Comments

Oh wonderful - a new gallery! Thanks for the historical text and photos, too. They add a lot to the story.

Amazing photos !
I would like to know if you had to ask for promission to go to the Pratt Greenhouse. I live close to this area and would like to know if I could go or would I have to get promission from someone.
Please me email with the answer to my question.
Thank you
jackyacua@yahoo.com

I guess I'm clueless. What is a "shooter girl"?

Zigzag Man & awesomeme6969, You are both wrong I grew up in Belchertown, awesomeme6969 you worked at the newer state school located across the street from chestnut hill and behind the new police station. while all locals like myself knew that The Old State School that was located away from that site atop a hill down the street that runs by lord Jeff (and new stop & shop) past Dana hill after the 1 car underpass. The old state school was in fact burnt down by the fire department in a fire exercise that you did have right zigzagman you just had the location wrong. I knew members of the fire department and YES THE OLD STATE SCHOOL WAS BURNED DOWN BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT in what they claimed to be am exercise. Also they figured it was a good way to put an end to ghost hunters visiting the place. Although I would not be surprised if it was done to hide the horrific history of the place as well. I'm sure they did not want people to come out of there with pictures of the shackles in the basement.

It's bright because of all those windows. Well, another abandoned edifice left to rot. Thanks for preserving the place in photos, Motts.

I worked in this building in the 80's and 90's in the dining area. Wexcide was an iodine based disinfectant if I remember correctly. We used it to wipe tables and chairs.

I spent 18 months in this building, in 1962-64. Thank you for these photos! These walls held many young lives, gave us hope, as "incurables" and "crippled children."

My bet is that it's Betadine, a broad spectrum antiseptic /surgical scrub; humorously referred to as "monkey-blood". Love your site, thanks!

Likely to be boiler feed water and/or condensate collection tanks

A mask still hanging from the faucet.

For many, this was the only way out of that place.

It's time to take the trash out!

At least this window is more centrally located on the wall.

A bed in a hallway...strange.

Just think of how many patients stared through that window wishing and hoping they could leave that place.