The Lunatics, Mentally Ill, and Ghosts of the State Lunatic Hospital in Taunton

The Downfall and Demise Taunton State Hospital
It was around this time – 1975 to be exact – that the main part of the hospital would be closed down and completely abandoned leaving small sections functioning. Sometime in the early 1990s the state a $19 million improvement plan to improve these unabandoned sections of the campus. In 1999, the dome above the administration section of the building collapsed and there the ruins sat until a huge fire broke out there in 2005 and the state decided to demolish the original complex leaving only the decrepit wings of the Kirkbride Building.

The historic sections – those “bat-wings” – were demolished in 2009, but not before the aforementioned tastefully ornamented aspects of the building were sold and auctioned off. The neo-classical and Italianate iron gates, granite, plumbing, lighting fixtures, timbers and furniture were sold to anyone and everyone until there was nothing left by 2010.

The death knell would finally come in 2012 when the last remaining parts of the facility in use were officially closed by the state and it would no longer be a “mental home” but used as a Women’s Recovery from Addiction Program administered by High Point Treatment Center housing up to 40 patients. As part of the recovery, the patients manage the campus greenhouse and sell the harvest of plants and produce to the community. A far cry from how previous patients were housed and cured.

The Paranormal, Supernatural and Tall Tales
The urban legends, myths, folktales, and other stories had their roots in the cruel methods used by the staff, by the deaths that their from natural and unnatural causes, and by the inmates and/or patients themselves some of which were criminals, murderers, and rapists.

As with any building where people have been tortured or died, especially over the course decades, beliefs of ghosts haunting the structures began to sprout up. This would grow exponentially after many people would explore the ruins (sometimes code word for “hang out, get drunk, smoke weed”) and share their haunted experiences.

Inmates like the murderess serial killer Jane Toppan who confessed to killing 31 souls certainly contributed to the stories and the creep factor was elevated when you read her life story or her most infamous quote “My desire is to kill more people, more desperate people, from every man and every woman who has lived to this day.” Geez, lady. By the way, those 31 poor people were patients she poisoned under her care as a nurse.

Another infamous woman who helped contribute to the fear factor was Lizzie Borden who stayed at a jail right next door. Of course, as with all wild tales, facts just get in the way but she was close enough to the lunatic asylum to have her name attached to it.

Any time the hospital is brought up you will hear mention of ghastly screams, apparitions, unexplained noises, the practice of Satanic rituals, bloodstained handprints, cries for help and these stories are not limited to the buildings, but naturally the on-campus cemetery. These anecdotes have even extended to the surrounding woods. There are so many of these stories – projections of peoples’ own fears – that the hospital is often referred to as “America’s Most Haunted Asylum” and that “The Devil himself is still there…”

If you are curious about what the building looks like today you should visit Abandoned America’s Website which features some absolutely fantastic photographs. There is also some video footage.

What are your thoughts about this slice of America and Massachusetts history and how these facilities were administered in their heyday? Do you believe the paranormal stories to be true? Have you ever explored the grounds or had a personal paranormal experience? Think I am completely wrong about these tales being “tall” or mental projections? Leave a comment under the article, New Bedford Guide’s Facebook or inbox us at info@newbedfordguide.com.