The Taunton State Mental Hospital was opened in Taunton, Massachusetts in 1854, after the mental hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts needed to be relieved of overcrowding. The building was designed by the Boyden & Ball architects and based on the ideas of Dr. Thomas Kirkbride. The main concept of the design was to allow patients to experience fresh air and rural settings, as well as allowing for occupational therapies. At the time, allowing patients to reconnect with nature was considered a revolutionary concept. The hospital was built on a significant amount of land – 152 acres of farmland along the Mill River (Balzano)(Taunton State Hospital)(The lunatics, mentally ill, and ghosts of the State Lunatic Hospital in Taunton)(Christopher).
During its time, the Taunton State Mental Hospital was home to hundreds of patients, including serial killers Jane Toppan and Anthony Santo. Some reports state that Lizzie Borden, famous for being a suspect in the brutal killings of her father and stepmother and who has a famous rhyme written about her, was temporarily held there. These same reports state that she was seen by a doctor there who declared her insane, but this report has never been seen and was not brought up at court. Other reports indicate that Borden was held at a nearby prison, close enough for the association between her and the hospital to be made (Balzano)(Taunton State Hospital)(The lunatics, mentally ill, and ghosts of the State Lunatic Hospital in Taunton)(Christopher).
Expansion occurred in the 1870s, 1887, 1890s, 1906, and the 1930s. In the 1890s, breezeways were added to connect the wards to the infirmary buildings, making them more easily reached. From the 1930s on, the hospital had crisis centers, group homes, sick wards, and juvenile facilities. The hospital remained open as a whole until the main part was closed and abandoned in 1975. As the decades moved forward, the hospital fell into disrepair. While the hospital property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, the main dome of the administrative building collapsed in 1999 and signaled the beginning of the buildings coming down. A massive fire broke out in March of 2006, requiring over 100 firefighters from 18 departments to fight. The sections damaged were leveled after the fire, and the rest of the administrative buildings were demolished in 2009. With the exception of 48 beds open for an addiction recovery program for women, the remaining open areas of the hospital were closed in 2012. A plan meant to keep part of the hospital open was vetoed by Governor Deval Patrick that July (Balzano)(Taunton State Hospital)(The lunatics, mentally ill, and ghosts of the State Lunatic Hospital in Taunton)(Christopher).
At its height, the Taunton State Mental Hospital had over 40 buildings on the property.There was housing for staff, a chapel, a bakery, a laundry area, kitchen, theater, dining area, open-air patios, and parlors. There was central heating and ventilation, sewers, and running water available. When the first patient was admitted in April 1854, the Taunton State Mental Hospital was considered progressive. The rooms were set up in a dormitory style, with some private rooms still present. Patients were allowed to experience nature and feel fresh air. Occupational therapy was used, allowing patients to learn how to grow their own food and sell it (Balzano)(Taunton State Hospital)(The lunatics, mentally ill, and ghosts of the State Lunatic Hospital in Taunton)(Christopher).
Despite how progessive the institution was at the time, it was still very much a product of the time. There were many reasons for commitment: birth defects, Alzheimer’s, syphilis, not speaking English, masturbation, senility, being unwanted, anxiety, depression, not getting along with your family, homosexualiaty, not being masculine enough, hyperactivity, a lack of social skills, antisocial personality, a “loss of friends,” post-traumatic stress disorder, Parkinson’s, Tourette syndrome, alcoholism, eating disorders, and epilepsy, and for women specifically a loss of interest in doing housework, being assertive, being deemed unruly or wild, postpartum depression, menstruation-related ander, chronic fatigue syndrome, “disobedience,” and being outspoken or unorthodox in political or religious views. In similar institutions, “unwanted immigrants” were often committed as well, most often Irish immigrants at the time. The treatments administered at the time were also very much “of the time” compared to modern treatments. While occupational therapy was used, other treatments included beatings, solitary confinement, dietary neglect, being shackled, flogging, lobotomies, electro-shock therapy and infections with blood tainted with malaria to induce fevers. Sound therapy with opera singers was also used (Balzano)(Taunton State Hospital)(The lunatics, mentally ill, and ghosts of the State Lunatic Hospital in Taunton)(Christopher).
Like many of the buildings made based on Dr. Kirkbride’s designs, and many old mental hospitals, the Taunton State Hospital is reportedly haunted. Stories of apparitions and ghastly screams surround the abandoned hospital. The basement has unusual graffiti in it that has fueled rumors of a Satanic cult performing rituals there when the hospital was open. Some have claimed to find bloody handprints and to hear cries for help throughout the property. In 2005,a previous employee said that while she had never experienced any hauntings herself, she wouldn’t be surprised. Knowing that 97% of the staff claimed they were working in dangerous conditions for staff and patients in 2004, the idea of hauntings certainly shouldn’t be surprising (Balzano)(Taunton State Hospital)(The lunatics, mentally ill, and ghosts of the State Lunatic Hospital in Taunton)(Christopher).
There have been several notable haunting related incidents. An elderly man, dressed more like a farmer than any patient, has been spotted crouching down outside and possibly examining the ground. If approached, he reportedly smiles and simply disappears. A young patient, committed for drug related offenses, hid in the graveyard while attempting to escape. While hiding, he felt cold hands take his shoulders. Thinking he had been caught, the patient raised his hands and turned only to see no one was there, but a faint voice said, “leave.” He returned to the hospital. Cold spots have been reported by staff throughout the property and one report was made of an unusual fog in the basement that left soon after appearing. The fog came in the shape of a human being approximately five feet tall. A shadow has also been reported – sometimes appearing as a shadow figure crawling across walls. This shadow appears sometimes more solid and sometimes more stretched out, but never seems to have a face. It’s usually described as male and appears in the corners of residential rooms in the middle of the night to watch anyone there. Likely adding fuel to the rumors of Satanic cults and rituals, many have also reported hearing screams throughout the grounds of the hospital (Balzano)(Taunton State Hospital)(The lunatics, mentally ill, and ghosts of the State Lunatic Hospital in Taunton)(Christopher).
The Taunton State Mental Hospital was fully open for a century, and in that time thousands passed through the property. Patients and staff alike reportedly suffered while there and have reported paranormal experiences. Regardless on if you believe in ghosts and hauntings or not, it’s easy to see why someplace like the Taunton State Mental Hospital would be a haunted place.
Christopher, Matthew. “The Abandoned Taunton State Hospital (Taunton, Ma): Abandoned America.” The Abandoned Taunton State Hospital (Taunton, MA) | Abandoned America, 30 June 2022, https://www.abandonedamerica.us/taunton-state-hospital.
“The Lunatics, Mentally Ill, and Ghosts of the State Lunatic Hospital in Taunton.” The Lunatics, Mentally Ill, and Ghosts of the State Lunatic Hospital in Taunton – New Bedford Guide, New Bedford Guide, https://www.newbedfordguide.com/the-lunatics-mentally-ill-and-ghosts-of-the-state-lunatic-hospital-in-taunton/2018/10/30?print=print.
“Taunton State Hospital.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Nov. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taunton_State_Hospital.
Balzano, Christopher. “A Look at the Taunton State Hospital.” Spooky Southcoast, 3 Aug. 2018, http://spookysouthcoast.com/a-look-at-the-taunton-state-hospital/.
Boston Ghosts. “Boston Ghosts – Haunted Massachusetts Hospitals.” Haunted Massachusetts Hospitals: Taunton and Danvers – Boston Ghosts, 6 Nov. 2021, https://bostonghosts.com/haunted-massachusetts-hospitals/.
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