BellaOnline Forums Career Fiction Writing Danvers State Hospital & Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Have you ever thought about using a mental hospital in your story? The reasons people were admitted to these institutions suggest many different story ideas, as does the ways they were treated. And there were some who treated the supposed mentally disabled in ways that were not so nice.

Many of these institutions are said to be haunted. The Danvers State Hospital in Massachusetts and the Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Kentucky are two such places. These two hospitals, no longer open for patients, are only open for tours. What happened behind these walls?

Danvers State Hospital & Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Thanks for sharing, Lisa. I have read a lot about what went on in some of these asylums, scary stuff. My NaNoWriMo entry will mention an asylum as well.

Did you know that Danvers was originally Salem Village and the asylum was built on Hathorne Hill where the house of Salem witch trial judge John Hathorne once stood?

Yeah, I remember reading that in m research. I wonder if the ghost of John Hathorne haunts this place along with those who died there?

You never know. I have seen articles that suggest Danvers was one of the most haunted asylums. A large majority of the building has been torn down and apartments were built in its place. Wonder if the residents hear or see anything strange.

As huge as the lists of haunted hospitals I looked was, it is hard to believe you can find one that isn't haunted. I don't think I would want to live in the apartments that were built on this site, although it would be great research! And it would be awesome to talk to some of the residents to see if they have noticed any unusual happenings.

The list of haunted hospitals I have is so long that I will be doing more articles on them. I'm not sure if I can wait until next October to feature them, so you may be seeing some a lot sooner.

Living on a site where an asylum had been would be creepy but definitely a unique experience. A tv series was produced over here and it involved the residents that lived in apartments where an asylum once stood and focused on the ghosts which haunted the buildings. Have you heard of this?

I look forward to seeing more of your work very soon

I've not heard of the tv series, but it sounds as though it would be interesting. I don't have cable or satellite, so I watch everything on DVD. One day I might be lucky enough to have an internet connection with no download limit. Then I'll be able to watch stuff like that online.

And thank you. I look forward to researching more haunted hospitals. I also plan on looking into other haunted sites, such as schools, museums, libraries, etc. The list is so unbelievable long that I'm starting to think every home, building, and business is haunted.

If you ever get a chance to see it, the show is called Bedlam. Been watching and its really spooky.

Definitely want to hear about more haunted sites, always interesting to read. I think the same, any building that is a good age might have ghosts. One house I lived in had all sorts of items buried in the garden, like dogtags, bottles and pottery. I've seen and heard strange things in recent years.