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.
That episode of life after people starts tonight at 10!
I know Norwich is gonna be voting on buying their portion for 1$ from the state- did you hear anything else?
NSH was on the news this morning....
bomb and babygirl sittin in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G
Haha
u were lookin kinda sexi mayb we could go together some time?
yes it was why
hey jpt i see what your saying but it was a safty thing when the state had it but now that preston has it its a MONEY THING if taps does go there i feel bad for those gaurds if you know what i mean lol.
...some of you folks who are familiar with the layout should contact SYFY and offer some help. Good chance to get your foot in the door. I know some people have maps that are up to date about whats safe and whats crumbled/blocked, might be able to help sway the powers that be to agree to do the show there!
But thats just JPTS opinion, you are welcoem to your own.
www.theday.com
Ghost-seeking TV crews descend on local sites By Megan Bard
Publication: The Day
Published 01/17/2010 12:00 AMUpdated 01/17/2010 04:27 AM
Historic and rumored as haunted, several sites in southeastern Connecticut have been getting a lot of attention lately from the paranormal-seeking community.
Within the past year, television crews from two major cable networks have spent time in some of the region's most prominent steeped-in-history locations thought to be inhabited by spirits. A third could be setting up shop here for a few days in the near future.
The result of the "Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal" crew's April 2009 three-day stint at the Captain Grant's 1754 Inn in Preston and at the Mystic Seaport will be aired Tuesday night on the A&E channel.
The History Channel's "Life After People" episode featuring the former Norwich State Hospital for the Insane, also in Preston, is still in production. The crew left the property in October.
Negotiations are ongoing between the Preston Redevelopment Agency and producers of the Syfy channel's "Ghost Hunters" series to allow its team of investigators to explore the vacant tunnels and buildings on the vast former state hospital property.
While the lure of documenting a ghost or unexplained activity is strong, it's the stories that the properties have to tell that first get a producer's attention.
When identifying filming locations, Christine Mahin, an associate producer for "Psychic Kids," said she looks for places of historical interest. She had read about the Morgan and then did a Google search for where the cast and crew could stay and found Capt. Grant's.
"What drove our decision to choose these two places wasn't the spooky factor, that they are scary or riddled with ghosts, it's the unbelievable amount of history that leaves its own impression on the locations themselves," Mahin said.
The children who are part of the A&E show, and their parents, go through an extensive screening process prior to being chosen to appear on the show. Once chosen, the families are not told where they are going, or even what state they will visit. Mahin said this is a way of keeping them from researching the locations on the Internet prior to filming.
Mahin said the cast had "unbelievable luck" at the inn.
Producers for the hit Syfy show "Ghost Hunters" are usually surprised by what they find when they visit an allegedly haunted site.
For the four years that Matthew Meltzer has been working on the Ghost Hunters production - the show is currently in its sixth season - he has been pursuing the chance to film at the former state hospital.
As with Mahin, Meltzer said the "local chatter" about the property - most of the cast is from Warwick, R.I., and has heard stories about the site - and its rich history are attractive, but one of the primary lures of the former mental institution campus is that it has been a "forbidden fruit."
"It was something very early on that we wanted to investigate but were always denied. The state was good about restricting access to it, and that adds an element. People don't usually get to go on the site and we honestly cannot wait to see what's in there," Meltzer said.
For Mystic Seaport officials and Capt. Grant's Inn keepers Carol and Tadeshi Matsumoto, having people interested in potential paranormal activity aboard the Charles W. Morgan and at the inn is nothing new.
In 2006, the Matsumotos entertained members of the Connecticut Paranormal Research and Investigations team, allowing them to set up various equipment throughout the house and use cameras with flash in hopes of capturing some evidence.
That same month, a team from the Rhode Island Paranormal Research Group did a preliminary investigation of the Morgan after hearing from three groups of visitors about seeing a tall man standing at the front of the historic whaling vessel.
They deduced that the world's only surviving wooden whaling ship did indeed have spirits aboard. After that, the now 169-year-old Morgan caught the attention of crews from CNN to Good Morning America to CBS radio, in addition to newspapers from across the country.
Michael O'Farrell, spokesman for the Seaport, said the publicity was good for the Seaport, but that the museum is careful about how it portrays the ship, which is a national historic landmark and is currently going through an extensive restoration. He said the story may bring people to the museum, but the staff is quick to tell them about the history of the ship once they're there.
"I believe that the Morgan has a lot of stories to tell. What those stories are and what they believe is up to them," O'Farrell said Friday.
When asked if there was any consistency between what the Rhode Island-based group found and what was "felt" by the "Psychic Kids," children, O'Farrell said, "yes."
"But it's not our place to determine for them what is true and what isn't," he added.
When asked about the expectations, Meltzer and Mahin said they never know what, if anything will be discovered.
"They go to places that have these stories … that have the history, and look around. They'll go down in the tunnels and try to get to the bottom of the story. They'll see if there is anything to back up the claims. If any place is haunted it would be this place, but sometimes places surprise you," Meltzer said.
"The places we go are rich in history, as far as if there are ghosts, well, if there are then that is gravy," Mahin said.
was that u i saw at Seaside tonite?
yes this is bomb also the new an improved bomb.iam going to sea side this weekend
Well, if its the new and improved Bomb, ie. sans troll attitude, then welcome back and ENJOY!
In response to your question, yes. I have. Like I said before, you are welcome to call me and we can talk all about if you would like...
as far as the email addy goes, i have about a billion different emails, i never use just one!!! way to risky to do that. but when coming up with an email alias, one must make the alias beleiveable, one must create a whole personna and act on it. just sayen, for you who have no idea how to do that. has anybody here seen the matrix? many good teachings were integrated in that movie
all the records from 1960 to 1996 are at ct state library i called but the records from when the hospital first open up to 1940 were burn. also anything you need to know about nsh is in a folder in the norwich library. an jpt i think your right so iam back
See..My email has nothing to do with identity. ..im not new to the game. I know how to cover my tracks. thanks for your concern if that was based towards my last post.
I wasn't finished with that, but this stupid Elvin keyboard boned me, I'll finish that later.
Sparkles- I saw you wanted to go to s.s., have you been before-lately?
Ct. State library is the closest your gonna get, and it only contains a sampling of records. Really though? Every person that worked at the hospital through the century of operation? If you look online at the library you can get an idea of the immensity of what that list would be. Generally there was more staff than patients, so we're talking tens of thousands of names. Not trying to be a dick but good luck on that one! Another interesting thing about what records they have are the ones labeled restricted... One thing I've learned from 'splorin these places is records are not always handled the way we think they would be and, the stuff that is kept, is very hard to access and are litteraly a state secret. This says alot for what took place in them: sometimes the best of, but more often the worst of the human condition. There was a doc on tv a long time ago on the treatment of the criminally insane, it was from nsh and one other hospital. I can not find it anywhere now-along with some other info on this place. It doesn't help that I don't remember the title of the doc, but does anyone remember it? If anyone finds it I'll give you a thousand cookies! But just finding anything on the (darker) history of psychology is pretty tough these days
Dont know if I'd be too keen to disclose my real name , when planning to trespass on posted property. In the event something happens on site, bet dollars to donuts the police will be tracking you down for questioning.
Best to just keep an alias, IMHO.
But thats just JPTs opinion (and a humble one, as stated above) and you are welcome to your own.
Yeah id' be interested in any info you could give me..or maybe plan a trip up..here is my e-mail..creynolds429@yahoo.com e-mail me soon so we can get a group trip or ..at least a couple people up there. Like i said..i'm familiar with the building..just haven't been in a while. I'd rather know how things are up there more recently. thanks.. and Sparkles is still good to go ??
im curious about at type of info anyone has on the guards, litterally anything, email me that too
who has the names of every person that worked at the hospital? please let me know at eddyanderson@live.com also looking for any other info you can email me
i heard taps was there around august
Ello! Sparkles- I'll call you sometime this week, work's crazy...
Chris-I might be able to help you out,but I'm not discussing deets on here! We'll have to do a meet up somewhere first..but yea, very doable if you're carefull...if I'm not workin-I'm always down for some 'splorin!
I found your number..expect to hear from me..i'll call you on a day that I have off from work..that way we can make plans and maybe get a few people together? Like i said tho..i'd like to go with someone that is down for a day trip..maybe ..im trying to get some good pictures and see somethings in the light..but any how..you'll be hearing from me for sure.
I want to eventually. I posted my number a while ago. If you want give me a call. (Paul, I'm sorry. Don't hate me )
Has anyone been here recently? had plans to go soon but everyone has backed out..how is it down there as far as security is concerned? If anyone is planning a trip out please post here..id be happy to join up!
Bomb, John, whatever- NP. like I said earlier, if you drop the flaming, you have plenty to offer. You'll find you get more cooperation and more info that way.
Sparkles- In order to maintain government funding, you have to prove yourself capable, under periodic government inspections. (I've been thru several, they make OSHA look like a high school locker inspection)The disposal protocals invoked would be virtually impossable to circumvent accidentially. Any one who intentionally released such a disease would be held on terrorism charges. And terrorism can carry a life sentance.
I sent TAPS a reccomendation to look ay NSH several years back, and never heard anything. I dont know if they would go in there anyway, with the asbestos and other health risks. Plus, I've become pretty skeptical of the whole show, they seem to always see stuff just around the corner, etc etc. Early on, they were lothe to call something "haunted" but now it seems they hear a pipe bang and they are ready to attribute it to ghosts. Also, their methods are unproven- I can say keeping a roll of nickels in my sock drawer eliminates unicorn infestation, because I've never seen any in there since I dropped the nickels in, but that doesnt make it so. I dont believe the video isnt tampered or mis-read, the EVPs could be faked, etc etc, and all because there are no controls over the evidence once its collected to when its presented- TAPS is big busisiness, they are making a lot of money off the show, its in their best interest to find something now and again. So, while I find it entertaining and the locales interesting, I dont put much stock in their ghost hunting. Hence my desire to go and investigate myself, to either cement my skepticism, or to experience an unexplainable event personally, and become a true believer!
But thats just JPTs opinion, you are welcome to your own.
My number is somewhere on here. Give me a call if you want.
hey thank man that was nice an so true
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