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The Norwich State Hospital, located in Preston, Connecticut and Norwich, Connecticut, was a mental health facility for almost a century, from October 1905 to its closure on October 10. 1996. The facility is centered around "Administration Loop, CT 06365" or 41°29′24″N 72°04′19″W / 41.49°N 72.072°W / 41.49; -72.072

History

Norwich State Hospital Building Map

The population of the hospital peaked in the mid-1950s, when it had almost 3,000 patients. It is widely believed by the locals that Norwich State Hospital is haunted and is a favorite place for ghost hunters such as the Ghost Adventures T.V show on travel channel. In the late-1990s local college students were holding Fraterity induction ceremonies on the grounds due to this belief.

The town of Preston has tried to look for ways to utilize the property that the hospital rests on, however, plans for the site continue to fall through. The Norwich State Hospital, to this day, still overlooks the Thames River as it has for almost 100 years.

Today

There has been talk of turning the former mental ward into a museum. There are no plans for the site at this time. The property is presently closed to the general public and heavily patrolled by private security and the Connecticut State Police.

Proposals

As of October, 2008, all of the prior proposals for use of the Norwich State Hospital facility and property have failed.

Among them, a far-fetched utopian resort, fraudulent or false proposals for "mixed development" which turned into large scale estate houses only and private golf course, and other minor proposals similar to the Norwich side which expects to build a strip mall.

State Property Auction

As the last of formal proposals was removed in October 2008 citing financial instability after 3 years of similar failures, the township (pop 5000) of Preston, Connecticut has until the first of 2009 to review, audit, and approve (including sale) a transaction to retain any authority prior to final transfer to the state.

Previously, Connecticut tried to pawn the entire facility to Mohegan Sun casino, and though challenged by Preston (which seeks massive tax profit), the tribe was not interested in the related cleanup expense and overhead for a hazardous medical waste tainted century-old medical complex.

Historical Record

The Norwich State Hospital (previously known as the Norwich State Hospital for the Insane)^[1] is listed on both the state and national historic register as a place of architectural and historical significance and thus many of the buildings, grounds, and infrastructure can not be removed (or even cleaned of medical waste material) without exception from both state and federal historical authorities.

References

External links

• Salmon (male forensic) building Photoessay on the building reserved for male patients deemed "not guilty by reason of insanity" in court.
• Beautiful photographs from Norwich State Hospital (2007)
• .designedbreakdown. Short history and photo gallery exhibiting present-day decay on the site.
• Norwich State Hospital at Creepy Connecticut
• Exploration Photos at EastGhost