A Psychiatric Hospital Was Built And Left To Decay In The Middle Of A Massachusetts Town
By Melissa Mahoney|Published February 01, 2022
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I've worked in the entertainment industry for much of my adult life and I love photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world! Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream.
Do you enjoy exploring abandoned places in Massachusetts? Located in the town of Medfield is an abandoned 19th-century psychiatric hospital with dozens of buildings scattered throughout the property. Now a town-owned park, you are invited to explore what remains of the former asylum.
When it first opened in 1896, it was known as the "Medfield Insane Asylum," but was renamed to the "Medfield State Hospital" in 1914. By 1994, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Originally meant to hold 1,000 patients, this psychiatric hospital, along with many others in the region, eventually became overcrowded. There were also accounts of abuse, death, and injury to residents by staff.
However, not all was bad for the residents of the Medfield State Hospital. In the 1930s, the staff used art therapy for the patients and by the 1950s, all barbaric treatments, like electric shock therapy, were banned with the advent of psychiatric drugs.
The town of Medfield purchased the property in 2014 and turned it into a park. There are discussions of future plans for the buildings, possibly turning portions of them into an arts and cultural center.
Approximately 35 brick buildings dot the 128-acre property. The buildings are boarded up for safety, but visitors are allowed to stroll the gorgeous grounds and marvel at the stately buildings that are reminiscent of what you might find on a college campus.
The allure of this abandoned property has also attracted several Hollywood movies to use it as a filming location. Among the films shot here are Shutter Island, Knives Out, and The New Mutants.
When is the last time you’ve explored some of the fascinating abandoned places in Massachusetts? Tell us which abandoned place is your favorite to visit in the comments. You can also join our Abandoned States of America Facebook group to share photos.
