A few weekends ago, after a fantastic night at Rock and Shock in Worcester, MA, Tergg and I decided to take a trip over to Worcester State Mental Hospital. It was only a few minutes from the DCU Center, and why not?
As soon as we got there, I got chills. I don't want to sound like a nerd, but I really did. I've wanted to see Worcester State since I started researching New England mental hospitals. There's a pretty interesting photo, taken while the hospital was still in use:
I was able to take some photos while Tergg and I were walking around the grounds. We were unable to get into the buildings (only the Kirkbride building is still standing from the original main building.) The impressive clock tower can be seen almost a mile away from the hospital, even today. It's a beautiful sight, one that I hope to capture the next time we're there. My goal is to document the hospital's beauty before it's fully "restored."
Worcester State was built in 1833. It was originally two facilities; the Worcester Lunatic Asylum, and the Bloomingdale Asylum. It remained open until 1991 when a fire swept through the facility on July 22. Only the right most wing (Hooper Turret) and the administration building survived the blaze. The Odd Fellows Home, a freestanding building, is also still standing, silently slipping into disrepair, apparently not part of the rennovations the rest of the grounds is undergoing. During it's 158 years, Worcester State has housed thousands upon thousands of patients, and has the distinguished honor of being the nation's second oldest mental hospital. (Eastern State in WV is the first.)
The photos that Tergg and I took are from October 12, 2012, and I'll do my best to explain them!
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