Fantastic photo

I just found out that one of my relatives (who passed away this week) was incarcerated in this place. She was placed in here because of brain damage caused by blunt force trauma. Since I am the unoffical family historian my brother sent me her obit . I am now researching her life. I was aware that in the "old days" children were some times placed in orpahanges or state hospitals for reasons that today would constitute child abuse.
Seeing these pictures of BSS , and knowing that the people in this place were treated the way they were distresses me. But I am sure she is in a far better place now.
BTW.. If that merry-go round is in fact the same one that now is Heritage park in Holyoke then I am very glad I helped to save it. She might have even ridden on it.

Hi Nance, I saw this. It is so sad that a great dark ride was left to rot. And worse is that a fire just broke out at the park and now they are ordering the demolition of the rest of the buildings and a developer plans to build high-end homes, condos on the site. When will it stop? Several seaside parks closed in the past several years for condo development. This year, Myrtle Beach Pavilion closed after 58 years for CONDOS and SHOPS! Florida's Miracle Strip Park at Panama City Beach closed in Sept 2004 after 40 years the owner Billy Lark sold the land for condo development the 1963 coaster was relocated to another park in FL to be rebuilt, the Bill Tracy Haunted Castle building was apparently demolished, but the track, carts and some props were sold to a guy in Alabama who uses them on a Halloween dark ride in a major city in Alabama. The rest of the castle props were sold to a fire company in Pensacola FL? I think for use in a haunted house.
http://www.turnto10.co...10086675/detail.html Fire article http://www.turnto10.co.../2617862/detail.html Expensive homes article

It's a real darn shame that classic dark rides are left to rot, or the parks removes them, or they burn down. There's quite a few old classics left, like the Ocean City Bill Tracy Haunted House built 1962 and Pirate's Cove, and the Haunted Mansion at Rehoboth Beach, and Rye Playland's dark rides, Dante's Inferno's at Coney and Morey's Pier in Wildwood NJ, and there's a few Bill Tracy classics still surviving across the US, there's articles on all of them at the dark ride sites, Whacky Shack, Phantasmagoria, etc. Wildwood had a Bill Tracy Whacky Shack it was located on the now defunct Hunt's Pier which still has the SBNO 1960 PTC/Bill Tracy Golden Nugget Mine Ride but the Shack was torn down early 1996 because the owners at the time who bought the pier in 1995 were redeveloping it into Dinosaur Beach and apparently a classic Bill Tracy dark ride didn't fit in their plans, but they saved the Nugget and "dinosaurized" it. It last operated in 1998. There's also an abandoned dark ride at nearby Sportland Pier, it was called Dr. Blood's House of Horror and last operated around 1983. The Castle Dracula attraction on Nickels Midway Pier which opened in 1977 burned to the ground Jan 2002 due to two young male arsonists who had nothing better to do that day than to skip school and break into the castle and light matches to see in the dark. A real shame, they also lost the 1919 old mill boat ride under the castle which was the Dungeon boat ride and most of the props were handmade. You can see what the castle looked like at www.darkinthepark.com Let's hope tomorrow's kids will have a dark ride to ride. I like Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 because you can build virtual dark rides in it, as well as entire parks and ride your rides.

AWFULL! It must have taken a lot of work to design such a HORRIFIC STRUCTURE!

Doesnt this just make you want to climb into a nice hot bath !!!

WOW! Plenty of rooms to choose from. I wonder which I would pick!

This staircase is really spooky. It reminds me of one I had dreamt about! Very beautiful in a non-beautiful way

Really UPLIFTING!

very well equipt. Nice to know that there is a solarium in the hospital

would make a COOL SKI SLOPE!

The room has plenty of radiators. Must be really cozy in the winter!

I worked at BSS from 1970 til 1984. When I first started working there, there were over 1500 residents and less than 500 staff for 24 hour care 365 days out of the year. When I left in '84', there were less than 500 residents and over 1500 staff. I am proud to have been part of the process that set these people free.

Hi all, Remember the little DJ booth? they used to have a D J from 92 pro fm doing his show from there! Brings back many good memories. Its a shame whats happening in this world. no more famillies doing this kind of stuff together anymore. Whalom park in Lunenburg, mass. another trolleystop park gone forever

Twug , i agree it is bull shit, the building is extremley beautiful

FUCK AVALON BAY - it is a crime to take such a beautiful peice of our history and demolish it- instead of apartments they should turn it into a muesum- FUCK THE LITTLE MEMORIAL, I WANT THE HOLE BUILDING, NOT JUST THE MAIN KIRKBRIDE TO BE PRESEVERED I HOPE THEY CAN'T SLEEP

it truley sucks they sold the place for only 12 million and that they sold it in the first place it really is a beautiful building and should remain as the huanter of the dark for danvers

I love how the Sky cooperated perfectly.

Very nice.

Well, I wouldn't call it "intact". :) But it is definitely still there, albeit in tatters and shreds.

That's a cool picture.