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.
Since demo. is apparently coming does anybody know if it is any more difficult to get in there now? I was there a couple months ago with the fence, and I have to pay my final respects to this beautiful site.
Your a vandal..100% ..not only that you post videos of being proud of trashing sites.. Deny it..please!! I'd be happy to post a link to your Youtube of you and your punk friends throwing things from the top floor of buildings..Your the reason that sites get so much negative attention..people like you deserve multiple trespassing fines and made to do community service cleaning your mess..Respect the sites you explore..You personally irritate me. You and Bomb prolly belong together.
Hey bomb its jay. Email me alveloja@hotmail.com. just left nsh. Fence is a joke now there are lots of fence missing! Lol
Thanks all for the heads up. I wasn't planning on making the trip until this summer but it sounds like it will need to be pushed ahead a bit. Cheers
sparkles i have been inside this place trust me when i say badass! but you have to go at night to really enjoy it lol. how are you doing
Sommersville mill...hmmm with the waterfall? Was I there with you about a month or so ago? I was with two ladies- you guys were light painting athf characters and such...
Seaside is on it's way out soon as well-haven't been in a while, but last time I went- it was more trashed and trouble than it was worth.
Mansfield is pretty beat...
If any of you have been recently let me know whats been going on. Still would really like to go at least one more time but have a lot to lose if caught. Just send me an email if you got anything worth mentioning. Anyone been to Seaside lately? Realllly want to go there this spring and explore. It's beautiful, been there a bunch of times but have yet to actually venture inside. Or does anyone know about the place in Mansfield?
There are signs up now, in front of at least kettle, saying; the future home of the riverwalk-depressing
Yeah, if you go: be carefull about it. It was really easy for a bit, but things have changed..and things have already started to happen there-demo wise. You can't be sure how it'll be on any given day, so... Things have been cleaned out, gaping holes in buildings and possibly more alarms going in?!? not 100% on that.
Unfortunately our community here has well..fallen apart a bit. You can scroll back pages and pages and see the regulars here slowly losing touch with NSH. Most of the regulars have traveled every inch of the asylum..You can mention a single area and we'd be able to mentally map it out. Unfortunately, most of us know when enough is enough..After the lapse in security last year the site was heavily vandalized..Groups of 8-10 people were traveling the site at any time..making most of our regular POE's useless. They set the heat on the individuals here who's purpose was more or less..err. :soul searching: I had originally planned on writing a book on the site. I had been dedicated to exploring here and searching for that one last shot..that one last piece of the past left behind. SOME..of us still venture out and pay respects..Listening to the site..and surveying the current damage done. Honestly, Its still worth the trip..Just don't be disapointed when not too many people here don't respond to your post..State troopers often sit at the rear of the campus. There's been numerous posts in the blotter about people being caught on-site.. etc. Be careful..and play with respect is all the advice I can really lend.. Other than that..I suggest venturing a bit farther south in CT.. there's quite a few err...interesting explores on the shoreline
planning on headed south to check this joint out. curious if there are any seasoned vets that would be interested in showing a fellow explore/photographer a good run. id be happy to return the favor up in MA if anyone is willing to make the trip
whaat do you mean riverwalk? and you guys should come check out the somersville mill over here! its awesome and not guarded at all(: 5 floors of spookiness including a basement occupied by the corpes of racoons xD
yes ! i was thinking about camping out at nsh this weekend.
At the future home of the riverwalk
Do you miss us bomb?
Were is everbody ?
Goddamit! i want to buy that asylum. it's just so fucking beautiful!
Hey paul d iam still here just working on my old ford truck i got last week. 1972 f250 4wd with 8inch 400 motor how are you doing
good to see the whackos and hopelessly bored are still here fabricating tales and trashing each other!! Id love to see the ol girl again before she goes down... bomb you still crawlin around there? anyone [hypotheticlly of course] been recently?
Hi Honey! Ditto on the idiot statement.
Sparkles has a good point.
Mike you're an idiot.
well good to see nothing changed here...wonderful. hey baby!!!
Are you serious? Because calling the cops wouldn't also get you screwed? That's admitting that you as well were on the property which is clearly marked "No Trespassing". Good idea.
Well I have already set up traps fro pipe stealers at KPPC so I think it is time to go abroad. Lets catch these idiots that think they can skate by while people earn an honest living. They destroy these places for the worst stiring up asbestos and puting holes in walls. If you see a guy with power tools, call the cops. If you hear clanking or a sawzall call the cops. Most importantly buy a hunting infrared camera and post it in the tunnels then since it is motion sensitive go back and retrieve it days later be wise not to incriminate any fellow explorers though. I have developed a hate for pipe stealers and they are not welcome in my book.
its been a while.... everything's pretty quiet. im glad the fence is up now... and demolition hasnt begun. hope all is well with everyone!
hello everyone, been a very long time since i have rolled on by this website. saw they put up a fence at nsh. retarted. o well i almost think it was a good idea because at least it will keep the retarted metal scrappers out of there from destroying shit. anybody ever seen the movie death tunnel? just saw it the other day and figured out that the place they filmed at was waverly hills. i am almost out of this foresaken state as well. going down south soon so i figured id better say by before i go and tell everyone i love em all. except for bomb. ok maybe i love you too bomb and youre awkwardness. later!!
Hopefully all is well around here.. Seems to be pretty quiet.. I've noticed the hype of "demolition" has finally calmed. Bomb's still a moron and NSH still stands. By the way.. Someone should really turn on the heat around there.. It's rather cold by the water
Dude you need to pay close attention to the little red line that comes up every time you type. You sound like a retarded mexican everytime you make a post
hey "fuck a lot" iam calling you out. you say your sitting in the norwich state hospital security shack right good. if you got big brass ones you tell me the next time your in the shack an i will call you ok !lololololololololololol i bet you punk out
iam making it easy for you to read it. lol dude do you need me to put a little red ball under every word. an bet your name should be never fucks
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