13 Staggering Photos Of An Abandoned Mental Hospital Hiding In Maryland
There’s no shortage of abandoned places in Maryland and today we’re featuring one that’s among the most disturbing. This facility dates all the way back to 1911, when it opened as the Hospital for the Negro Insane of Maryland. At that time, the facility seemed promising, vowing to care for and treat African American patients who otherwise were jailed for showing psychotic tendencies. But like most asylums from yesteryear, living conditions soon deteriorated and troubling stories of abuse and neglect began to unfold.
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Shuttered in 2004, this massive facility rests in Crownsville. What remains is an eerie reminder of the past.
When the hospital first opened in 1911, patients were expected to take on jobs to help out. The males spent their days doing exhaustive labor, building upon the campus. The female patients mended clothing for other patients as well as the staff.
With an abundance of people, resources became depleted and things like basic laundry services were nearly impossible to keep up with. Patients who were assigned duties in the laundry room rarely got a moment of rest.
At one point in the 1920s, there were only two physicians on staff while the number of patients was 521. Rushed and questionable "cures" began to take place.
Electric shock therapy and lobotomies weren't uncommon. Many patients were kept highly sedated and a handful were even infected with the Malaria virus as an alternative "treatment."
Decades passed and the number of deaths stacked up. Today, there are approximately 1,600 bodies buried on the grounds. Their graves only marked by numbers.
In later years, efforts to improve conditions took place but the facility was finally shut down in 2004. Since then, the buildings on site have endured the elements, but barely.
The crumbling exterior stands, withering away more and more each day. Talks of restoring the buildings or even transforming them into apartments has been rumored, but to this day, remains untouched.
Jamie Alvarenga is a writer, editor, and social media manager for Only In Your State.
She spends her time chasing around a curious toddler and going on coffee-fueled adventures throughout Maryland. Contact: [email protected]
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