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All the United States Washington Sedro-Woolley Northern State Hospital Farm

Northern State Hospital Farm

Former farm staffed by mental patients is now a public park.

Sedro-Woolley, Washington

Added By
thendara kida-gee
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Cow Barn At Northern State Hospital Farm.   thendaramarie / Atlas Obscura User
Cow Barn At Northern State Hospital Farm.   thendaramarie / Atlas Obscura User
Milking house.   thendaramarie / Atlas Obscura User
Another barn interior where the cows lived.   thendaramarie / Atlas Obscura User
Through the cow barn.   thendaramarie / Atlas Obscura User
Arial View Side Building Canning Operations   wildwomenwander / Atlas Obscura User
Old dairy farm buildings from the working mental hospital   whaa fun / Atlas Obscura User
Graffiti covers the rotting wood at the Northern State Hospital Farm in Sedro-Woolley, Washington on Sept. 14, 2021.   philliprlee / Atlas Obscura User
Hot tin roof   daisyfoxx13 / Atlas Obscura User
Always be the light   daisyfoxx13 / Atlas Obscura User
All you need is love…   daisyfoxx13 / Atlas Obscura User
Wandering around   daisyfoxx13 / Atlas Obscura User
  wilson01m / Atlas Obscura User
  wilson01m / Atlas Obscura User
  wilson01m / Atlas Obscura User
  quietdream / Atlas Obscura User
  wilson01m / Atlas Obscura User
  quietdream / Atlas Obscura User
My mind playin’ tricks on me   daisyfoxx13 / Atlas Obscura User
  Missmandi88 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Established in 1909, the Northern State Hospital for the Mentally Ill was a sprawling and remarkably self-sufficient facility with a number of production facilities including a 700-acre farm.

Alongside a lumber mill and quarrying operation, the farm enabled the hospital to support itself. The Northern State Hospital's farm not only allowed the facility to be self-sufficient, but was even productive enough to help feed other hospitals in the state. The farm had every animal one would expect to see from cows to chickens, and also canning buildings to preserve their stores. In addition to providing food and crops for the facility, the farm also gave the patients a place where they could work and socialize. At its height, the dairy farm was the largest of its kind west of the Mississippi. 

After the hospital closed in 1973, the farm and its grounds were given to the county to turn into a recreation area. While the hospital buildings are still in use, the farm grounds and their remaining buildings are a public park where visitors can explore the empty barns and milking houses. If decaying buildings aren't exciting enough, the park also offers Frisbee golf. 

Related Tags

Parks Abandoned Hospitals Hospitals Farms

Know Before You Go

From Interstate 5, take Exit 230 (Burlington/Anacortes, State Route 20). Follow State Route 20 east to Sedro Woolley. Just east of the town of Sedro Woolley, turn left on Helmick Road. A parking lot is on the left, less than a mile down the road. The signs for the park can be hard to spot so using a GPS is a good plan. However, once you do arrive you will wish that you had packed a lunch and could stay a little longer.

Community Contributors

Added By

thendaramarie

Edited By

Rachel, Martin, ZabeEvans, wilson01m...

  • Rachel
  • Martin
  • ZabeEvans
  • wilson01m
  • quietdream
  • daisyfoxx13
  • Missmandi88
  • philliprlee
  • whaa fun
  • wildwomenwander
  • cwelch1971

Published

November 28, 2013

Edit this listing

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Sources
  • http://www.skagitriverjournal.com/NearbyS-W/NSH/NSH1-Intro.html
  • http://thislifeinruins.blogspot.com/2010/02/northern-state-in-black-and-white-film.html
  • http://really-rose.blogspot.com/2008/04/northern-state-hospital.html
Northern State Hospital Farm
26300-26392 Helmick Road
Sedro-Woolley, Washington, 98284
United States
48.533421, -122.193002
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Skagit-Squatch

Burlington, Washington

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Washington

Washington

United States

Places 323
Stories 38

Nearby Places

Skagit-Squatch

Burlington, Washington

miles away

Rock Rings

Bellingham, Washington

miles away

Causland Memorial Park

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Washington

Washington

United States

Places 323
Stories 38

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