The Northern State Hospital in Sedro-Woolley, Washington has an absolutely fascinating history. Established in 1909, the hospital was a self-sufficient facility with a number of production buildings, including a 700-acre farm. After it closed down in 1973, the property was handed over to the county to turn into a recreation area. Some parts of the complex are still in use for Job Corps, while other buildings are open for the public to explore. Some have even been lucky enough to tour inside, and have thankfully shared these photos for a closer look at this abandoned asylum in Washington:

Brent M./Flickr
Are you interested in exploring abandoned places in Washington? This abandoned asylum is a fascinating one to explore. Back in 1909, Washington had two mental hospitals getting overcrowded: Western State in Steilacoom, and Eastern State in Medical Lake, near Spokane. Instead of making these facilities bigger, the state decided to build a third mental institution.
Robert Ashworth/Flickr
By 1911, Northern State Hospital officially opened its doors in Sedro-Woolley and quickly became the largest asylum in the state. Patients would be sent here from the eight northwestern-most counties, including Skagit, Whatcom, Snohomish, King, Jefferson, San Juan, Clallam, and Island.
Allison Mapes/Google
Northern State Hospital treated their patients with occupational therapy, in hopes that physical labor on the farm would help their recovery. However, they also used a number of other unethical techniques to cure mental illness, like electroshock therapy and lobotomies.
Allison Mapes/Google
Many patients were enrolled in training to prepare them for their eventual release from the hospital. Several were also sterilized, following century-old beliefs that the "treatment" was not only for their own good, but society’s as well.
floodllama/Flickr
While there were some people enrolled with mental illnesses, it's incredible to look back at all of the "causes" that sent people to this institution. Were they all really "crazy"? Some men reportedly committed their post-menopausal wives, and there were children sent for what would have likely been diagnosed as A.D.D. today.

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floodllama/Flickr
By 1953, the psychiatric clinic housed over 2,000 patients in 33 wards and was almost filled to capacity. In this photo, you can see an old small lab room, located inside of the old main facility.
floodllama/Flickr
Here's a ceiling-mounted light in the surgery ward, where trans-orbital lobotomies were performed. Northern State Hospital was known for attempting this experimental brain operation, in hopes of "curing mental illness."
floodllama/Flickr
The total number of patients who died here is rumored to be in the thousands. Behind the facility's gymnasium is a graveyard full of unmarked graves, which has become overgrown over time.
floodllama/Flickr
Since the facility's shut down, there have been a number of ghost sightings and paranormal investigations all throughout the abandoned asylum in Washington. The most common apparition reported is a little girl with a red ball, and a male ghost searching for her. If you're looking for haunted places in Washington, this is a good place to visit.
floodllama/Flickr
Although the now abandoned hospital in Washington closed in 1973, much of the main complex is still in use for Job Corps and as a drug treatment facility. If you're up for an eerie investigation though, many other parts of the grounds are still open for an adventure, including the old farm where patients used to work.

Are you creeped out yet? Have you been to this disturbing abandoned asylum in Washington before? We’d love to hear your thoughts below. While you’re walking around the Northern State Hospital, be sure to check out the recreation trail. It’s a gorgeous hike, and you can find out more details on this and other nearby trails when you sign up for AllTrails+.

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More to Explore

Abandoned Asylum In Washington

Melissa M. | June 23, 2021

What are some haunted places in Washington?

Ready to be scared? Numerous locales around Washington are haunted and you are free to visit...if you dare!

  • Cemeteries are always a good start when searching for some paranormal activity. Black Diamond Cemetery in Black Diamond has had reports of people hearing whistling and whispering. That’s enough to send chills down your spine!
  • Several historic buildings around the state are also good places to go ghost-hunting. Hotel de Haro of the San Juan Islands has a resident ghost of a woman who wanders the halls as well as an entire family of apparitions that can often be found in the dining room at sundown. Spooky!

Read about these and other haunted places in our article, These 13 Haunted Places In Washington Will Keep You Up At Night. 

Are there any hikes to abandoned places in Washington?

If you love to discover abandoned places and ghost towns, you may want to try hiking to one in Washington.

  • The Melmont Ghost Town Trail in Pierce County leads you directly to an abandoned village.
  • Be prepared though because it’s a seven-mile out-and-back trek, although it is fairly easy.
  • When you get to the former village of Melmont, you can explore the grounds where you will see the ruins of a town that once thrived here until the 1920s. 

 

Are there any road trips to haunted places in Washington?

Your friends here at OnlyInYourState have put together a bone-chilling road trip that will take you to some of the most terrifying places around the state.

  • It starts at the Butterworth Building in Seattle which used to be a mortuary (but has since been turned into an Irish pub)
  • And it ends at Tacoma’s Old City Hall which consistently experiences unexplained phenomena

 

 

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