Try, Try Again

We arrived at Weston State Hospital in the morning, probably not early enough, and there the Kirkbride was, stately, beautiful, and practically in the middle of town. The lawn was very well maintained, and the building seemed to be in decent shape as well; even some lights were illuminated. As we approached the stone facade however, we could smell that inviting mustiness of neglect that the building exhaled.

An on-site security patrol caught our eye before we even pulled up. They saw us, we saw them, and there was no hiding our intent. We resigned ourselves to just taking some photos of the exterior as one of the guards circled the building in his patrol car. Apparently it was OK to walk around the campus, and it was nice to finally be able to photograph a Kirkbride without dodging some authority, but the long drive down made not getting inside pretty disappointing.

I recall setting up a shot of the outer wards (in the wing tips), and hearing a noise from inside - looking in a window, I could see two menacing, beady eyes staring out at me. It was the other guard, watching me from inside; he continued to pace the hallway without saying a word. Bits of glass and debris popped from underneath his boots as he walked up and down the corridor, his cold gaze permanently fixed on me. Definitely creepy.

OK, obviously not a good time to try this, but I knew it could be done. A few months later I manage to make it inside, but I was saddened by the amount of remodeling that occurred, and the decay was only slight. With Officer Creeper still fresh in my mind, I chalked this one up to not being too worth the risk I was taking, so I ran through a couple of floors and jumped out before he could do another round. I couldn't resist climbing up in that old clock tower though!

The hospital has since been purchased and preserved, and anyone can take interior photos or be guided on a ghost hunting tour for a fee.