HAVE YOU HAD A PARANORMAL EXPERIENCE AT THIS LOCATION?
Please Share Your Experiences
href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Flickr" class="mw-redirect" title="Flickr">Flickr</a> as <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/79473373@N00/132119420">Fairfield State Hospital Grounds</a>, CC BY 2.0, Link
The grounds of this former asylum campus have been converted into parklands by the town. There are warnings not to get too close to the buildings due to their condition; although many buildings are being renovated into town buildings. The rules for not getting close to the buildings are reported as not really being enforced.
No one else seems to want anything to do with these buildings because the environmental conditions – they are filled with asbestos and have taken water damage. Some of them are reported as being on the verge of collapse.
Entrance into the empty buildings is strictly forbidden and considered trespassing.
Our Paranormal World does not not condone or support trespassing or any other illegal activity.
History
This hospital was built for the same reason as many others in the eastern US; overcrowding in other hospitals. Construction was begun in June of 1931 and it was opened for patients June 1, 1933. When it opened there was 500 patients and only 3 doctors.
It was designed specifically to break the look of institutions with it's beautiful parklands and in the colonial architectural style. Even today, despite the deteriorating condition of some of the buildings, it is still a beautiful campus.
By the 1950s and 60s – as with other hospitals at the same time – overcrowding had become an issue. By the late 60’s there was 4,000 patients, 20 doctors and 50 nurses. Inside it was rumored to be a house of horrors with patients restrained 24/7 and therapies such as cold water shock and electro-shock therapy being the norm.
By the 1990’s the campus included 16 buildings on 100 acres of land with 670 acres of surrounding land. However, by this time, deinstitutionalization was becoming the norm due to the advances in anti-psychotic drugs and the cost of running massive campus hospitals.
On December 8, 1995 the State Governor closed the hospital – along with its much more haunted sister institution Norwich State Hospital – all patients were shipped to another hospital.
The grounds and buildings were used in the movie “Sleepers” and in an episode of MTV’s Fear but for the most part left to fall apart. As mentioned above the town has now taken over the site and converted the grounds into a park as well as renovated some buildings to be used as town offices.
Paranormal Activity
Much like many other former insane asylums, this location has a dark history of patient mistreatment and approved treatments that were tantamount to torture. Unlike many of it’s sister institutions this history of horrors has not translated into large amounts of paranormal activity and hauntings.
There are many reports on the net of people getting into the buildings but very few reports of any kind of paranormal activity. To be honest the reports of people who were on the grounds while the hospital was still in operation are much scarier – sounds of screaming and weeping that penetrated the walls.
The few reports of activity include: rare reports of apparitions of patients; feelings of unease and being watched; phantom screams, voices and a general feeling of something feeling not right.