4,081 Comments for Norwich State Hospital

I love when would-be lonely chairs have friends. Lovely shot.

That's crazy that the room is still in such nice condition. Excellent find!

Beautiful shot. Absolutely captivating.

Kind of interesting that they are referring to her as "resident" there (as opposed to patient, which is what I've seen generally used in 19th century records, not to mention what seem like a more natural term to use).

Fantastic!

A walk on the dark side

Nice Shot!

For some there was no return once they entered this hallway!

Motts. Do you go it alone on your explorations or do you ever invite/bring along others?

Do all psychiatric hospitals have upright pianos in them?

^^^^ Amen, Kath. You said it well. I, too, will never get the chance to see these awesome places. I am an urb-ex fanatic and must content myself with the amateur shots I can take of abandoned structures in my own area (I did recently come upon an abandoned theater that I'd love to infiltrate) but when the pickings seem slim, Motts' site always delivers the "fix" I need. In any case, I am extremely glad for his talent and his tenacity in securing these locations on film for posterity.

After 4-1/2 years, we have had guesses for bread ovens, pizza ovens, food-service carts, egg incubators, chicken coops, rodent cages, mattress sterilizers, air exchange units, storage bins, patient restraint cages, modified Utica cribs, and an overwhelming number of incredibly silly assumptions that they were used to cremate patients.

Honestly, if Lynne could never find anyone who knew, and even readers who worked there or knew someone who worked there couldn't solve the mystery, my guess is that we'll never know for sure. In actuality, the answer is likely very benign and boring.

They were probably some sort of device that started as something else entirely and were modified for a specific use by a person who worked there or lived there (many psych patients are absolutely genius in other areas - the autistic are the perfect example of this). These machines may exist in only one spot (here) for only one thing (we don't know, but I'm positive it doesn't involve burning human bodies or restraining unruly patients) and therefore, the answer to the puzzle is as lost in time as the hospital itself.

It depends on whether you're an optimist or pessimist. If you're the former the door is half open. If you're the latter, it is half closed.

Boy if the roof ever leaked just think how much rain water these diapers would be able to absorb !

I love this picture. Wonderful shot.