Inside the Peaks

I love the angles, great shot, and is that i beer can i see, lol

Wicked!

Was Radical Ed with you? ;-)

Now, Lynne, do you see ANY Wal Mart bags laying around? I don't think so!

That poor soul will never live that down, not with the likes of you two gals around.

:)~

I'd love to see how the framing crew did this without circular saws or power nailers!

Bill, that is what I always think about when I see these magnificant older buildings. This would be a bitch by today's standards, but without all that fancy-schmancy power equipment . . . =8-o

They really don't make 'em like they used to. Such a shame that this will soon be lost forever.

One day we'll wake up and realise that our architectural history consists of corrugated tin supermarkets and flat-pack housing, because anything of any value has long since been ton down.

RICH, DON'T FORGET DRYWALL AND STUCCO. UNLESS OF COURSE YOU'VE INCLUDED THESE IN FLAT-PACK HOUSING.

Incredible workmanship, and like Lynne and Bill, the first thing I think is how they did all that magnificent work with only hand tools. There's a talent that has probably died over the decades....

Motts has a great eye for this stuff, I walked through this very spot and never "saw" this shot.

And for the record ...I'll go exploring with Radical Ed and his walmart bag-o-supplies any time!

i wonder how many patients were able to sneak up there and have a smoke

Wow this one is really interesting...i like it

It looks a bit intimidating walking to the door.

Ooooh, I like the shape of this...the triangular beams and square frame give this a very interesting effect.

Bill that woodwork was all done by hand. My GGgrandfather helped build it. No electricity, no modern conveniences. Those support beams are monsterous, big heavy almost no knots in them. They used the best supplies available. When I worked there I had the master key so we used to go up into the peaks and smoke, they had chains where they would restrain patients (way before medications). How many souls will be awakened when they tear this down? Will be like the movie Ghostbusters !

Itd be so cool to live in a big old place like this (not falling apart of course :o( )...all the neat little rooms--so fun!

Like I said, Your Black & whites are AMAZING. This is def. a great shot. I like the composure on this, the angles make it look almost 3 -d

another great shot motts. hey drbob r u kiddin abourt the chains up there ? how cruel.

This is a great picture of the hospital, and guess what, avalon bay does not care!

(avalon bay is destroying the hospital)

A powerful shot.

wow really creepy dam i still love it

to bad most of danvers state is orn down except the water tower and the kirkbride building they are making condos up there....they should have just lewft it alone

I was aww-struck when I found out that DSH was being turned into condos. I was even more outraged when they took down the water tower. DSH wasn't as bad as it sounds, but there were those few who were tourted, and for them, I feel horrible. I hope Avalon puts a memorial dedication up on Hawthorn Hill to remember those who died there.

I agree with Leroy. Danvers State was truly a nightmare. But some patents had it better than others. Many staff members would take patents out to dinner, or take them home for Christmas. But the poor souls who died there should get respect, instead of having buldozers plow away their graves. My heart goes out to all those burried atop Hawthorn Hill.

Session 9 is the worst movie I've ever seen. They made it sound as though the patents had it easy, and they didn't. I hope the people burried up there get some peace and respect.

Danvers wasn't all that bad. You talk of torture, most of what is considered totture was the state of the art therapy at the time when it happened. Menat healt remains grossly misunderstood in this country.

I read in the Boston Herald a year or so ago, that the cemetary at Danvers was restored and names were placed on the grave markers that originally had numbers to give respect to the patients that died there.

i actually go to the prep(st johns) which is like a half a mile away.i see it everytime i go outside because it is the only hill larger than that of which the prep is located on. the asylum i never even knew existed, will probably now scare the shit out of me and i havent even seen ses.9! ahh

Just AWESOME!

great capture!

The nurses were so torcherous to the inmates

Are we talking arson here or what? =8-o

They sawed all those angles with hand saws. In those days they kept their handsaws very sharp, and most of the time they had a person on the job that specialized in sharping the saws and setting the teeth, along with keeping all the other tools repaired, such as putting new handles in the hammers and so on.

Yes.. and Great shot, Motts. It's people like you that preserved these places through photos. Such a wast to destroy it, to let vandles and water reek havoc on it in the first place.

I love this shot. The angles are great, and I like how you did it in B&W.

Shell---(and others)
Sorry, but I'm just sick to death of you people who never bothered to learn proper english/spelling in school! It's TORTUROUS, derived from the word 'torture'. You're (not 'your', by the way) confusing it with torch (fire), hence the snark from Lynne. (good job, girlie :)) Also, PLEASE stop putting apostrophes in everything with an 'S'!!!! His name is MOTTS, not Mott's! (mott IS?) Oh, sorry, just one more... It is 'could HAVE", 'should HAVE', etc., NOT 'should OF'!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Think about it!

Now, on topic--- I've not commented before here, but I have to give monster-sized kudos to Motts on his awesomeness with the camera, Lynne for her insights and compassion, and a few others for just being cool. :) I really can't believe how these wonderful pieces of history are just being chucked out with the trash---all in worship of $$$.
End of 'different kind of' soapbox-rant.
:)) Thanks, guys.

Exuse me I was in a rush

Just an FYI why r u critizizing us

Because people don't seem to care anymore about using proper grammar and english. It just makes Americans, as a whole, look really stupid. I guess I just don't understand why it seems to be that, most of the people I know that weren't even born here, can speak better english than those who were. Also, it's extremely irritating to try to read someone's comments that look/sound like a 3-year-old wrote them. Ya know?
And being in a rush is not an excuse, either. If you have time to be on here and write it, you have time to do it right. But, who cares what I think anyhow? I just had to blow some steam after reading a lot (that's 2 words, btw)of these comments that made absolutely NO sense--- although they seemed to be trying to.
NOT trying to "flame" anyone--- and I know that i can shut off comments--- BUT, by reading them, I have learned quite a bit from people like Lynne and a few others that seem to be able to speak coherently. So, I guess, there you have it.

I agree that there seems to be a lack of the proper use of grammar in America. However, this site is not limited only to America. For some, English is not a first language. I don't think that is the case here, but it is something to consider. Also, when picking apart someone else's grammar be very certain that your own is beyond reproach. I would love to see better use of the English language, but it is not worth starting a war over.

Your pictures are amazing.
And to Kat- Judge not lest you be judged Holier than thou. Your words make me feel sick to my stomach.

this is such a cool picture, i love it! one of my friends grandmother used to work there as a nurse. if she was still alive i would love to talk to her about this place and have her tell me some stories. =] r.i.p. Marian

erm kat ? W.T.F are you banging your gums about? this is meant to be fun! a site for people who share a common interset in places and buildings and FOTOS! how you like that one 2oh queen of grammer?". get laid already!

Kats you really know how to critizize people but you need to learn how to keep it under control

They still let you in? It must be for comic relief...

Must be, CAS. I'd say it was with the hope that Shell might learn something... but that'd be wrong, considering "criticize" is still spelled wrong.... 5 months later. O_o

i read this book about danvers state hospital called Project 17 and i recommend it to everyone whos interested in this hospital!!

i ive in the main building of the avalon and at night i hear SCREAMS coming from underneath the biulding im currently looking for a new apartment

ok, i know they say you cant go ito the place anymore right?
but is there anyone out there willing to explore?
well use guille suits! ;)

the book "project 17" takes place at danvers

Beautiful......

If everyone living or thinking about living at Avalon would look at this...of course, whoever does move in with the claim "Oh, I don't believe in ghosts" is going to get some freaky comeuppance for it!

I would love to live in the old hospital section of Avalon Danvers! Let's hope the ghosts don't scare all the renters away. That would get the building with the old hospital facade torn down. :(

Feel free to edit my post Kitty Kat... LOL!

@Charlie-I'm with you on that, pal. I would also love to live in the old section. In fact, I have always fancied it as my "castle". It's too bad that most of it was torn down.

Mr. "Motts" this is an amazing picture. You've got a good eye and amazing perspective. Your work is incredible. On the bench to the left it almost looks like there was at some point a someone sitting there and they just faded away with the building leaving only their trousers behind to witness the decay. Eerie indeed.