305 Comments Posted by John

I'm not for stealing, but I wonder if one of the lamps would work if you took it and plugged it in at your place.

I have that song on my iPod. It actually gets annoying after a bit.

Ah....Dubya's suite

teve_paradise, weird, I live in North Dartmouth MA (right next door to westport, drive down the entire stretch of route 6 in westport almost daily but have never seen or heard of a haunted house along that way. Just did some research online and all I can find is rumors like "family burial ground, civil war burial, or indian cemetary"

I love the history of the north east, I've gone walking in what I thought was the middle of nowhere and stumbled upon gravesites. Amazing how they still stand, I wish there was an easy way to find all the history of this stuff.

I visited early today (as much as I could it's fairly busy around that area now. The building does look like its still in fairly good shape, the tower doesn't appear to actually be tilting in any direction, however no matter how you look at it, it does seem like its reaching out over you.

the very front of the building (the red brick), does look a little weak, you can actually see the cracks in the photo if you no where to look. Its slowly collapsing in on itself, but still looks far more stable than some of the homes in worcester. Man I wish I knew about this place just a few years before. All this time hanging out less than a mile away with nothing to do... could have had fun.

Van GoGo (about your post from 2 years ago lol) I agree with A.Adam about it being a waste of magnificent architecture.

Worcester as a whole is one of the ugliest poorest looking places I have ever seen, with absolutely nothing worth saving. Except for this hospital and a few other church's.

To purposefully make one of the most controversial buildings in worcester, the most beautiful is a waste, considering its now a pile of rubble, hidden by several newer buildings for the past 20 years.

I do think that the "crazies" should have had a nice place, but they literally got the nicest place in this hideous city.

this is a very cool place i live in staten island and ive climbed onto these ships a week ago im going to go back and bring a camera in the cabins you find old rotten mattresses old pots and pans

My name and date would be in the last room on the right, down the mid length hallway that has the door directly at the end on Ward B, it would be JD '73 or '74, might even say John.
Would be on the wall to the left as you enter the room.
Some will be written like "was here '73".
Just food for thought for anyone else wanting to look for more history.

If anyone does anymore pictures, the best places to find where we wrote our names and dates are on the inside of the seclusion doors, around the windows in the seclusion rooms and above the door in the seclusion rooms.
You may find some names and dates in the bathrooms too as well as the shower room.

I need to make a correction here.
On the 1st floor when I said take a right, it should be a left. I need to start proof reading before I hit submit.
So coming from the stairwell you take a left and go down the small flight of stairs which has the door to the print shop and woodshop directly in front with the cafetiere door to the right.

There are classrooms up on the 4th floor that
was used by the children housed on Ward B.
They did keep the children from Ward B separated from the teenagers on Wards D and
E.
The medical and dental was also on the 4th floor.
That's the basic "tour" of Gaebler.
Although there is a rumor of a tunnel somewhere in the basement that is supposed
to connect to Metro, I have never seen it, nor have I ever been in the basement.

and yes, there is a small flight of stairs at this end of the hallway too that leads into the large room used for coffee hour.

If you go back through the door and into the stairwell, you head up to the 3rd floor, as you walk out from the door, Ward E is to the left and Ward B was to the right.
There is also an elevator right next to the door to the stairs.
Now,back to the main floor, the 1st floor.
Leaving the stairwell you take a right, there is a small flight of stairs here with a door directly in front, and a door to the right, the door directly in front lead into the print shop, which was on the left back in 1973 or 1974, and the woodshop was on the right back then, further down the hallway was other rooms that did other activities like sewing and arts and crafts.
Coming back out and standing at the bottom of the small flight of stairs is the door , that I said is to the right, this door lead into the kitchen, not the cafetiere pro se.
This was setup like a prison mess hall line, you would grab a tray and walk down the line to get your food, then when you was done you would find a table in the main cafetiere to eat.
After eating you left through a door that lead back out into the hallway. The print shop and woodshop is now to the right.
There is the blue door with a glass window that has metal wires in it, this leads out to freedom, this is where you first enter the place, where Mr.Heathwood had his office.
The main lobby had snack and soda machines.
Going left you come to the door that opens into a large room, this room was where they had coffee hour every saturday and sunday morning.
We would get together and have coffee and listen to music.
Motts, or anyone who has been here, do you remember this?
If memory serves, I think back in 1981 or 1982 the print shop and woodshop was made into classrooms.

Come to think of it, I was in seclusion on all 4 wards at one time or another.
Out of the 4 wards only 3 was used to house children back when I was there, 1973 or 1974 and then again in 1981 or 1982.
The wards that did house children was, pre-teen, was Ward B.
Teenagers was housed on Wards D and E.
The 4th ward, which was on the 2nd floor, was to the left as you come through the door from the stairs.
This ward was used for daycare.
No one lived on this ward.
I was placed in the seclusion rooms on this ward a few times as well.
Still, on the 2nd floor if you turn right from the stairs you will come to Ward D. Now, in this hallway there is, if memory serves correct, a door that had a pool table in it. further down the hallway, going to the right, was a big double door, this lead into the gym.
Motts, do you have pictures of this?

There was another counselor on B-Ward back in 1981 or 1982.
A black man, very nice person who I was close too.
We both played sports and we would go into the gym alot and throw the baseball around, both of us thought about going into the Babe Ruth league and then onto the minors.
So we practiced our pitching in this gym.
I think his name was Willie, but I'm not certain.
He was a nice man, and he did help us alot.
Back in 1973 or 1974 we did alot of roller skating in here.
But back in 1981 or 1982 while I was on D-Ward we had "field trips" every friday or saturday night and went roller skating in town.

Although people will believe what they want, Gaebler was not all the nightmarish things people believe, at least, not in my case.
I can't speak for the other children who was here, nor can I claim to know what they personally have gone through, I can only relate to you my own stories and what happened to me.
Like I said before, I have both good and bad memories here, I relate the good memories so others can see Gaebler in a different light.
As for my bad memories, well, let's just say there is still a 6 year old child in a little room down a mid length hallway on B-Ward.
If I was still in mass I would be there in a heartbeat, but I'm not, I'm in Colorado.
What would I hope to find if I went there?
Or seen a full picture of the room I described?
I'm not sure, healing maybe.
But I would like to see the place again before they tear it down.