Safe

They just wanted to remind you of where you were and what kind of punishment you might receive from the Pittsburgh governement if you were to break into that safe.

I would if I were locking up this place for the last time - a note saying 'Unlucky'....

;-)

THIS SAFE IS A TREASURE. HOPEFULLY, IT WILL BE SAVED.

Puzzled by the hinges on both sides. How could it be opened?

In the middle

Well spotted ~Me, since I was wondering that too.

That Gothic script on the front is very cool. But yeah, I wonder why they felt the need to put the name of the institution on the doors? It's not like anyone's going to pinch it...

The gothic (Old English) script was to make it look distinquished. Putting the name on the doors was to make it look official.

I want that door in my living room.

That is so cool! Where was this safe located?

It's too bad that the safe company misspelled the city that it named itself for. Twice. Pittsburgh, PA is spelled with an "H" at the end, Pittsburg with no "H" at the end is a city in California.

From Wikipedia:

'In the city charter, granted on March 18, 1816, the "Pittsburgh" spelling is used on the original document, but due to an apparent printing error, the "Pittsburg" spelling is found on official copies of the document printed at the time.
On December 23, 1891, a recommendation by the United States Board on Geographic Names to standardize place names was signed into law. The law officially changed the spelling of the city name to "Pittsburg", and publications would use this spelling for the next 20 years. However, the change was very unpopular in the city, and several businesses and organizations refused to make the change. Responding to mounting pressure, the United States Geographic Board reversed the decision on July 19, 1911, and the "Pittsburgh" spelling was restored.'

And score yet another point for Lynne. That makes the total:

Lynne: Too high to count
Morons: Big fat ZERO!

Go, Lynne!!!!

Wow. Didn't realize that pointing out an interesting fact would get me labeled a "moron". Quite a zealous fan club Lynne seems to have. And I never realized that I was somehow challenging Lynne by noting the misspelling that was surely made decades before she was even born. But then again, I'm such a "moron" so I shouldn't be expected to have figured this out.

I suppose that it would be better determined if this is actually a misspelling if we know the year when the safe was made/installed. Very curious to see if it was installed when the building was completed in 1859.

But anyway, could someone explain to this "moron" where the safe was or is located? It seems that I was too stupid to be able to find it in my 2 hr visit to Dixmont.

You're not a moron - people were just goofing around. I was born in Pittsburgh, PA and wondered why I found the different spellings so many times when I looked up old info on the Internet. My father lived for a short time in Pittsburg (no 'h') California as well as being from the Pittsburgh (with an 'h') Pennsylvania area, which is what got me started on the discrepancy in the first place. However, I had never thought to look it up until you mentioned it here, so I thank you for prompting me to do that.

I thank you for bothering to look it up. I've lived in the Pittsburgh area all my life and never heard of the official story on the spelling.

Can we start a "save the safe" campaign? This thing should be kept in a local museum or something. With all the new local history centers opening up mostly commemorating the steel mills, I think that one of the local museums could easily put together a very interesting permanent display dedicated to Dixmont. It was a place that was a national (and possibly international) pioneer in mental health treatment that revolutionized that medical discipline. I found a few websites with burial records for the Dixmont cemetery and there are people from several European countries buried there. This place had to be well known internationally in its' day and should be remembered as more than just the old crumbling building that used to be there before WalMart was built.

I think that's a great idea. I do wish the developers would open these places up for some public bidding on any "junk" that's left before they tear the buildings down. I would give my eye teeth for an old chair that I saw, I think it was on this same site.

I mentioned elsewhere that I currently work at an older institution (1911 was the grand opening) and I am working with a group to set up a museum, etc., for our 100-year history celebration. We are looking all over grounds (350 acres) for anything we can salvage for the museum; unfortunately, unlike many of these other sites, the folks where I work have public auctions every year or two and they sell off all the unneeded furniture and equipment as it ages. Brings in a few bucks and gets all the "junk" out of the way. Problem is, what is "junk" today is "retro" in 30 years and "antique" in 75 years. :-(

It was on this site that you saw the chair that you wanted. I should have gotten it for you!

Well that would make sense. Too bad it was way too dark down there for us to explore the basement very much. Thanks Motts---and great work on the photos and the website as a whole!

Hey Lynne,
I have some documents and blueprints and maps you may be interested in putting in your musem contact me at zjs148@yahoo.com
Thanks
Zach

Do you happen to have any digital scans of those documents, Zach? I'd be very interested in seeing them.

*sigh* I bet that safe is in a dump in a pile of rubble. :( It belongs on display down at the Heinz Regional History Museum. They should have made an effort to create a Dixmont exhibt like the above poster mentioned. The historical signifigance is so great it turns my stomach to know that it will all be forgotten and swept away in time. Kids will see the retail store in the place of the hospital never realizing that they are on land that is as signifigant as a civil war battleground. Greed makes me ill.

Hey BustedTrespasser,
Were are you located i would be happy to share send me an email zjs148@yahoo.com

If you notice the Pittsburg safe company was before Pittsburgh had a H on the end of it. early 1900's

this place is right down the road from where I lived for over 30 years and never knew was there. the pictures are too eerie & spooky. could be a twisted suspence/ horror/ thriller movie. one shoulod be made. reminds me of "Session 9" w/ David Caruso. good flick, if you like being on the edge of your seat, watch it.

now it is torn down & a super Wal-Mart. will be there. store might end up being haunted. be careful when shopping there!

Mr.Motts could you see in side the safe from the hole some one smashed beside it? What was in side?

Sry to see this destroyed I grew up on top of that hill off Toms Run Road

I was up at that asylum many times.
you could see into the safe if you hoisted
yourself into the low celing right on the otherside of the tunnel room. this was in 99, Nothing was inside it was just a steel safe door not actually a full safe.

Safe shots are cool, going through Spencer S.D. when they had a devastaing Tornado,the town was demolised,the only thing left from the tornados path was the banks safe.

We are trying to get rid of a safe like this at work. It has the same "Pittsburg" markings on the front it is a stand alone safe about 5 foot high. We were going to sell it to some guy in pittsburgh but he is in Florida till April... If anyone wants to buy this make a post quick because it is going to be scrapped.

As a resident of Dixmont from 1946 to 1965 Dixmont was a official post office untill 1950 hence the redundant sounding address on the safe. The PO building was along Rt 88 and received & sent mail on the train with out the train stopping.

im curious to know what's in there

I have been in the cemetery since they tore down the building. I feel that it is ashame that it fell into ruins. Me and a friend try to go and clean up when we can.We've take a lot of photo's and got a lot of great pictures.

I wonder what could have been so important to require a safe!?!

Welcome to The Department of Redundancy Department.

I remember this. Ironically, the guards used to steal everything off the patients, and they never new, most of them anyway.....

Even Though I Just heard about Dixmont I wish it was still there.
Wouldnt that be funny your shopping at the new Wal-Mart and you see a ghost in a Wal-Mart Uniform Saying "Wal-Mart Save Money Live Better".
I Will miss Dixmont.