Danvers State Asylum: Mental Institution Turned Apartment Building

An illustration of the sprawling
hospital from "King's Hand-book
of the United States."

The winner for most breathtaking haunted location in New England, for me, goes to Danvers State Asylum. Granted, there isn't much left of the once castle-like asylum on a hill. However, what remains still evokes some of the same grandeur that the lauded hospital captured. For such a grand old place, there aren't a lot of ghost stories associated with Danvers State Asylum, but that might just be because it was hard for hunters to get in, not that there was nothing to see.

In the second half of the 19th century, eastern Massachusetts needed a solution for overcrowded mental hospitals. One had closed in Boston, and it was time to pick up the slack. At the time, residential treatment was the go-to for mental ailments, so beds filled up fast. A new asylum was proposed and architect Nathaniel Jeremiah Bradlee was put to the task. He designed the building in his Domestic Gothic style out of brick, stone and granite. It had imposing towers, several wings. It opened its doors with enough space for more than 1,000 patients in 1878. Later, additional buildings were added and the max capacity rose to 2,600 patients.

It is likely that some treatments occurred in Danvers State Asylum that would shock us today. However, by the standards of the time and even by some of today's standards, this hospital was quite humane. It was one of the Kirkbride Hospitals, which believed the tenets of the Kirkbride Plan, a view that patients were curable and that compassionate treatment and picturesque surroundings were critical to their recovery. Danvers State Hospital prided itself on the hygiene of its facilities and the advanced, gentle treatments of the time, which included hydrotherapy and good old fresh air.

Mental health care reform changed everything for Danvers State Asylum, which closed in the 70s. The focus leaned away from institutionalizing patients and toward outpatient care. It rendered establishments like the one in Danvers obsolete. Sadly, the absolutely conservable site was sold off to a real estate developer and turned into an apartment complex called Halstead Danvers. Some of the original building remains on the once nearly 200-acre property, so it is recognizable. It's just impossible to see it in its original state now or ghost hunt, though the latter was nearly impossible anyway. Today, if you want to see what spooks roamed the halls of this impressive building, you'll have to rent a sterile modern apartment.

I've only found two instances of a reported haunting at Danvers State Asylum. The first I came across was a ghost that haunted the attic and steeple. Another interesting legend about the steeple is that of a German spy who worked at the hospital using the steeple to signal enemy submarines. The only other story I came across was of an old lady ghost pulling the blankets off a young girl who lived in the hospital. If you have any ghost stories from Danvers State Asylum, please share them in the comments section below.

Here is a fabulous source for photos of the structures.

Haunted Museum: The Paine House in Coventry, Rhode Island

One of the main characteristics of most haunted New England locations is age. Homes, bridges and businesses pass through decades and then centuries, leaving their marks on the collective history of the region. Stories accumulate with the scars of time, some of them involving ghosts and paranormal activity. Such is the case with the Paine House, now a museum in Coventry, Rhode Island's Washington Village.

In the past few hundred years, the Paine House and surrounding property has passed hands numerous times. Much of the home's history is traceable
through deeds. Samuel Bennett built the first part of the structure, likely a one-room shack, around 1691. In 1748, one Francis Brayton, who added much more to the structure, owned it. A few decades later, his son ran a tavern in the house. In 1797, a man named Charles Holden took ownership and had his own tavern there. Thomas Whipple followed in 1849. It wasn't until 1866 that the Paine family moved in. It stayed in the family until 1953 when it was gifted to the Western Rhode Island Civic  Historical Society.

The Paine House carries some of the town's earliest history within its walls. It was the location of the first town meeting and election. It was a place where people gathered for generations, being an inn, tavern and/or place of entertainment under several owners. There is no doubt that a lot has happened in the rooms of the Paine House. The question is, what among those events led to the paranormal activity that happens now?

Colonial furniture and decor give the Paine House an aged feel, lending to the idea that it is haunted. Walking through the house, it's easy to imagine a colonial specter gliding out from the walls. Nothing so spectacular has occurred, but several paranormal investigators and visitors claim to have recorded electronic voice phenomena, seen furniture move or experienced other strange events in the home, particularly on the second floor.

According to a video posted by NinjaCthulhu on YouTube, the group in the video caught EVP while at the house. To be honest, I didn't really catch anything, but you might hear what they're talking about it if you watch the video yourself. The folks at parahunter.com say they recorded EVP of a girl named Sarah, who may have died in the house. You can listen to the audio here, but I didn't hear anything clearly. Also, it could have easily been one of the investigators speaking in the sewing room upstairs.

You can visit the Paine House any Saturday from May until September, if you want to see or hear these ghosts for yourselves. Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section below. Happy hunting.