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All the United States Washington Colfax St. Ignatius Hospital

St. Ignatius Hospital

An abandoned 19th-century hospital now swirling in ghost stories.

Colfax, Washington

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St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
View of west turret   lorastorm / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
Main Entrance   colfaxdirector / Atlas Obscura User
  amattice / Atlas Obscura User
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St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
11/2020   McCrisa / Atlas Obscura User
Hospital room   colfaxdirector / Atlas Obscura User
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St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
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About

St. Ignatius Hospital was built in the 1890s by the Sisters of Charity nuns, led by Mother Joseph. It operated as a hospital from 1893-1964. During its early days, nurses treated patients in a wooden building on-site, as construction of the hospital wasn’t complete until 1894. The six-floor hospital was completed in 1894, and story has it that the terrazzo tile floors rarely had to be polished because the nuns' long skirts continually brushed the floors all day.

Financially, St. Ignatius Hospital relied exclusively on donations and payments from patients rather than government assistance. As time went by, this eventually created a financial struggle, leading to the hospital's closing in 1964.

The hospital was sold in 1968 and used as an assisted living facility until it was officially closed and abandoned in 2003. In 2015, the building was added to the Most Endangered Properties list. In 2021, St. Ignatius Hospital was purchased by Colfax residents and is now beginning historic renovation.

St. Ignatius is believed by some to be a haunted location, with the ghosts of former staff and patients reclaiming the halls.

Related Tags

Abandoned Hospitals

Know Before You Go

The building is currently undergoing renovations. The outside grounds are accessible and free to explore. Please do not attempt to unlawfully enter the hospital.

Tours are available every weekend year-round through the Colfax Chamber of Commerce.

Community Contributors

Added By

cyanidesiren

Edited By

lorastorm, colfaxdirector, McCrisa, amattice

  • lorastorm
  • colfaxdirector
  • McCrisa
  • amattice

Published

August 15, 2019

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  • https://spokanehistorical.org/items/show/598
St. Ignatius Hospital
1009 S Mill St
Colfax, Washington, 99111
United States
46.871073, -117.363517
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