The hospital first opened its doors in 1904 in Norwich, Connecticut. It was built in an idyllic location chosen for its therapeutic properties overlooking the River Thames.
The Norwich Insane Asylum was built isolated from civilization, which worked to its benefit as it began to grow during its early years sprouting new buildings that accompanied the original construction (see aerial view of the hospital here). These new construction projects included patient wards, staff cottages, laboratories and workshops. All of the structures were interconnected by a large network of underground utility tunnels. These tunnels transported electricity, hot water, and patients to various areas on the grounds. The hospital remained self-sufficient, almost like a small town, with its own power plant, pump house, working farm, kitchen, theater and church.
Over 3,000 patients and 1,000 employees were residents on the asylum grounds in the 1950’s.
Slowly patients began to leave Norwich State Hospital due to deinstitutionalization and it permanently closed its doors in 1996. Since then time has basically stood still on the property with a few exceptions. Currently there is talk about converting the grounds into a theme park, but nothing has been set in stone.
After a long tedious drive we leave the car in a commuter parking lot close to the buildings. Ever the vigilant group of explorers we notice a State Trooper making his rounds and dive into the forest for cover. Luckily we outsmarted the police yet again and after regrouping walk along the Thames River for a few hundred feet. We finally see the abandoned pump house looming in the distance and decide to make this our entryway into the campus.
This site has a reputation for being well guarded, well patrolled, and does not take kindly to trespassers. I am always on edge when exploring across the Atlantic and the numerous “State Property – No Trespassing” signs that litter the grounds did not bode well for my paranoia. Instead of exposing ourselves above ground to security and prying eyes, we decided to take the underground route through the utility tunnels.
Using the tunnels we explored many buildings without ever being forced to go outside. This method of travel was soon confirmed to be the safest. On our first attempt to venture outside we were only a few feet away from a security officer in a black uniform. Fortunately he didn’t look our way and we quickly receded back into the tunnel network. For a while we hid in the abandoned theater so we could look around the campus without being seen.
This encounter with security dampened our spirits and made our visit a whole lot shorter than we would have liked. We made our grande exit through the empty chapel, this allowed us to avoid walking back through the forest. As we were walking back to the commuter lot to pickup our car we noticed the State Trooper had been watching us as we suspiciously walked down the road. I wonder where we went to and were coming back from?!
Archive document introducing a new therapy (click to enlarge):
Special thanks to Dr. Bob for sharing the old postcards.
Its this goddamn touch screen! I dont mean to double it just does it...Im sorry. it does it with everything too emails FB etc...
from what you guys are saying about the security at NSH they sound like rejects from our British police force ( absolutely shit)
ah yes Ive heard the name Ribicoff and thought that had something to do with the research block. Thanks for putting that in place for me you were a security guard there Paul?! Didnt you not get all the access you wanted via your job and not need to be playing hide and seek with them to get back in after? Im going your pix of the trade school annex on flckr at the moment, v helpful . well done for getting them
Do you know if anyone have any pictures from inside Salmon?
Zoe is posting from UK! PaulD, how come can you double post all the time?
Ghost hunters paid 4.000$ to film....maybe you gotta grease the town...they are poor now that they took over the site! or use pictures others took...like the ones we took! got some good swag outta there too...
Relax...the kids doing security are hamless...they work for a property management Co. I was a guard there and never baited people! NO security company will condone Baiting people into the site. the guards are there to observe and report. thats all. they arent supposed to even talk to you. just make a non emergency call to PD. thats it...anything more and they are violating contract...so again its easy to access the site...Ribicoff was the research lab. its a newer bldg...its an easy explore...ya just have to hurry up...they are cleaning out scrap now....
paradise lost- completely agree with you. Better to be safe than sorry always. my newspaper Ed - who belong to a big corp of media here in the UK - is contacting Preston to try to get permission for my visit for a series of articles on the place prior to publishing book but we're not holding our breath to get it. The lawyers told me today I pretty much need legal access or Im fucked as we cant publish pix any other way as it would be admitting to illegal entry. Im pretty pissed off at this as Im up for a challenge and hate being told by states/gov bodies 'no, you cant do it' without good reason but seems its pretty hard for media to get in too.
You guys certainly seem to know your stuff in this area and seem pretty cool.
yeah, sorry to just show up on your board as a newbie and ask astupid question like that PL mate
Keeping honest people honest- when someone comes in brandy new, and starts asking for someone to show them around, the paranoia sets in. Specially with new guards on site, is it possable they would try a bait and trap? I think I'd rather be a safe paraniod than a trusting U.E. sitting in the back of a squad car. You ARE asking for people here to get involved with an illegal activity, trespassing.
paradise lost - get your point about the guard problem, sorry , didnt think. yeah, im for real tho, North London. UK, understand your suspicion tho..
paul D - cheers for that. Im trying to lay down a proper plan for the grounds and its buildings. are a lot still un named? The only map Ive yet to come across on the internet is the one on this site which doesnt show the 'Research building' but im guessing that was built on the site later?
Ive done some research this afternoon and understand they kept animals (well, rats, mice officially..) in the labs for experiments. as NSH wasnt a medical center for disease research why would this be necessary?
Zoe- really from UK? Or someone playing a "joke"? Hate to see a guard set up someone.
Yes, I know you know me- SHHH, please.
The labs were research labs and the moruge...the site is pretty easy to explore just takes a lil effort. just let us know what your looking for and we'll help ya out.
can anyone tell me what the labs on the NSH site were used for?
Hi guys, Im a London based freelance press tog writing a book on the history of Asylums in the Uk from 1700's Bedlam to the present day. Ive been researching 19th cent Asylums as Uk based their method for housing the mentally ill on the US model . Im fascinated by NSH and my question is would anyone be able to point me at any relevant infomation online or are their any experts on this site that know this site intimately that i could email ? also, could anyone actually show me round the site?
many thanks, Zoe
but gatekeeper what make you think that pussy is tiff an what the fuck is a tiff anywhy well thing are starting to get fun
ok just so you all know i beleive i know who this tiff guy is thats on this new security squad for nsh. i was in an autozone parts store a few weeks ago near the site and i seen this funny looking dude in his security uniform that said all over it the security company he worked for who was maybe in his early 20s buying some part probably for those funny white cars they drive around. anyways, this dude is nothing to be afraid of, just a 20 year old at his first job trying to be a badass. figured id give yall a heads up.
hey asshole the way your talking almost sound like you could be working for this new security co i bet you are if so FUCK OFF AN BY THE WAY IAM NOT COCKY IAM JUST THAT DAMN GOOD
Haha! tiff ... Sparkles got you! ya'll should keep them negative comments down there in Dixie...
Tiff- Fuck off. You can't just show up on a site talking shit. You don't know what you are talking about and you're an idiot. And actually this site isn't about paranormal. FYI. Just leave.
Shadowhawk- Long time no see.
Gatekeeper- Still here!
JPT- Where did you go???
Paul- I love you!
ppl come to this website to check out this "haunted" hospital... not to read comments uve all posted arguing with each other. its extremley childish dont you think? to the security guards do ur job and act ur age... to the rest dont get cocky bc uve snuck into and abandoned hospital. its not like uve done something great. it may be cool to you but it doesnt mean ur "the shit". its not ur property and its against the law dumbasses.i would pay to see th guards lock ur stupid asses up in the "shit house"
trust us you all will get caught an to bomb see you saturday at 2am we have a ticket just for you. see you all real soon
hey paul D i think these little mall cops need to go back to security school lol an you the f@#$k would work for 9.00 or10.00 damn. now to the new secuity you have no clue what you have just started trust me you will work for that 9.00 see you saturday 2am first thing iam going to do is tip over the shit house lol
yes I made to the chaple if you look at the end of my last seiris of pics you will see me go through the tunnel from admin so I not giving anything away, I will not post POE's because I have been warned about that. below I gave criptic instructions how my facebook can be found if you message me there I will give ways in.
Hey ken, you said you made it to the chapel. is there an opening into the chapel or is the tunnel still intact from admin area. I really wanna check it out but it looks from the street like they boarded up pretty good and the side entrance is covered by a big dirt pile.
ok so yes the gatekeeper is back, had a nice long trip didnt get up to marquette state hospital like i wanted but i did find a sweet place i was curious if anybody else had heard about. the place is called centralia pennsylvania and it was used as a basis for the movie silent hill. the place is really cool to look at on bing birds eye view. i definitly recommend reading the history of the town, very interesting. sparkles you still around? jpt? lol and of course bomb and paul are still here. any news on nsh? ive been gone for a while, i did watch the ghost hunters episode of nsh though, thought it was okay but really hollywooded up.
Smells like bomb.... Im just sayin.
Maybe you should just do your job son! 1) observe. 2) report. thats all you can do bud... anything else is breech of contract...I know. I explore there and got paid to do it!! so shut the mouth...
let me start with paul, well said
ok security gaurd I would shut you mouth or you'll find yourself lock in that porta-potty you use
Let’s start with why you are there. the insurance company will not cover the place without onsite security. Your company is the lowest bidder, that’s the way Preston rolls it not about quality. Let’s talk about your job security. This is going to play out one of 2 ways. 1st Preston actually cleans the place up knocks down the buildings sell off parts of the land (what they want to do) and builds there river walk, and you are out of a job. Or they do not clean up the property, they loose all the funding. The state takes it back and the old company will be brought back in. I know there still not far they are still in Norwich a few yards down the road.
Your companies contract is a part of public record and I know the only thing you can do is try to detain until a Preston officer shows up to give out fines for trespassing or arrest for looting, vandalism or graffiti. I wouldn’t get to full of yourself if I was worried about you I would have just paid you off like I do on other sites I have gone into. You’re not worth it
Please!! the reason your there now is because your the cheapest...your Co is payin 9.00$ and 10.00$ and the worst. playtime is always on...and all we get is a lil fine! oh no!! guard do yourself a favor and just read here...dont post. your job will really suck if we start with ya...so stay scarred and dont get outta that car...
yea I have some pics of you too.....
anybody caught on site will be fined or arested play time is over
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