? Any one know of a functioning hospital and how they go about daily business? I know years back in DOC, they used restraint chairs, but didnt have the hoods, they would drape a towel over the inmates head. They used to capstun the snot (literally- youe eyes water, you feel like you cant breathe, and your nose runs like all get out!) out of them too, that generally took the fight out of them.
Anybody out there read Garth Ennis "The Boys"? Fun read, trying to "out Preacher-Preacher" .
On a more somber, sad note- I see they have signed Brad Pitt to star in the movie adaptation of Max Brooks World War Z. Pitt in a zombie movie! Crap and a half! I was disgusted with twinkling vampires, now they cast F'n BRAD PITT in a zombie flick??? Well, maybe the Zs will eat him, thats the only hope! ( Not a Brangilina fan, if you didnt notice.)
Oh well, y'all have the Big Fun.
Just a quick stop in and Hi. Sparkles get off the phone an study damnit!
Who are you? Ever posted here? Welcome to the site!
Of course we miss you!! You don't pop in enough!!
I will send you a PM on facebook..in regards to Norwich..
anyone miss me? so i wanna go to nsh soon. anyone know what the latest status is?
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