Posted in Washington Abandoned, History January 26, 2023 by

This Eerie And Fantastic Footage Takes You Inside Washington’s Abandoned Northern State Hospital

Sedro-Woolley is a small city in Skagit County best known for being a gateway to the beautiful North Cascades. It also happens to be home to the remains of Northern State Hospital, one of those most well-known — and most controversial — mental institution in Pacific Northwest History. Now known as Northern State Ghost Town, it has been reduced to a series of dilapidated structures covered in graffiti and a few mementos of the times.

While you can visit the property, stepping inside the buildings is highly discouraged (and may even be prohibited at this point) because of their condition. However, this knowledgeable YouTuber managed to get some amazing (and eerie) footage of the property as well as dig up some rather fascinating (and disturbing) facts about this abandoned hospital in Washington.

The Northern State Hospital was designed in 1909 as a state-of-the-art, self-sustaining occupational therapy and treatment facility for the mentally ill.
VFCs Travels / YouTube
It was masterfully designed and thought to be ahead of its time in many ways. There was already an over-crowded hospital in Steilacoom, so this was a much-needed addition to Washington.
The property was designed by the Olmsted Brothers and Saunders & Lawton, a renowned architectural agency.
VFCs Travels / YouTube
Together, they created an intricate compound of roads, water systems, buildings, pastures, farmland, and dairy barns.
In its prime, the institution was a self-sufficient property, with the patients helping with the farming and other chores.
VFCs Travels / YouTube
At one point, the hospital even had a dairy herd that ranked among the best in the state.
Of course, what happened here was not entirely pleasant. Far from it.
Cindy Shebley / Flickr
One could be committed to the asylum for alcoholism, epilepsy, or even accusations that turned out to be false. Many patients died here, and some died under very suspicious circumstances.
With the advancement of psychotropic drugs and the treatment of mental illnesses, the hospital closed its doors in 1973 when they lost their state funding.
Kristin Wall / Flickr
The property was abandoned practically overnight. And for years, the entire compound was restricted. But over the last several years, Skagit County Parks and the Port of Skagit County have teamed up to work to allow access to more parts of the campus.

Want to see the property for yourself? This video has some outstanding footage that rivals any virtual tour we’ve ever seen. Note that we at OnlyInYourState have not researched the validity of every claim made in this video, and some of the information is pretty disturbing. Enjoy at your own risk.

Did you know the story of this abandoned hospital in Washington?

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Address: Coyote Ln, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center

Abandoned Places in Washington

February 01, 2023
Sarah M.

What are some other abandoned places in Washington?

If learning about abandoned (and potentially haunted) places in Washington is your jam, you'll definitely be intrigued to discover the following sites:

  • Melmont Ghost Town. Visit this Washington ghost town on the eponymous trail, a seven mile out-and-back hike that begins near the town of Carbonado. The trail follows an abandoned rail grade and after about three miles, you'll reach Melmont. There's not much left to this old mining town, but there's certainly enough to explore.
  • Satsop Nuclear Power Plant. Did you know that there’s an abandoned nuclear power plant in Washington that was set to be the largest of its kind before construction was abruptly halted? Now WNP-3 and WNP-5, more commonly known as the Satsop Nuclear Power Plan, is one of the creepiest places in Washington. While the space is now known as Satsop Business Park, a community-owned facility that operates like a private company, the 480-foot nuclear reactor cooling tower is a big elephant in the room that hints to the land's complicated history.
  • Claquato. Originally founded in the 1850s, Claquato quickly became a thriving lumber town with a mill. It continued to prosper until the death of the founder, who sustained fatal injuries falling at the mill in 1864. About ten years later, Claquato was bypassed by the railroad, which eventually led to the town's abandonment. There's not much left here anymore, except for a cemetery and this Methodist church - which is the oldest standing building in Washington. You can find the remains of this old ghost town in Lewis County, just outside of Chehalis.
  • Molson. The once booming town of Molson was first founded in 1900. In only about a year, the population shot up to 300 and the town had a newspaper, stores, an attorney, doctor, saloon and hotel. It didn't last long, though - by 1901, the mining was failing, and the population fell to only 12 people. By 1905, it rose again with news of a railroad was being built. In the meantime, a local who ran a barn and stage line filed for a homestead that included most of the area in town. By 1909, he published a notice for everyone on the land to depart, causing citizens to found the site of New Molson about 1/2 mile north. If you walk through what's left of this town near the Canadian border in Okanogan County, you'll find old pioneer buildings, farm machinery and incredible artifacts.