You may know Anoka as the Halloween Capital of the World. It’s a nickname earned by hosting one of the first ever Halloweens in the United States, way back in 1920. But what if I told you Anoka’s spooky past started two decades before that? In 1900, Anoka State Hospital - then called Anoka Asylum - opened its doors to mentally ill people from across the region. Over time, the story of the hospital - and the tunnel that ran beneath its buildings - became a creepy Minnesota legend.
The hospital first housed 100 mentally ill men from around the region. Of the first patients, 86 were buried in numbered graves on the hospital grounds.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Screen-Shot-2017-03-12-at-11.42.53-AM.png?w=500&quality=50)
The hospital grew over the years. It began admitting female patients in 1915.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Screen-Shot-2017-03-12-at-11.27.52-AM.png?w=500&quality=50)
Patients deemed a threat to themselves were often restrained by hospital staff.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/15822729626_6ee79cdf18_k.jpg?w=500&quality=50)
By midcentury, some now controversial treatments were used at the hospital. Patients were sometimes given electroshock therapy or lobotomies.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/4774116306_3ea8df16db_b.jpg?w=500&quality=50)
Patients considered less dangerous were allowed to wander the hospital grounds, including its underground tunnels.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/1865354897_cf90082502_o.jpg?w=500&quality=50)
Some patients are said to have gotten so lost in the maze of tunnels that they felt their only option for escape was suicide.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/4809427131_331a3d086e_b.jpg?w=500&quality=50)
Over time, rumors spread of footsteps and low whispering - and sometimes bursts of laughter - in the dark tunnels. Many employees refused to travel through them.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/5826707138_9c8bc3d54f_b.jpg?w=500&quality=50)
Today, the hospital has a new campus and operates under a different name. The old buildings have been repurposed. But still, only maintenance staff are allowed into the tunnels.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/16239264745_10dfe6afc4_k.jpg?w=500&quality=50)
What do you think: local legend, or a true-blue haunting? Let us know in the comments! And, if you're looking for more reasons Anoka is just a little creepy, check out this article about the town's insane paranormal activity.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get the latest updates and news
Thank you for subscribing!