Candy Cane Dungeon

Wow, I absolutely love this shot, the intermingling of innocence, and corruption.
That wheelchair almost looks scared, as if it's hiding, don't you think so?

The wheelchair almost seems dwarfed by the now hidous the wall murals. Very disturbing shot.

This made my eyes water...so incredibly sad.Great shot,but very disturbing.

what is that thing painted on the back wall? It looks like some sort of creature with a bunch of eyes.

Horribly disturbing

Shoggoth's playroom !

(That's his picture on the back wall)

How this institution was kept open all of those years fathoms me.

This makes you feel so bad for the kids that were there... definitely NOT a playroom I would play in

A playroom of insanity and pain.The innocence and corruption like some one else said with that hideous,multi eyed,thing staring down on them.Poor kids!

Keep in mind it might have looked different when children were actualy playing in there.

Well I'm sure it wasn't covered by water in those days but it was still a horrid and dungeon like place for children to play in an already horrid place.I mean look at that twisted thing on the wall!

this picture is a horrid reminder of what went on behind the walls of pennhurst.............a shame it was so easy to put a child away in those days just because you couldnt handle them........ not because of any mental incapacitation just because they were kids acting like kids.

Such a sterile and unwelcoming "play room". Hard walls to run into, hard floors to fall onto, scary murals, limited natural lighting. Scary and sad.

I can just imagine the children at "play"here.Sitting against the wall catatonic and rocking back and forth or playing with the roaches that scampered about this place because they knew no better.

now that i think of it, ive never seen any carpet in this place.

The children and toddlers in here were very regressed. They basically stuck them in beds all day and never took them out to teach them how to walk or anything. poor kids.

Like those murals - even when first painted would cheer anyone - especially a child... I'm beginning to believe that some of the decision makers at Pennhurst were really sick bastards.

I kinda want to go and rescue that wheelchair. It looks like it's trying to hide from something.

Those poor kids. Its already a bad place, and then to be miss treated on top of that. DISTURBING!!!

This has to be one of the most truly hideous places I've ever seen. What kind of sicko puts a play area deep in a basement (in a building where there are plenty of windows and open spaces) then 'decorates' it with horrible pictures of some nightmare monster? I doubt these kids were so regressed or retarded that they were incapable of being scared shitless by that thing - it could almost give me nightmares even now (I'm 25 years old). And the worst of it - these kids didn't have the comforting arms of their mom or dad to hold them, tell them it was OK when they woke screaming in the middle of the night. I feel so unbelievably sad - and angry - for them I want to cry.

Very spooky shot. My eyes actually widened in shock at this one. I think it's the starkness of the wheelchair backed into the corner. Like someone was trying to back away in terror from something awful about to happen.

Extremely misplaced murals apprear here as sick and hideous.I agree.What joy could be obtained from these murals?I know I'd have a difficult time getting any.

The people that ran this place could have cared less if the kids had any joy.They were for a large part sadists I would assume and this is what they would think would appeal to children in their twisted minds.

Oh geez . . . .

I've been talking to the wall, haven't I? :-(

Lynne, it's kinda like working in retail. People that have never worked in retail have NO earthly idea how hard it is. Likewise....

But it's a lot easier to pretend it's the "good guys and the bad guys", isn't it? I don't know why people avoid taking the extra step of looking at the complex fabric that is life, but I suppose it's less effort to live that way, plus it can also be a lot more dramatic when you want it to be. Funny thing is, people with disabilities hate to be pitied and hate for people to speak for them without checking it out with them first. They believe, just like everyone else, that it is degrading to make assumptions about them just because they have a handicap. They like people to talk WITH them, not ABOUT them, to see what it's like to walk in their shoes (or roll in their chair). People who want to make this a one-note play sometimes do as much harm, albeit unintentionally, as the people they claim are the problem. Both sides act like folks with disabilities are "things" to be taken care of when what these people want is just to be treated like any other human being. Pity can be as deadly as neglect or abuse because it leads to folks with disabilities being seen as less than human. These are people FIRST; THEN they are people who have disabilities.

Damn that soap box! >:-( Where did it come from?

now that I look at it, just what in the hell is that monster-y looking thing on the left side of the picture?
Is it a tree?

I enjoyed that soap box rant the best of all!

Lynne you are a good soul, I love you!

"These are people FIRST; THEN they are people who have disabilities. "
i want to see T-shirts with this slogan

I look forward to Lynne's rants!!!! ;-)

Me too Ed, they're one of the most compelling things about this site, up there with the shots themselves. But Lynne, surely this must freak even you out a little bit? Knowing what we do about what went on at Pennhurst?! I don't think most people here are saying that all institutions are, or even were, hideous places full of terror and abuse, or even that all of Pennhurst was like that, but the shots of this room are very unnerving.

I don't pity the 'children' that lived here for their disabilities, as I said I know a couple of people who are developmentally 'challenged' in some way or another and I certainly don't feel sorry for them, nor would they want people to do so. But I do pity the Pennhurst clients for the way many of them were treated, whether that took the form of deliberate abuse by a tiny minority of the staff or the more widespread neglect that saw residents tied to their beds, attacked by other patients or simply so regressed that they were unable to walk or talk because they'd never been given the opportunity to do so.

Of course even with testimonies from ex-patients, and footage of the place in use, Pennhurst was so massive and affected so many people over nearly eight decades that we'll probably never know the full story behind it. These murals could well have been painted by some of the residents themselves. And it's odd to think how if that were confirmed to be the case, I think most would agree that this room would lose many of its unpleasant connotations...

Well Lynne, you certainly made me think and reconsider some of my views... so the wall isn't the only thing to benefit from your 'rants' :-)

OK, I know what I want to say here, but (unfortunately for those who hate to read through these things) it's going to take me a while to figure out how to say this just right. Give me a couple of days to respond to this, because I know what you are asking, but it will take a while to put in the right words without consuming all of Motts' bandwidth, so I'll work on editing it down to less than a billion words. ;-)

P.S. ~Me,

The disability movement uses that slogan - it is burned into our brains. Here are some various places who use that phrase and it already IS a tee-shirt. :-)

http://www.alaskachd.o..._graphics/pflogo.gif
http://www.health.stat...sdoh/promo/title.gif
http://www.open.org/~people1/

I have been in this exact room, the wheel chair as been moved since i was there but i remember the paintings on the wall, it was vert creppy, this place is totally fucked

Hmm...on close examination, the monster on the back wall appears to be a boquet of flowers... I love this picture...

this room freeked me out the first time i went in .. I heard a moan from with inside of the room, as I enterterd the room alone my frineds standing behind, small beam of flash light reflected off the watter coverd floor, smells of wet concrete and dirt, and old leather filled the room, the sounds of watter drops hiting the wet floor, old toys cover the corner.
I got the feeling i was not there alone.

I'm so glad socitiy now just lables our kids with ADD and keep them at home, over medicated.

First of all....Lynne, are you still working on your small billion-word post? I just came across this set, and couldn't help but ask...
Secondly, that "thing" on the wall...Is that an archway painted on the left? And what of that other circle next to it? It sort of looks like a bloodshot eye. Odd.... Looking at the bottom of the painting, it looks like grass....<of the non-smokable kind> Could this be some sort off TREE??

Now that makes sense! Although it is hard to make out....I brightened up my monitor all they way to get a better look. The house does look like a tree, though, with 3 trunks....

Nah, I gave up. Old age and cynicism are catching up with me. :-)

i have asperger's syndrome and only live about an hour from pennhurst, so this place really hits home for me. why, if i had been born just ten years earlier i would have ended up in this hell hole...or possibly wernersville.

This is just so f*cking terrible. I can't imagine the hell these poor children must have gone through.

[THUMP]
[THUMP]
[THUMP]

Here's your Tylenol, darlin'.

I'm going to jump on the bandwagon here only because these are the images that frighten me the most and I have to just share...While places like Pennhurst with the overt abuse and mistreatment no longer exist, everyday I see adults abusing kids that we're meant to take care of. Some of these kids have psychiatric disorders that cause them to have frightening flashbacks and instead of comforting them, I frequently watch staff downgrade them or, worse yet, put their hands on them. In fact there was an incident a few days ago where a staff member was let go for child abuse. Somehow it seems that Human Services attracts a lot of people with power and control and THAT is what makes these pictures so haunting. To know that adults took advantage of these kids.

o.o
This is so freaky...imagine...i have ADD and ADHD (Hyperactive AND attetion problems)....T.T so glad that i get to live a damaged life AT LEAST in my own house...

what biulding is this basement in.....?

I have to say that years ago, when these pictures were painted on the wall, it was most likely thought to bring a sort of cheerfulness to the playroom that the children had to be in. I see it as a positive rather than a negative. It was run by the state, they could not hire the best artist in the world ya know. So the pictures are not the best quality- they may have brightened up the room a little for the kids. I remember murals like these on the walls at Children's Hosp. when I was little back in the late 70's early 80's. I had open heart surgery, and I LIKED seeing character pictures on the walls. It is only creepy in this pic since the place is weathered! There probably was carpet and seating.

Motts,
Would it be difficult to add some before pictures to show people what some of these places used to look like.
I am sure they would be few but what there is may help some of us understand better what we are looking at.
There is a before and after picture of an autopsy table (i forget where exactly ) that really shows a stark contrast between then and now.

I lurk no more. Motts I love yer pics man, if you don't Photoshop them other than B+W, man have you got an eye for capturing lighting, composition, depth of field contrast, you are my hero, truly a photographer to try and emulate *drops to knee, bows head*.

Ok, now that that is out of the way. If I'm out of line here as a newb I'm sorry, but I have read a great deal of this site (I even get soap dispenser/light fixture) and I can no longer just, well, not comment.

I want to try and respond to the people who constantly, CONSTANTLY, say "Aww that's such a sad/horrible/cruel place to have been in." Yes it can be sad, very sad, but to someone like myself who has been on BOTH sides of institutional life, I get kind of riled up when some people that have no REAL idea of what goes on inside these places lump all of the staff at these facilities into the same categories, cruel/heartless/abusing/uncaring/thoughtless/inhuman, monsters. Damn, that just makes me sooo angry! Yes, there are bad staff at various places, like bad employees in ANY industry/company, and THEY ARE ALWAYS,ALWAYS, IN THE MINORITY(sorry for the shout but can't make my point any other way)!!!

Man, if it weren't for some AWSOME staff..*sigh* my life probably wouldn't be what it is now, and I'm talking about..more than 20, yes more than 20 years ago, SUPRISE, there were enough CARING people waaaaayyyy back then (before some commenters were even born) to make a huge difference in my life. People like Lynne in other words, people who really try to make a difference inside, as well as out, trying to get others to understand that the MAJORITY of caregivers, really do care about the people in their care, and they do make a difference, every single day.

That part said, I sort of get a kick out of comments about the above picture being way creepy, hideous, whatever. Firstly overcrowding could be a reason for using a basement room; secondly this painting was done years ago when that room was brightly lit with electric light, and had not been abandoned for years and years. Plus the staff member or resident who painted it was not Mikey Anjello. It was an attempt to brighten a drab space. Now it is a sad reminder of the past which Mr. M has captured most perfectly.


So sorry for the rant, I think I found Lynne's soapbox under a lonely chair.

Lynne You de Man... um well umm you know what I mean ..*blush*

Stands and bows in LST69's direction!

Lurk no more!!!!

Our Lynne's gonna love you! 8 )

I think I love you, LST69! LoL! I think you could have your very own soapbox so that you and Lynne could do double duty against those that don't "get it." AMEN! I bow down before you! Definately, Lurk no more! :0)

*Blushes*
I don't know if I deserve my own soap box just yet guys :-)

[stunned silence]

Lynne never stand silent, patients/clients/residents, need an outspoken advocate such as yourself to make sure that they know someone really cares.

I have always been moved (guess you can say) by your comments. You TRY to remind people that there are those that care.

I dunno what to say really but your posts/comments, really hit home with me, make me remember that not every one in your tough field is totally burnt out.

Keep it real Lynne

**Applauds...gives LST69 standing ovation.....and a silver cumezekyame...(won't throw underwear)**

won't throw underwear Tony?...well hell i will *throws underwear to LST69* teehee *goes and buys more underwear*

...but one question. will the panties fit LST69 or will they have to jsut hang them from the rear view mirror?

That would fall into the category of "Too much information"....... : p

Now cumon Tony C. where is the fun in that, by the way... Where is my tent?

Sorry,,,,this ended up being longer than I expected.

I agree with pretty much everything said, especially that things are not as simple as good or bad.

Most people in institutions don't want to be pitied (but some do, remember we're talking mental illness in many cases).

The majority of care providers do give a damn and are good people, but under certain conditions (e.g. overcrowding, understaffing, undertraining) everyone has a breaking point. This is one way abuse occurs.

Everyone thinks the sort of abuse that went on at places like Pennhurst were overt to the general public, as if anyone in the general public would know about it if it went on today. It took alot of investigative reporting to urge on institutional reform, first in the 1940s, and then again in the 1960s and 1970s (I guess people forgot about it in the 50s).

Institutional abuse still occurs regularly, especially against underage patients and severely impaired patients. For example, I used to work at a private psych hospital with a very good reputation for a decent number of years. From the inside, they seemed to average about 2 incidents of likely sexual abuse and many, many incidents of physical abuse. Yet, most of these aren't known to the public and nothing is done about them internally (I even reported several incidents myself only to see the conditions, and staff members, on the unit stay the same!).

It was true that ALOT of abuses went on at Pennhurst (and was therefore more obvious), but there were ALOT more patients. However, today's abuses are less obvious for various reasons. Instead of widespread neglect as well as other forms of abuse (like at Pennhurst and other places), there is now mostly physical and sexual abuse. Many of these abuses go unfounded because (a) victims are unwilling or unable to come forward, (b) a single victim's or accuser's account is often not enough to result in meaningful action, (c) hospital lawyers make it hard for a staff member to be proven liable, and (d) if all else fails, the lawyers settle civil ca$e$ quickly and include language/term$ that make it unlikely that families will pursue criminal complaints (many families prefer paydays and not criminal justice).

To come full circle, it's NOT as easy as saying these obstacles are a bad thing. There are TONS and TONS of allegations of abuse that are complete BS (I've witnessed these too). Some families scheme for paydays, so in this regard, it is good to make it hard to prove abuse.

So, like someone said, (Lynne I think), it's never as easy as Good vs Bad. Just please keep trying to learn as much as possible about something.

Here are some good places to start:

Unforgotten: Willowbrook 20 years later (This is a DVD with Geraldo's original expose from the 70s, a good watch)

Suffer the Children (This is an expose on Pennhurst specifically, available as linked by Motts on the main Pennhurst page. There is a color one available from the "vault" on NBC10.com)

Books by Grob (these are mostly historical books on institutions and related topics,,,"The Mad Among Us" is particularly good)

Until we get some books written by staff, however, the full side is still not available to the public.

I will say in the facility where I work that the possibility of severe on-going abuse of any sort is next to impossible. Too many checks and balances, too many people who are trained to spot the signs of abuse, and the fact that every person who lives there gets a body check daily and has multiple notes written on them in the charts by many different staff makes it difficult for abuse to occur without the abuser getting caught quickly. Add to that the fact that all staff have to go through criminal background checks (anyone with any sort of a violent history - spouse abuse, child abuse, or any other "barrier" crimes can not be employed) and are fingerprinted with the fingerprints going to the national data base, etc., and you are as safe here as you are in a regular hospital. You are certainly safer than in a community setting, I am sorry to say, because I personally prefer the freedom of the community settings, but they have a ways to go to assure such comparable checks.

omg i bet some person or kid was in that wheel chair i'd love to sit in it

u also gotta think bac k then things were different in the way kids saw tv and paintings..they could of enjoyed this plya room..think about all the way back then..it makes sence

From the looks of it, perhaps the kids painted the images on there, which explains why it looks like a creepy monster. I mean, despite all the allegations about keeping them holed up in beds for days, if there was a playroom it had to be used, right? Why not entertain the older, more stable children by having them decorate away from the dreary whitewashed walls?

Once I was told what the image actually was, it wasn't that difficult to see. It's a "Gingerbread House," it just happens that Motts only got part of it in the picture.

Although, the multi-eyed monster thing is what popped out to me at first, too. ;-)

I will never look at candy cane lane the same, that picture is creepy8-0

Who the hell drew that thing? Okay maybe it was supposed to be a ginerbread house--I'm sure that is exactly what the artist told the supervisors that's what he was drawing but obviously some of thing was done with malicious intentions. That thing looks WAY too much like a monster to appear to be anything else.
Seriously I think we had a bit of a disguntled artist here. Maybe they didn't pay him (or her) enough money so artist went on a pianting rampage; punishing the kids for something that was the employers fault.
What a pleasant and uplifting thought, huh?

I see a child painting a tree house, and that is how he saw it in his mind. The trunk of the tree, and then limbs and then you can see the small door, and them things look like eyes, they is maybe his small friends. I see actually peace in this room, no matter the decayed look.

Oh, did anyone notice the picture of the red horse and carriage drawn on the wall to the right?

That's not a horse and carriage, it's a carousel. See the top and the sugarcane poles?
And yeah, that looks to be a gingerbread house. The "eyes" look like peppermint candies.

my mom makes me sit in the corner sometimes

is that not the creepiest thing that u have ever seen in your life

it's sitting right near the river & it floods alot, so it probably just rained a lot & I'm sure the carpet just was ripped up, there's still a little in the house I was in, but it was covered in crap!!!!

I think that if I were to be walking around in an abandoned building...and I came across a room like this one...I would freak out and leave immediatly. None of the other pictures scare me...nor does Pennhurst. But this picture with the wheelchair in the cornor with the walls painted scares me. Especially since its flooded and has no light.

And here I thought the painting was of something from the Cthulhu Mythos, but it's actually a gingerbread house on Candy Cane Lane!

makes u hungary huh isabeats?? lol me too..

What does "lol" stand for? I keep seeing it and thought it stood for "lots of love", but because of some of the contexts, I don't think that's it.

Well, Danielle, I'm half Hungarian -- don't think that's it.

lol means Laugh out Loud...

Yay! I'm half Hungarian too!
This is one of my fav pics btw.

While I agree all the comments insisting there were abuse and dreadful things happening in these facilities 24/7/365 are tiresome, I do not agree on the arrogant stance of some of my fellow healthcare workers. Of course most ppl not experienced in healthcare would assume horrible things always happened in these places. They are dark and mysterious and play with your head until you could actually believe the urban legends happened. Most ppl have an active imagination, and this type of art promotes the use of that imagination. Is this wrong? Not in my opinion. I for one am intelligent enough to weed through the myths and rumours for the more factual comments. I am assuming 3/4 of the other Opacity addicts are as well. (lets hope so). =]

I think the only person coming across as arrogant Jamara is you.

It's all right, we won't hurt you...

it makes you sad..it kinda calls out to you for attention. It must have been horrible on both patients and staff alike. Both knowing that they are in bad situations, the staff most likely upset because they cant give the attention needed to these kids because there are just too many, and the patients because they couldnt help themselves

does anyone know what building this picture was taken in?

Very scarey shot.

XD when taking this picture, Mr Motts can't have NOT seen that this was a gingerbread house.
I think he was enjoying reading your "omgz a monstar" comments too much!

This picture is amazing. It reminds me of the movie "Inquery" featuring Chuck Davis from "dark tranquility". Nice work!

No one in their right mind would try to defend this terrable place!

Holy Creepfest!!! But God I LOVEEE how either the flash or the natural or artificial light was set up!!! SO perfect and gives SOOOO much emotion to the photo. Another truly amazing piece of work.

My God ! Is this play - room in the basement ?

How could parents let their children play in this dreary dungeon ?

They must be doin' the dope !

Signed: An American Soldier in Germany.

This picture is awesome, they reflect insanity and cutenes with terror and fairy tales. Dude i love youre page. You're a great artist.

Ooooo... that just gives me the heebie jeebies...!

these pictures are absolutely amazing! I just happen to come across this site by accident and I must say I'm intrigued. I've always had a fascination with abandoned buildings and the ones I have seen on abandoned asylums is too good to be true. I have tons of questions about this place if someone could email me. I live in Va., not anywhere near Pennhurst itself but it would be worth a trip!!! ShOrTcAkEx3x@aol.com

it doesnt look that scary i mean if i was a child i wouldnt be scared of that and im sure it looked a whole lot better with lighting and new paint

That room is VERY frightening in person. Imagine being lost in the tunnel system, not having any idea what building you're under, and then coming across this room. And if it couldn't get any worse, your flashlight begins to die. Happened to me, not a fun experience, although i still love the 'Hurst!

weird room crazy paintings insane place for sure

Many adults do not want to be pitied, and many may not want our help. I think what some of you vocal types are forgetting here is the context. Most of the references here are about children, disabled children. Who in fact DO need us to look after them. Especially those in a place that was well known for poor conditions.

Please throw your soap box out and come down here wit the rest of us, the air is "thicker".

This shot speaks volumes. Excellent work.

its kinda like the lab from resident evil

I think we should all remember that these places didnt look exactly like they do now during their heyday, by any means, and there is a tendency for caregivers and 3rd parties to imagine scenarios of abuse in situations such as these, and dare I say, perhaps exagerrate the ubiquity of such incidents. its this very same imaginative mindset that fuels interest in these very pictures themselves (thematically I mean.).
This tendency is actually proven through psychological experiment: in the facilitated communication fiasco involving the alphabet boards and the autistic patients, with the caregivers "assisting" their communication manually. In reality, the caregivers were subconsciously controlling the "conversation," much like the way it is actually you operating the Ouija board. Many caregivers reported detailed accounts of incest and abuse, supposedly confided to them by their autistic patients. Families were ripped apart by these accusations, the greater majority of which were proved false via forensic science and psych research. And all along It was merely a particularly interesting form of transference on the part of the caregivers. Facilitated Communication is now largely considered pseudoscience.
im not saying abuse didnt occur. not at all. but it is important to keep a sober mind regarding all this. the history of mental health wasn't entirely a bacchanal of sadism, and like civilization in general, it's gotten more and more humane over time.

I feel sorry for the wheelchair

that wheelchair scares the shit out of me!! great shot

My Aunt was in Pennhurst,. She had Down's Syndrome. My Grandmother died and there were several other children. It was 1934 and hmy Grandfather couldn't care for all of them, so she went to Pennhurst. I have pictures of her sitting in these creepy rooms. The rooms looked to be empty. She died there when she was 14. Where is pennhurst? tohrdlay@ptd.net

I too stumbled upon this place by accident and have just finished reading all of your comments.
I have a keen eye for spotting ghosts in photographs...
I was trying to figure out what that blotch covering the peppermint candies on the "gingerbread tree" was so I lightened the photograph and zoomed in. And the blotch to me looks like the face of a child.

Has anyone else made a connection to Hansel and Grettel in the theme of the mural?
Think about it for a minute...
What do you think?

i wonder why on wheelchairs they decided to put the smaller wheel at the front because in all of these old pictures where you see a wheelchair the small wheel is at the back and the big one at the front ... ???

I looked this picture over and over. It still looks like a monster to me. I don't see the gingerbread house. But it does put me in mind of those ink blot test that psych's give. Makes you think. Hmmmmm

On the abuse everyone talks about, I can speak from the patient side. I've been in a mental hospital, twice. The first time, I had support and caring from the staff. They were very helpful and seem to care. But the 2nd time, I went to another one, it was ran by the same company as the 1st, but at a differant location. The treatment was awful. I came out worse than I went in. After I got out, I vowed not to ever go back. I had a nervous break down a couple of months ago and my dr. wanted to send me back, but knowing how to answer some questions (in other words, lying) I didn't get sent back. I'm terrified of hospitals now cause of that. So I can feel what this children went thru. I've been there.

~to yogalifter that blot is a spot on the wall that either paint has came off or a board on the wall.

That's not a monster painted on the back wall. If you look carefully, you'll see that it's the side of a gingerbread house. The walls are brown and those "eyes" are actually peppermints made to look like shingles. The room was painted like a candy-land. It actually probably wasn't such a bad place to play (besides the hard floors and walls).

And there was a lot of terrible things that happened at Pennhurst as well as a lot of other homes for the infirm, as they called them. Things that are awful by any account - sexual and physical abuse - , no matter the time or place. But many of the things that happened - the neglect, the experimental surgeries and treatments were what was in common practice at the time. Not because they were all sadists, but because that's where they were along the timeline of medicine. You all should remember that psychiatry and psychology are fairly young sciences and that resources for mentally and physically handicapped individuals didn't exist until more recently.

I'm not making a case for what they did or defending them in anyway. I think that the time that those people spent there was terrible and my heart aches for each and every one of them because no one deserves to be abandoned and stripped of who they are. Everyone should have an advocate and should feel loved and valued throughout their lives. But the majority of the people that worked there had good intentions. They were doing what was considered to be the helpful thing at the time.

they are turning this place into a haunted house attraction for halloween, i think its kind of disrespectful but thats just me.

what the hell would a wheelchair be doing down there?

this place is honestly 10 different kinds of f*cked up

That's sad

As Lynne and LST69 have discussed, there are many people that have had the HUGE heart to work with and to care for people, not just people with disabilites. It is important for those that do not or have not ever worked in the field to understand that there definatly is two sides to this sad place. It is sad because it is unimaginable for us to think that parents would leave there children for others to care for. But we need to remember that this still goes on every day. I have come to find that there are many parents that are just willing to give thier children to "the state" to raise because they are unwilling. I do not want to over step here, but there are some exceptions to this. It is understandable that some parents are not able to care for thier children and idealy the child is better off with others caring for him/her.
We all need to understand that those that are loving and caring people who are willing to care for others as they would thier own family . These people need to be remembered and appreciated for the differances that they made in thier patient's lives. Speaking from personal experiance, there is no better feeling than knowing that what you did for another is appreciated. Even if what you did for them was as simple as spending time with them or giving them a bath, or making sure that they are safe where they live.
We all have a responsibility to care for those that cannot care for themselves. Abuse of children, the MH/MR population and of the elderly happens every day. It is our responsibiltiy to help speak out for those that cannot.

If u all find this interesting you should watch the movie Titicut Follies, it was filmed in 1967 at Braintree state hospital in Ma. Ma. banned it from ever being shown because it showed the abuse and treatment of patients, the state was ashamed, they wanted all copies destroyed, as allways a few made it out. Very hard to find a copy but if you look hard enough you'll find one. You will find alot of simularities. But even in the 18oo,s people hid theire children with disabilities up on the 3rd flr. of their homes, complete with sound proof and escape proof, and destroyed the birth certificuts. Like everything else thank god we have learned by trial and error and have corrected our wrongs!

my mistake, it was the old bridgewater state hospital (which is still in use today) not Braintree

I totally heart this shot!

scary!!!!

I HAVE BEEN IN THIS ROOM BEFORE THEY CLOSED IT ALL UP AND TALK ABOUT SAD !! IT IS TEARFUL I LEFT CRYING ,,I THOUGHT OF ALL THOSE CHILDREN THAT WERE HURT OR ABUSED IN THAT AREA .

can someone please hold me

One of the highlights of the Ghost Adventues tour of Pennhurst on the Travel Channel 1/2/10 was when the director of security related the story about he and his son standing in front of one of the bldgs and they saw someone pull back the draptes and stare down at them.
The GA team went with the security chief into the bldg and to that room on the 4th floor----ALL of the windows are 'covered' with a protective screen that is screwed in place......NO ONE has access to the cloth drapes. The security chief radioed his son to meet them in the room. He looked to be about 23 yrs old---not a kid. He recalled the incident...........then, they showed him the secured windows. He was totally taken aback.........I think it was Zak who said aside to the camera----'it's always neat to watch skeptics when they realize that they HAD seen a 'ghost'..........

Reflections are like windows . In the water there is a shaded area (above the chair) that should'nt be there .

Good way to look at this pic rod. . . Spookee

Also...many parents were simply told or pressured to have their disabled children placed there by their medical professionals. That was the norm then, but it certainly has changed over time. Advances in cognitive therapies, social acceptance of the mentally disabled & better oversight of state & privately run facilites that care for the mentally disabled have moved this system toward what we would all call....an "Everyday Life".