Thank you, Dr. Sketch. There was no need to apologize. I suppose I can't blame you for your reaction, especially if you're used to people not having the facts. This is my first time on a site like this. I'm truly mesmerized by the photos & all the comments of everyone. I should've clarified my wishes regarding a memorial of some sort. I was referring to the 768 unmarked graves on the grounds of the hospital. Those souls who were disrespected & forgotten make me want to cry.

I appreciate your response, Dr. Sketch. I can assure you I'm not basing my comments on rumours. My aunt worked at DSH as a nurse for a while. My sister was placed there in the early 70's as part of a day program. She had first-hand experience & fortunately, was treated well. I applied for a job at DSH as a direct care worker. I changed my mind after my interview was concluded. All the times I had been there, the walls were in terrible disarray, it was cold as hell & the stench was impossible to get use to. Most of the patients were treated as numbers & as chattel. However, most of the staff truly cared about them. But the overcrowding & lack of funds put tremendous strain on those involved. Shortly thereafter, I worked as a direct care worker at a state hospital , Hogan Regional Center which was just next door to DSH. I met many employees there who had worked at DSH & were witness to a number of "highly questionnable" treatments of patients. I loved the patients at Hogan. But I discovered I wasn't the kind of person who could detach myself from them. My heart got too involved & as a result, I quit the job. When you work for a state-run institutionalized hospital, there's much frustration at the lack of care the state actually has for patients. That was something I couldn't get use to & therefore, had to leave. I have tremendous appreciation for those select direct care employees who are able to work with only their heads & not their hearts. But who needs more heartfelt attention, care & yes, love, than the patients at these places? So many of them have been abandoned by their own families. Where does the real caring end & the "mechanized" begin? Personally, I have great difficulty distinguishing between the two.

Thank you very much for sharing these intensely thought-provoking images. I saw the film "Session 9" & it brought back the memories of the fear I felt growing up in Beverly (city next to Danvers) as I was always in awe of DSH. It was like an accident you couldn't look away from--right in my own back yard. At the same time, my heart went out to the people within those walls who had no choice. I'm extremely disgusted with Avalon Bay for their heartless & greedy destruction of such a historical landmark. I believe this is a desecration to the people who were so horribly abused there. If anything, DSH should become a memorial/museum for those tortured souls. The unspeakable things that went on in that place should NEVER be forgotten & most certainly, NEVER be repeated. Is there anything, ANYTHING at all we as a community can do to stop this injustice?