Abandoned State Hospital

For as long as I can remember I wanted to explore this Abandoned State Hospital.





This Abandoned State Hospital was built in 1870 using the Kirkbride plan. The plan was designed with the administration building at the centre of the bat-shaped building. Men's & womens ward were on either side in a batwing shape. This design was the brain child of Dr. Thomas Kirkbride who believed sunshine & air circulation were crucial to the healing process ofr the mentally ill.





My trip began with a stop at an old friend to do a video!  I had explored this abandoned hospital a few years earlier but never did a video.  After that I headed out to check out an incredible abandoned steel mill!  We then went to the hospital to get an idea of what we were up against  then headed over to the abandoned stained glass church!  It was already a VERY full day so we stopped at a pizza joint I know of & hogged out!





Our plan was to watch security do their rounds then make our move. We prepared our gear & that included left over pizza, beers, hammocks, sleeing bags & of course, our camera gear. Now, before anyone says anything, the state hospital is partially restored & you can actually stay in the classy hotel & dine in the administration area. Although somewhat active, this place is massive & mostly abandoned. We stood in the shadows & watched for a few hours to nail down the security patrol. Once we were confident of the timing, we made our move.





Quickly, we made our way into the old abandoned state hospital under the cover of darkness.  Then made our way away from the main active area & started to look for a place to sleep.  We found a spot far enough away in a connecting corridor that would work for our hammocks!  Then it was time to make sure we hadn't been spotted.  We headed to a window where we could clearly see the high fence & watch for security.  After what seemed to be hours we finally spotted him doing his rounds as usual so we knew we were good!





The rest of the night we ate leftover pizza, drank beers & did some exploring to get an idea of where we were & where we were going the next day. The key thing when exploring at night in places you can't use a flashlight is to use the red headlamp.  This is less noticeable & preserves your night vision!





We woke from our terrible sleep at the crack of dawn. We headed the area where they allowed tours & knowing one was happening around 10 am we wanted to do that area first. We explored around but like any asylum, its essentially a maze. Some corridor were impassable, stairways that were sealed off. It really was difficult to find our way around. Roughly two hours into the explore Freaktography came over to me & said he could hear someone dragging something heavy across the floor. We were near the tour area & still had plenty of time before they entered. We knew we had to get away but every route was a dead end. We had to risk going by the entry for the tour. Thankfully we got by & made the decision it was time to leave.





We made our way to the exit however being day time now, we'd be exposed to anyone walking/driving by. We had to move quick yet stealthy. With hearts racing, we did little sprint burts to our next hiding spot outtside behind random equipment & piles of junk. We peaked around the last corner leading to the way we got over the fence & the coast was clear! We then darted for the fence & quickly got to the other side. Tossing our gear into the car & making a quick getaway to the otherside where we were now safe & could do out video outro!


There was definitely more we could have explored at the Abandoned State Hospital but we were more than satisfied with what we had done.  Not to mention sleeping over there!  It was definitely a bucket list explore & an epic time!

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