End Of the Wing

Great photo, amazing exposure

My mom, a social worker for NY state, still works on the ground here (in a newer building). As a kid I always though her (old) office was cool b/c it had a sink in it. I always tried to picture the rooms as they might've been, when they were home to patients, not desks and social workers.

Hey i actually live not to far from Letchworth and i was kinda curious if anyone knew the story behind the asylum....cuz i know it was abandoned but why?

Here is some info specific to Letchworth, but all institutional facilities for people with mental retardation and/or developmental disabilities (MR/DD) are downsizing or closing as services are finally being provided for these folks in the community. The term for an institution for people with MR/DD is "institutional care facility for the mentally retarded", or ICF-MR.
http://www.omr.state.ny.us/...aniv/hp_journal2let.jsp
http://www.recordonline.com/a...vwmaince.htm
http://www.thejournalnews.com/app...023/NEWS07

My mom used to work there as well. I remember driving through the grounds to get to her building, seeing all the faces looking at me through the barred windows. Very creepy! Excellent shots, keep up the great work!

Oh my god, I know hwich building that is....Great picture....I go to the school that was opened on the property.

Whay in the world would you open a school on the same grounds as an abandoned mental institution? That is slightly twisted.

Letchworth wasn't a "mental institution"; it was a developmental center. Regardless, it is a GOOD thing that people these days don't see folks with mental retardation/developmental disabilities or mental illness as lepers to be shunned or avoided. They are just peeps like you and me because they ARE just you and me.

OK, small rant there, jes' like old times. ;-)

i went to that building and stood right there one night.....i was with a group if friends and on the left side of that walkway all the bushes started moving like crazy and some white thing shifted itself in and around to the other side....it was really creepy....ive seen too much stuff at that place and most of my friends wont even go up there anymore

I worked there as as Psychology Assistant, T-Cottage and Cildren's Unit, 1972-1976.

well odd things like that should be expected at a place with history like letchworth.there were a lot of horrible deaths there./ they energy is seriously ... disturbing

Im just glad its not like it was because i work with alot of the folks and if anyone wants to now about do research on the story Geraldo Riveria did on it thats one of the reasons why the state got more involved ..Its sad what they went thru but I thank GOD and people like Geraldo for getting involved and making a difference

i just visited letchworth.... amazing place! It would be nice if there was a guide to what is what and what were the buildings originally used for

Hello all,I would just like to say that i love this site.I came by it by accident as i live in a town called Letchworth in England.Keep the shots coming Motts,the more prisons the better!!!

Welcome Jason and enjoy Motts' work!!!
He has since left for Europe and will be brining back more goddies for us to peek at!!!!! :-)

Lynne is right.

My 14 year old daughter is MR and she is just like my other three kids she just learns at a slower rate. She attends special education for reading and math but goes into the regular classes for art, science and computer. All the kids in her regular classes treat her nice.

Mighty big attic vent =)

My brother was a resdent there, for ten years as a child. It was a nightmare! My parents were unable to care for him. Letchworth village was the states solution. I know he suffered , and I was too young to help him. It haunts me and breaks my heart , how he lived ,and how he lived and how he died. It was an absolute nightmare.

Stacy I survived a institution. I visited Letchworth a month ago and felt such a sense of loss. Please let me know more about your brother. Also the burial grounds that are so unkept. Im an artist wishing to do a piece on children in institutions.

This is so Stacy can reach me. Joy

I just wanted to clear someting up real quick... Someone before said, "The term for an institution for people with MR/DD is "institutional care facility for the mentally retarded", or ICF-MR." Actually ICF stands for "Intermediate Care Facility". I work for two of them in Westchester

My bad! That was me! I screwed up and wrote "institutional" instead of "intermediate"! I done it! I were the bad one! :`-(
Now I gotta quit working at one as my punishment. :`-(

I wrote it correctly back here, though:
http://www.opacity.us/...ir.htm#comment_14184
Does that win me any Brownie points back?

i don't know if this is true or not but weren't the patients here tourtured? i only know a little bit about this place from my friend and she mentioned something about that.

Few people in the general public wanted to increase their taxes for better services for these folks, so the state couldn't hire enough staff to work there at the low wages they paid. The place became overcrowded, and, because these folks require so much in the way of hour-to-hour support, there weren't enough staff to take care of most of these folks' basic needs so the majority of them received substandard care, substandard housing, substandard food, and substandard medical attention. Like everywhere you can point to, in institutions or in the public, there were some very bad people who did some pretty nasty things, but there were no planned torture programs, no experiments that didn't take place everywhere else (not saying they SHOULD have, mind you, just that it was the gestalt all across this country at that time, including in hospitals for "normal" people).

i was just at letchworth and after looking at the site i looked for certain things and never found the morgue and also i never found ne rooms with chains on the walls which buildings are these in?

i go here all the time a heard some crazy stuff while i was in there

it's in the one in the pic u see when u go in from the side it's the first right after u go though the doors u go down a long hall and it will be on ur left ur see it some one wrote morgue on a wall

this is the James Reville building, and the morgue and 'lab' are in the basement. There's now the sales office RIGHT in the front yard, and las weekend when i came up, it was such a shock, but yet a relif to see that at least the building was still intact...well..for the most part.

One more thing to Lynnes comment, I know one of the Dr's that workd at Lettchworth helped to find a cure for polio [originally in the Congo] and was said to use patients at somewhat test subjects for the vaccines. Dont' know HOW much of that was truth but sure gave me chills and after finding patients PERSONAL papers on the grounds, I was heartbroken

Hey guys. I have worked for HVDDSO aka Letchworth for 7years now. I work in a group home in Orange Cty. My father has over 30 years with DDSO and my mom just about the same. I used to visit when I was young but I never saw anything creepy or scary. These people did live in horrendous conditions in the 70's but things changed dramatically through the 80's. I love my job and taking care of these guys. Group homes are much better than the village as the guys live a normal life and do normal things like we all do. Thanks and take care.

all of these buildings will be getting knocked down soon due to condo's going in so hurry up n get your last trip in before its to late

years ago there were no services available for the hanicapped ,mentally retarded , mentally ill,this is where alot of the people were put because they didnt know what to do with them. I know because I use to visit my aunt there , im glad shes in a safe home now.

My uncle spent 50+ years there when my grandmother could no longer care for him at home. I visited him in 1974 and he was severely disabled but well cared for.
This week, I visited the cemetery on the grounds. It is a lovely meadow with a view of the rolling hills that lead to the golf course.
we found the cemetery with the help a very nice people who used to work there and still live in Haverstraw. I was glad to see some of the buildings are in use for good purposes . That is a living tribute to the people who lived and worked there.

i was there this weekend there was a huge sign in front of the place that said they are taking it down this summer coming up in 2009. my friends and i heard a weird beeping sound from a distance after being inside for about 15-20 mins. it scared us we just left

I would like to visit the memorial. Can anyone furnish me with the address for Letchworth Village Cemetery. Cannot find the address listing in the yellow pages. Thanks.

live down the road from the cemetary very creepy ill take you there e mail hiramcruz@yahoo

I have worked for Letchworth for over 30 yrs and it's sad to see so many negative remarks here. We did the best we could with what he had years ago but that did not take away from the care and dedication we gave to those entrusted in our care. Many of them became a part of our extended family and the horror stories are usually created by someone with an overactive imagination. Willowbrook was your horror story. I started at LVDC in the 70's and saw many changes throughout my career and they have all been positive. What is sad though is that people in the communities lack compassion and more often than not they stare and shrink away from us. In LVDC the consukers were within their own comuunity and did not have to worry about being accepted. They already were. insteadof posting pictures of the Ghost Townn that LVDC is now I would like to see pictures posted of when it was open and the consumers there were happy. There are many of these pictures posted in what is now the Administrative offices. I have always felt Letchworth was a very rewarding career and I still do. I have to honestly admit I love my job even after all these years. My consumers are my family.

IT IS SO SAD TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE WITH NO COPASSION OR RESPECT FOR THE MENALLY ILL NO ONE ASK FOR THIS MY GOD THAT COULD BE YOUR SISTERS OR BROTHERS MAYBE EVEN YOU I WORKED THERE AS AND 18 YEAR OLD PUT MYSELF THROUGH SCHOOL AND YES I STILL SHARE A PART OF MY DAY WITH THE MENTALLY ILL AND IT IS A JOY TO BE ABLE TO HEKP AND MAKE THERE LIVES BETTER REMEMBER NO ONE KNOWS WHAT TOMMOROW WILL BRING

I've been to the insane isylum there. It's very interesting. The cops have the first few buildings boarded up, but if you go back far enough, you can go inside. It's not breaking and entering because the last buildings have no no tresspassing signs, and the dors are wide open. Plus, If you go up the hill, there's this old house that's actually really pretty. I think it belonged to the owners daughter. Its beautiful, and has a great view. Peple should try to rebuild it. It would look sooo pretty.

as a state employee hired 12 years ago i am not shocked by these photos.... i am disgusted. i am the 4th generation to work for omrdd in my family and cant imagine what these people had to go through. if not for willowbrook being exposed who knows what these people would be living through now. my great grandmother refered to the consumers as her kids still at 80. i never understood it until i went to work there. since i was a kid they were always around. they came to our home. they spent holidays in our homes as part of our family. whether mildly or severely mentally retarded they are people too and the vast majority of these people were dropped there by there families and never saw them again. we are their families. you dont know until you have walked a mile in someone elses shoes...... the love that they are able to feel and return in their own way is just like the love you would share with your child who you care for and love every single day. if we dont go to work they notice.... you can tell from the reactions you get from them when you get "home". because that is what it is to them. when you're not there, you're not home and when you get home they are there with open arms or full of smiles for you. this place doesnt exist anymore. the vast majority of these people live in houses just like us and aside from the wheelchair van in the driveway you wouldnt know the difference.......be more accepting of them. they are people too and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect just like you and i. they dont deserve to be stared at or made fun of because they are different................

i just found out my mother was in letchworth thats were i was born, now im doing reseach on it

if anyone can help me by pointing me in the right direction i thank them. my e-mail address is f.walker22@yahoo.com. thank u

anyone got an address for this place?

damn dude. it's called the enter button, and some puncuation. sheeesh.

out of that whole ramble i will agree ReVille is quite interesting and causes stirring of all the 5 senses. sometimes even six ;]
and the graves aren't hard to find. theyre right down the road a bit

In response to you TONI;
I regret to inform you that you have no credibility saying I AM the one destroying the 'experience' for people like you. I did not set fire to any buildings, I do not deface what I consider to be hallowed ground and I sure as hell am not the person you are accusing me to be.

I in fact have worked with preservation groups, protected edifices that deserve a chance to be restored, and have written a documentary piece on abandoned estates/institutions/schools within the Hudson Valley.

If anything at all, I merely agreed to your statement that I believe Letchworth to be a portal to some other world, and that it should be protected and documented. On another note, I also do not need spellcheck in seeing that my ideas are quite a bit more coherent than yours.

Thank you and have a nice day. [and P.S. that WAS sarcasm.]

haha that fight was kinda funny.
i agree with KatyKate, sorry dude in all those rambles. Sometimes what you write doesn't make sense. But we love yah!

I THINK ITS VERY UNFAIR IF YOU SPEAK YOUR MIND ESPECIALLY WITH SOMEONE ELSE'S STUPID COMMENT PERTAINING YOU WITHOUT GETTING TO HARSH OR OUT OF HAND THAT YOU ARE TAKING OFF, MOTTS? DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE? I THOUGHT THIS WAS FREE SPEACH TO EXPRESS YOURSELF,YOUR THOUGHTS.YOUR EXPERIENCES,HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR PLACE? FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION,YEAH RIGHT!!!
'

OKAY I DONT WANT TO ARGUE,WE REALLY DO LIKE YOUR SIGHT AND I PROMISE IT WONT HAPPEN AGAIN BUT I REALLY DID NOT NO AND DID NOT THINK IT WAS A BIG DEAL,THOSE NAMES ARE MY NICKNAMES BY FRIENDS,BUT I SEE NOW BUT DID NOT NO THAT WAS THE REASON I WAS NOT TRYING TO HIDE ANYTHING BUT JUST EXPLAIN OUR EXPERIENCES WE HAD TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE OR NOT HAD AT THIS FACILITY,THANKS FOR LETTING ME NO,IAM VERY UNDERSTANDING AND A VERY SWEET GIRL AT HEART.

I grew up in Rockland County. Lived in Garnerville and in Haverstraw. My neighbor and my oldest sister both worked at Letchworth. I tried but quit after about a week. Like someone said it was overcrowded and there were abusive staff members who mistreated some of the more defenseless people. But there were good hard working people as well. I just couldn't take all the suffering of these poor folks. It really was given a beautiful location. Sorry that it's going to be torn down for apartments (if that's true). There is so much history there. Thanks for this site.

I'm just trying to find out some information on Letchworth as I just heard about it from someone who works very closely at a facility that assists Developmentally Disabled people. I've never heard of Letchworth before the other day, but would like to know more about it. Maybe someone could share some stories from people who resided there or their families? The only information that I've learned from reading the boards here is the place is abandoned, people are sad about that, it used to be beautiful and that most people like to write with cap locks on, and don't understand grammer or punctuation. Could someone give me an informative website please? I've tried google & bing, with no luck.

Thank you Motts. I will see if the guy I heard about it from originally has any websites that he knows of, then I will come back and share them with everyone.

I have been here a few times, At night also. Kind of a ghost hunting experiment. It was fun yet creepy. We heard some noises and voices. It was definately a good scare. Some lockets and hospital wriistbands were found. Dating a while ago. There are lots of paperwork and artifacts left here. We saw many shadows and heard many creaks and footsteps. Also we saw some doors close and my friend got locked in a room and couldnt get out. We finally got her out. This place I have to say definately has paranormal activities going on.

I am doing research on the history of the grounds, stories, ect. If anyone has any info, it would be greatly apprciated!

I just want to know if anyone knows why Letchworth was abandoned. Since patients files, chairs, etc. are still there it seems that one day everyone was there & the next day everyone disappeared.

I learned about this place from Ghost Adventures :)

I've visited that place a lot in the past as well. I also had friends get locked in a room and couldn't get out then out of the blue, the door would open...Everytime we would enter the morgue, our camcorder would randomly shut off..Me and my brother actually climbed a ladder into an attic..Pretty scary...We are thinking of going back soon with our old crew.. :)

I learned about this place after I watched the TV show, Ghost Adventures. It made me wonder something about this place.
Is this place closer to the Marian Shrine where many people are flocking to say their prayers?
As a young kid, I recalled seeing the buildings as I rode in my family's van to the shrine every time.
Is that right?

Ks530- I've been wanting to go up also but my so called " friends " are to scared I have a camcorder night vision and a ghost box with some compelling evidence from it. Hit me up at Themans2sexy4u@aol.com I'm in Wilkes-barre I'll come up and join you guys!

Hi everyone, I am an artist and I would like to create a painting in tribute to the place, the patients, the relatives, the stories of turtures, abandonment that revolved around the lives of the people who, in one way or another, are connected to this place. Please, contact me via email to cesar10952@yahoo.com if you would like to share your story with me. I am very touched by what I have read and I would like
to tribute their lives with my art. Thank you.

That place is so horrible. I can't believe what they did to those poor children and those people that is something you don't what to be apart of, it's something that you don't want to think about . I mean there was alot people that had family members that were in that place and had died.