"The Races"
When I was on B-Ward (1973 or 1974) they used to have races.
We would race from one end of the ward to the other and back again.
I remember during one of these races a kid got his left arm caught on the water fountain.
The water fountain was right at the "elbow" of the hallway on the left hand side.
The kid tore his arm wide open and was taking to the hospital.
Needless to say the races was over and we could not run in the hallway anymore.
Sorry about my ramblings, memories surface and just trying to share them.
I have both good and bad memories from this place.
In 1981 or 1982 when I was on D-Ward there was a beautiful chinese girl who was on E-Ward, who I met going to school in the classrooms down on the first floor.
We was an item for awhile.
She taught me a little chinese.
And there was another girl named Kim (last name withheld) who was my girlfriend on D-Ward, and that got us into trouble!!
One night while the 3rd shift staff was asleep by the doors, me and another friend left our beds and went to the girls rooms at the end of the hallway on D-Ward, and, well, you can guess what took place.
Let me tell you, that got us into big, big trouble!
LOL

Back in 1981 or 1982 when I was there, on D-Ward, the 2 "counselors" that I remember, other then Mr. heathwood, was a big guy named Jack. Hestood about 6'4' or 6'5' and weigh about 245+ with black curly hair and glasses.
The other was a female who had lost her right arm?
She had a hook.
Back in 1973 or 1974 when I was on B-Ward people from the outside would come in to sing and play music for us in the long hallway.
I don't recall any of the "counselor's names", but there was one guy who was leaving the place and he got permission from Mr. Heathwood to give me a pair of radio walkie-talkies.
If anyone else remembers, love to hear from you.

The rooms I just described above for B-Ward was where my room was back in 1973 or 1974.
My room was at the end of this hallway on the right hand side.
My second stay was back in 1981 or 1982, then I was a teenager and again, like back in the 70's, Mr. Heathwood was in charge of the place.
When you approach D-Ward there is a door on the left, this is the tv room. Straight ahead is the main door to D-Ward.
When you enter D-Ward there is a door on your left, this door is the office.
A door on to the right, which has 2 seclusion room.
up the hall you have another door on the left, this was where I stayed, in this room and all the way to the back on the left was where my bed was at.

Not sure about this one.
I think it might be a room on B-Ward.
Right before you step onto B-Ward there is a door to the left that has a mid length hallway in it.
Doors line the right side with a door at the very end of the hallway.
This looks like one of the rooms in that location on B-Ward.

Considering that they never re-painted the place, I'm willing to bet my name and date is still in the room up on B-ward.

these are 2 pictures taken from 2 different areas, so I'm not certain where they could be, Ernie I think was on B-Ward.

This room could be 2 things, 1). It could be the sub room coming off the office on D-Ward or E-Ward , with a door on the left just out of the picture that leads into the tv room.
Or 2). It is an observation room up on the 4th floor.
The 2 plug sockets lead me to think this was an observation room on the 4th floor.
I can only thank god that I was never part of the experiments that took place up there.

Not sure, but this is either looking into the tv room from the office or looking from the tv room into the office.

I would love to be a part of a documentary on this place.
I've been staring at this photo and I'm 99% certain this was the cafeteria.
It's been a long time since I was there, first time was 1973 or 1974, I was 6 or 7 years old then, and the second time was 1981 or 1982, was 13 or 14 then.
If anyone wants to do a doc on this place, I'm game for it.

These slots in the walls was to look in on us when we was watching tv in the tv room.
If memory serves correct.

hmmm, I think this was an office on the 4th floor, not on the first floor, too small for the first floor.

I was a patient there in the late 70- early 80's the children unit was a hell hole, with many lost soles. I think they should bring all of the child abuses who called thenselves staff and blow them all up with the childrens unit

People need to realize that these paintings/pictures ARE NOT the work of the kids who stayed here.
We were never allowed to do anything like that.
Any drawings you find from us were done with our fingernails scraping the paint off the walls.
Most of what you'll find is names and dates instead of actual drawings.

The room is not a seclusion room as GaeblerSchoolGirl claims, and you could not climb up the walls in seclusion to drop down on anyone.
I read your comments and I'm convinced you was never there, one way to prove it, describe the layout of the cafeteria and where was it?
Only someone who was really there would know the answer.

If you listen closely, you'll hear a thousand plus screams come from that room... Seclusion, striped naked as the day you was born and the only thing in the room was a blueish-green plastic mattress that, if you lift up you'll find shit and piss under, and that was what you had to sleep on.
No pillow, no blankets, no water, no food, no bathroom break.
Depending on what you did, your stay in here was for several hours or several days.

I was there. A long, long time ago.
Back in the 1970's.
When I was on B-Ward I almost escaped once, I was allowed to go home for the weekend and I found some old skeleton keys in my dad's garage, so I took them back there with me.
Made it down to the first floor and almost out before I was caught.
If any one else was really there, let me know.
Tell me where the cafe and wood shop was at. Where did they have coffee hour on sats and sundays?
I remember, do you?
Out of the 4 wards, I was only on 2 of them, B-Ward and D-Ward. Although there was a few times I was in seclusion on E-Ward.

correction, D-Ward is to your left. B-Ward is upstairs. The gym is on the second floor, not 3rd.
Been a long time. I was there back in the 70's, Back then Mr. Heathwood (not sure of the spelling) was in charge of the place.

I was there, twice in my life.
The gym has a cement floor, we used to roller skate on it. The doors at the back of the gym lead up stairs to the school.
If you turn around, you come out into a long hallway, B-Ward is to your left.
Still remember those calls..."All available help to B as in Boy." Then the smack down begun and seclusion was next.

Gives me a "Sinking" feeling. Har har har.

Sorry. Just had to say the cheesy phrase that was on my mind.

Oh my god. This is by far my favorite shot, Everyone of your shots is unique. This one just inspires me to the max

Adi-C, I agree. Old buildings such as the ones shown and anything that's abandoned, whether nautical, hospital, recreation, etc. It all fascinates me.

Thanks for sharing.

Very inspiring.

That's so sad Yaggy. My mother used to work with mentally disabled children in the Special Education class at the school she worked at. She came home one day crying; the child she had grown very fond of passed away the night before.

Actually, it's not that out of place. Maybe the staff just needed a place to cool down and relax. Its somewhat a lounge for them. They can go bowl when they need a break.

Thats somewhat bizarre. But I can see the use of it. Still, that'd look awkward walking into a room with adult cribs back when it was still up and about.