Born To Raise Hell: Allahu Akbar State Hospital Part I

December 18th, 2010.

The light layer of ice crackled underfoot as Krush and myself left the perimeter road and jumped into the woods. It was a beautiful morning for exploring in the country. Unfortunately, mother nature decided to take a massive shit on us and drop the temperature down to somewhere around 10 degrees at 5 'o clock in the morning. With the wind chill, it was probably closer to 3 degrees. But i digress.

This former State Hospital/School began life as the county poorhouse in the 1800's before becoming a State Hospital in 1938. Although this institution was plagued with the same problems as many other mental institutions in the 40's and 50's, it was one of the first institutions in the United States to implement the open ward policy. Unlocked doors and open buildings promoted an air of homeliness in the otherwise unsettling institution. And a beautiful setting situated amongst rolling hills and farmland helped patients to regain their senses.

In 1972, records indicate that the Hospital was converted to a center for the developmentally disabled. Conflicting records indicate that the State Hospital was open until 1980, but no substantiating evidence to support that has been unearthed. The days of the State Center were filled with extensive cases of physical and sexual abuse by both patients and staff.

In 1997, following a series of lawsuits, the State Center finally closed. For the next 14 years, various entities would lease out the former hospital buildings for independent ventures.

Krush and I quietly crept up the hill towards the back of the massive building. At 5AM, we figured no one would be around to see us enter. As it turned out, we were rudely awakened from our sense of complacency. An employee from the detention center in the active building next door decided to take a shortcut around the back of our target building and almost saw us literally 5 feet from the road while we were in the woods. Amazingly, she didn't, and we sprinted across the road, popped open the stairwell door and entered.

Exploring this building was a surreal experience. Although it wasn't the first location that I've explored with power and running water, the mere fact that this building had been abandoned for close to 15 years and was still juiced was astounding. I can vividly recall standing in the first room we entered, a dayroom, and hearing the hum of a clock as its hands rotated around the upside-down frame. Looking down the main hallway from the seclusion wing, we could see several displaced fluorescent lightbulbs flickering eerily in the dim halflight.

Although we've not been able to locate any official records as of this date, it seems that this building was used as an admissions/ward building for new patients. It was home to the gymnasium, pool, and library as well as many patient rooms. Stacks of paperwork indicate that the last purpose that this building served was as a polling place for a local election in 2005, and at that, only a small portion of the first floor was used. Beyond that, it has remained much as it was when it was abandoned in the State Center days close to 15 years ago. As of this writing, the power has been cut to this building as well as 95% of the campus. The last remaining company, a juvenile detention center, vacated their building in March, and the township, whom owns the property, has no plans for reuse. For now, it stands as an empty testament to a multitude of horror stories.