Somewhere along Route 12

Norwich State Hospital, Preston, CT.
Large, ominous and looming over the Thames River is the abandoned property and grounds of the old Norwich State Asylum for the Insane. Over 900 sprawling acres (including a power house) and a vast set of tunnels connecting almost every building on the property. Besides the fact that the place is literally crawling with cops and security (complete with alleged "booby traps"), it's eerie and alluring structures continue to entice thrill-seekers, photographers, and the occasional vandals and squatters. The hospital was opened in the early 1900's and closed it's doors in October of 1996. Some of Connecticut's most violent, criminally insane convicts were residents through the years at this infamous mental institution. They were housed in the prison ward of the now derelict Salmon Building. The auditorium seems to be a pretty popular spot among curious visitors as well. I guess most of the audience is wondering "WHY on Earth are you interested in seeing an abandoned mental hospital?" Well, the answer isn't simple. It's the Alice concept...curiosity kills it all. The fact that this place literally closed it's doors and the staff walked out, never to turn around again is simply astounding to me. The state of Connecticut and the town of Preston have left this place to ruin. The enormous cost of environmental clean-up scares away most investment ventures (the amount of asbestos and lead paint is staggering I'm sure). Mattresses, files, prescription bottles, patient artwork, hydrotherapy tubs, electroconvulsive therapy and lobotomy instruments are left behind. It seems as if the last one to leave, simply turned off the lights and locked the door. Everything is still inside. That's what makes it so interesting (to me).


My first trip saw countless state troopers and security SUV's swarming the grounds. So we decided to forgo the idea of a trek through the woods (as suggested by locals) from the railroad tracks, since the old man needs employment...and I figured a felony trespassing prosecution wouldn't sit well with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In the end, our dreams of being land owners one day outweighed the glorious thrill of treading on forbidden ground. This venture could have very well been the capstone to our trespassing career. But, I digress. Looking through the pictorials, I feel almost as if I'm visiting a sort of Titanic shipwreck...on land.
I can't really explain the magnitude of the place...my writing is mediocre at best. Photos will have to suffice. I've dug up the best I could find on the net, please visit the links if you wish to step inside the walls of this grandeur in architectural deterioration.