Tewksbury State Hospital, formally known as the Asylum
IMAGE CREDIT
As a kid growing up, Tewksbury State Hospital (or simply Tewksbury Hospital, as it is named now) was rather scary. Actually, the above photo is an abandoned residence on the hospital grounds and it captures that feeling brilliantly.
Tewksbury Hospital (previously known as Massachusetts State Infirmary, Tewksbury Almshouse and Tewksbury State Hospital) was built in 1852 and is still in operation. In fact, my cousin tells me that her mother, my Aunt Barbara, was cared for very well in the later days of her battle with Alzheimer’s. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places. It was also where Anne Sullivan lived for several years before leaving for the Perkin’s School for the Blind and ultimately to become Helen Keller’s teacher.
Tewksbury State Hospital - Old Administration Building/ Public Health Museum
I’ll stop now, because I am not Linda… I neither profess to be a History buff nor a travel writer. Perhaps one day Linda will go visit Tewksbury Hospital and write you a proper post about its rich history. Linda, they even have a cemetery! Two actually! And yes… the hospital grounds are rumored to be haunted!
Imagine how super creepy it would be on Halloween Trick-or-Treating in that neighborhood?
Today’s post was brought to you by the random, hazy memories of my childhood that invariably pop up whilst talking to the sisterdears and Google, through which I can ‘go back’ vicariously and discover far more than I could back when I was a kid!
Thanks for letting my mind wander! Have a lovely Sunday!
Posted on August 14, 2011, in aging gracefully-ish and tagged aging gracefully-ish, National Register of Historic Places, Tewksbury Hospital, Tewksbury Massachusetts, there's no place like home. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
ohh creepy alright! imagine living there… we had a similar place but i have no idea the name or even the location now but i vaguely remember one. i think we called it the insane asylum or something.
have a great day honey, it’s my day off! ha ha ha ha ha
smiles, bee
xoxoxoxooxox
Barb you made me laugh when you said you’d stop because ‘I’m not Linda.’ I was just thinking how this sounds like a Duchess Linda post and thinking you had learned the travel writer craft well!
I’m guessing she’ll be taking a jaunt there in the next few months.
It does look really creepy ~ like a movie set for an insane asylum, loony bin, funny farm…you name it.
Haunted? I’ll mention it to my paranormal investigative team friends.
That place does look creepy. You need to re-post this on Halloween. I would bet that place is haunted.
My mind wanders too. I enjoyed your memory lane travel. Did you know Helen Keller and Ann Sullivan are both interred at the National Cathedral? Dick’s aunt and uncle are their neighbors:).
Big hugs honey…
Totally creepy. Some places have that energy where it just makes the hair on your neck go up to be around them. It may have a lot of interesting history, but I think I’ll just read about it instead of visit:)
You had me with the title but then when I got to the part about the hospital still being active you really got my attention! So many of these hospitals in New England have shut down and gone to wrack and ruin, it’s nice to see that this one is still being used for its intended purpose – creepy or not!
Trust me, it is SO on the list! I bet it’s quite nice with some fall foliage contrasting the creepiness! I need to check my calendar for a good time to take a jaunt up there … hmmm … early October is looking good … I shall keep you posted!
I actually live on a street next to the hospital. My mother works there and every time the power goes out, some kind of reserved power brings the elevator to the tunnels. A vast place where they would perform surgeries, psychological therapies (both experimental and helpful), and embalm the dead. The tunnels have three floors in some areas (other people claim more) where medical equipment still lay. If there’s ever an emergency, the town expects us to evacuate into the tunnels willingly. Now that’s crazy. People say the grounds are eerie. I’ve walked with friends around the grounds and by myself. One thing I can say with certainty, it’s haunted. And the large cemetery along East street is large and circles a swamp. It’s like a cheesy horror movie.