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The Cemetery of the Danvers Hospital for the Criminally Insane
Basis for H.P. Lovcraft's Horror stories and Batman's Arkham Asylum, now a horrifying condo
Category Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries, Incredible Ruins
Danvers State Hospital for the Criminally Insane opened in 1878 to serve some 600 mental patients under its imposing gothic spires. While it was built with a surprisingly caring and modern attitude toward the mentally ill, by the 1930's the site was crowded, falling into disrepair, and was using shock therapies and lobotomies on a regular basis. The addition of criminals, alcoholics, and the mentally retarded to the overcrowded hospital made it very difficult for the hospital to help cure any of its mental patients. The hospital was shut down in 1992.
The building, with its gothic style and series of underground tunnels, inspired H. P. Lovecraft's Arkham Sanitarium, in turn inspiring Batman's Arkham Asylum. In 2001, Brad Anderson chose the abandoned Danvers State Hospital as the primary location for his terrifying film, Session 9.
Besides the horror of H.P. Lovecraft there is yet another more modern horror story here. As of 2007 the beautiful, if decaying, building was mostly torn down and turned into a bright and shiny condominium. "Avalon Communities" is complete with swimming pool and barely a reference (there is a small plaque on the grounds) to the sites fascinating past. While, thankfully, some of the facade remains the rest of the beautiful building has been replaced with chintzy condos, elliptical machines and ikea furniture. It would scare even H.P. Lovecraft.
However there is one piece of the former insane asylum that still exists; its cemetery. This is where the previous residents of Danvers were laid to rest, or as one visitor put it the "Cemetery of the dead insane." At least there is a little bit of Danvers left where Lovecraft could still feel at home.
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- Website Session 9 (2 film)
- Address 1101 Kirkbride Drive, Danvers, Massachusetts, United States
If youre facing the Kirkbride building, head right on the sidewalk through the memorial and all the short way to where the apartments stop and the condos begin. Downhill from the sidewalk is a small field at the end of which you can easily see the opening to the cemetery. Via http://www.oddthingsiveseen.com/2008/06/avalon-danvers-apartments-nee-danvers.html
Comments
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Anonymous
November 17, 2011
Actually, while the side buildings have been torn down, the main portion of the Danvers State Hospital still stands. It has been refurbished into an apartment building, Avalon Danvers. -
Anonymous
April 20, 2011
Charles Sumner Wilson Jr. was among 27 African Americans to be nominated for appointment to the Military Academy at West Point betweet 1870 and 1887. When arriving at the academy he was turned away when failing his entrance examination. Eighteeh-seventy, 1880 and 1900 census records show him living in Salem. According to the 1880 Salem census he was gainfully employed as a lawyer.By and per the 1900 census he was a resident of the Danvers State Hospital. The "Find A Grave.com" website indicates that he was subsequently buried in its cemetery in 1904. It is my desire to confirm that the Charles S. Wilson who attempted to attend the academy and the one buried in the Danvers State Hospital Cemetery are one in the same. Does anyone know who is in possession of records dating back to this period? Your help will be very much appreciated.
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Anonymous
April 20, 2011
Charles Sumner Wilson Jr. was among 27 African Americans to be nominated for appointment to the Military Academy at West Point betweet 1870 and 1887. When arriving at the academy he was turned away when failing his entrance examination. Eighteeh-seventy, 1880 and 1900 census records show him living in Salem. According to the 1880 Salem census he was gainfully employed as a lawyer.By and per the 1900 census he was a resident of the Danvers State Hospital. The "Find A Grave.com" website indicates that he was subsequently buried in its cemetery in 1904. It is my desire to confirm that the Charles S. Wilson who attempted to attend the academy and the one buried in the Danvers State Hospital Cemetery are one in the same. Does anyone know who is in possession of records dating back to this period? Your help will be very much appreciated.
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Anonymous
September 16, 2009
hiked the perimeter tonight, got completely dew soaked by tall grass. sadly nothing creepy happened, but we did find a Session 9 dvd out in the woods on a path near a stone memorial. :P
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Anonymous
August 31, 2009
Danvers State Hospital was NOT a "HOSPITAL FOR THE CRIMINALLY INSANE". It was a hospital crated for all people needing help with mental illness. It was NEVER designated a hospital for criminals. The closest thing to that is Bridgewater State Hospital.
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I was going to visit this place, but now it seems I can't for it has been torn down? How tragic. Grrr. -H-
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Anonymous
August 7, 2009
Delicious. What a waste that they tore it down - a creative team probably could have converted the existing building into some REALLY interesting living spaces.
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Anonymous
August 6, 2009
The only comment I have is that in the second-to-last paragraph, "chinsey" should be spelled "chintzy" if the meaning is tacky, etc. Sorry, but I do a lot of crosswords...
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Anonymous
July 2, 2009
cemetery is spelled wrong in the title.
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Anonymous
June 26, 2009
HAS EVERYTHING YOU NEED http://www.danversstateinsaneasylum.com/
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Anonymous
June 26, 2009
Danvers was also the setting for most of Brad Anderson's supremely creepy film <em>Session 9</em>: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Session_9
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Anonymous
June 26, 2009
A beautiful building... Here in Lancaster we have the Moor Hospital: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35417479@N00/750314963/ Similar in gothicy goodness. Plus these brave sould broke in after dark to get some photographs of the now abandoned interior. http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=30848&highlight=lancaster+moor+hospital
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Anonymous
June 25, 2009
My dad used to work in the office park next to the Danvers Hospital when I was a kid, and it featured in a lot of my childhood bugbear fears. Too bad it's gone -- it seems like almost all my childhood landmarks have been replaced by condos.
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