Jungle

Things haven't changed much. My son's stories of a private children's mental ward aren't much different from the story linked to this one. It's been three years but he still is terrified of needles because of their habit of digging around in the children's arms during daily blood draws. I wish I had known better than to send him there.

It's surprising that the attempt to make the room cheerful with murals can create such nightmares here it appears.

This shot reminds me of my Kindergarten Class Room.

Yay! A new set of pictures!
It is funny... Not two nights ago I was looking at the story linked on the front page "Hell and Back" and I was thinking "I wish Motts had this place up on his site." I love the fact that unlike a lot of sites that have pictures of old disused asylumns, state schools and or hospitals this site comes compleet with discriptions and comments. Very useful to me because I can't always make out the picture with my bad eyes. It s still very interesting to read the discriptions and comments even if you may not always see the pictures. And the picture I am able to make out, which are mostly those of one main object or well light ones I think are very stunning.

thank god! a new gallery!!

The mural is cute. The drawings would be perfect for a children's book.

honestly i was dying for some new pictures and yes finally........

This one kinda makes me sad...

kinda sad that they made this room happy and cheery when all the kids were miserable

Almost all children and adolescent wards have murals of exotic colorful imaginary lands, typically patients first see them whilst straight-jacketed, being dragged to their cell. I find them hilarious, as I'm never too fucked up to miss a good joke.

also, they have phased out straight jackets in favor of a new restraint system, belts and a sack. much worse and much harder to get out of

I WAS NOT THERE BUT I KNOW PEOPLE WHOWAS THERE

That's actually a very nice and refreshing thing to see, instead of creepy clowns on the walls!

To my mind this room makes a parent think that this place will be wonderful for their child...makes it easier to believe it's for the childs good. I doubt they ever offered tours of the wards. I find this very deceptive.

wow.
it doesnt look too bad but i wonder what went on behind closed doors.

):

This is like my second comment here.

I read the story from the person who was here, and then went through the set of photos. I must say, freaky.

I never really thought of it, but I am very glad I have never had any issues that would send one to a place that would treat stuff like this.

My former psychiatrist earned his fellowship in child psychiatry at Gaebler, and worked there from 1968-1986. I've tried countless times to get him to divulge any sort of information about what it was like to work there, but because of confidentiality issues, he can't share anything.

I think this room looks beautiful

I'd just never want to go in it . . . .

The floor looks slanted

wow! As far as institutional murals go- this is pretty creative. loving the over-head foliage

i have struggled with mental illness since childhood and have been institutionalized more times then i can count.twice at state hospitals,{marion,VA. and elgin,ILL.}these places were a mecca of human suffering.i can only imagine what it was like decades ago.may all these people have peace in the afterlife...

Once in a slight better era... or not.

All that happy paint. Happy paint in old places is just a wonderment in itself.

painting happy murals in this place is like putting one of those pine tree air fresheners in an open sewer

not scary at all

I am going with MOM. I hate needles. MOM is right. THANKS MOM.

i had horrible experiences with needles, and being taken to the doctor in general, when i was a kid. now i won't even go to the doctor unless i'm so sick i haven't gone to work or school in a week or more.
also... i think the murals are nice in the wards for smaller children, but when put in an adolescent ward i wonder if it sort of infantilises(sp?) the kids there.

I was there it could have been any one of yous to,..I see a trend here."I am too good to have had that happen to me" while my IQ is incredible..The ones who should have been there were the abusive parents that sent me there because i was the reason they drank,Suck This! ANd Screw you all,..I am beautiful well educated and HOTTT! themost beautiful girl to walk through those doors. I was given a key by a staff member and one other staff knew i had a key ,They never said a word because they knew i didnt belong there and they in there own way helped me escape to a life that was without this torture trailing me.The streets were safer than Gaebler to drop dead know it alls "It could have been you all sane and everything" From of the cooments i have seen so far leave me to doubt all the actual sanity that is claimed here,...So go awead and tell yourself your better "fuck you " WAke Up ! Youre NOt! just lucky it wasnt you,..just lucky!
I am The GaeblerSchoolGirl
I hate child abuse/abuse is for the ugly!

I would just like to add that we werent able to get a can of spray paint in to the building we didnt have visitors and we had no contact with the outside world..So the art you see around in the gym was not done by the kids that were there the art was done by kids partying in the place ,..

The paintings on the wall were well done. Someone cared enough to do them,

The developers are true idiots or they would not demolish the site.

I would love to be a part of a documentary on this place.
I've been staring at this photo and I'm 99% certain this was the cafeteria.
It's been a long time since I was there, first time was 1973 or 1974, I was 6 or 7 years old then, and the second time was 1981 or 1982, was 13 or 14 then.
If anyone wants to do a doc on this place, I'm game for it.

I was there in 88 til right before it closed. THis picture is the room where we would have " beat the clock' and " snack shop. The room to the right was where they kept our money that we earned. ANyone remember Dallas and Daine? Also going in one of the other doors led to where they would have some knd of cooking theraputic class also notice the piano? I remeber a woman who use to give piano lessons on that. Also this is the room where we used to play BINGO

I WAS THERE 76-77 AS A VERY YOUNG CHILD I REMEMBERED IT TO BE VERY DIRTY AND VERY UNHUMAN AND I THINK ONE COUNCELOR WAS MOLESTING KIDS THERE, TODAY IM COLLEGE EDUCATED AND IM ENJOYING A GREAT CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, BUT I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT PLACE UNTIL THE DAY I DIE

painting is allright but they should've done more. I mean that sad brick wall, come on ,looks bad. But hey at least they tried.

what he said

hehe....imagine little kids strapped and dragged to there cell while seeing a tiger about to eat a elephant painted on the wall

You are correct it was the cafeteria. there was a door to the right that you cannot see in the picture and that led to the room they had occupational therapy. Does anyone remember Mary Barker I think her name was?. Who else was there? The supervisor Marilyn Litman, the social worker Phyllis Schmidt. As for staff, Mrs. Henderson the overnight fat lard, Debbie Aruda, Doug, Willie and Suzanne, Rick and his brother Brian, Dave who was tall and lanky. Harriet, maria. Contrary to what was above, we were allowed visitors, well most of us anyway, I know I was and other people I knew were. We also were allowed contact with the outside world. If you were behaved and could do well on your own in school, they actually had a separate school across the street that they let us go to. we would take walks to waverly oaks square. Who remembers napolian bonapart the science teacher who took many out to tap the trees and make maple syrup? That was a yearly highlight. Or the fat math teacher Mike Bova? What about Laurie and her exercise class, what the hell was the name of it? I believe it was on ward D. No one who was there can forget the "all available to ward -" when a freight train of people would run to an area for a "child out of control". My god seeing this is bringing up a lot of memories. I was there from the time I was 12 to 15 in 1985 to 1988, and this was certainly not a place to help a child.

If anyone was there and like to share their story please contact me at:
Jewel64@roadrunner.com

By the way, I love this picture!!

I hated that place!!!

I work in a long term care facility for the mentally ill & developmentally disabled adults. I read the linked article and it gave me chills. I too carry a lot of keys in my job. I am not direct care, but I hook my keys on a belt loop on my jeans and they jingle when I walk. I never thought of the effect of that sound. I do know that sometimes, it seems that just our keys and name tags seem to seem to be the only thing that separates staff from residents...

I COULD JUST FUCKING WELL SCREAMMMMM RIGHT NOW..THIS IS SO DISTURBING...SO WRONG!

I lived there for a month in 1981, ya this was the activity room and we socialized there...this place sucked. Funny because now I am an EMT and take psychs to the hospital all the time. I have a good demeanor with them because I understand that these kids usually are abused and are pissed. Gaebler was abusive in a lot of ways, there was sexual abuse between staff and kids, I had a staff member who stole my money for drugs on a daily basis...being restrained for no reason other then power struggles and the showing who's boss with staff. Very horrible experience....FYI I do remeber Dallas and Dianne, LOL.

Great site, awesome pics. I live nearby and finally took a walk around the property recently
and was totally blown away by what I found! It was quite creepy and sad just imagining what went on there. The filled in pools, overgrown playgound and basketball courts all of which were fenced in by 10' chain link could not have been very fun. This shot just seems at odds with the things that really went on in there!

I was just up there yesturday again, does anyone know where abouts the bert and ernie picture is? i couldn't find it. ):

I was there yesterday (3/21/09). The windows to the left where most of the light comes from are all boarded up, so it's pretty much pitch black. The room through the door on the left has fake blood splattered on it and is covered in ceiling tiles and trash. The walls have a lot more graffiti, specifically the elephant has a swastika on it's forehead as well as a penis.

I remember Nap too! Besides the maple sugaring, we used to pick milkweed pods and cook and eat them too. His class was a truly bright spot to the week!

I'm not sure if this is the cafeteria..... I could be wrong, but I remember the pictures on the cafeteria walls being fruit/ vegetable characters. I think that this was an activity room. I remember the pics, but I'm not sure where they were exactly.

its so interesting but so creepy at the same time why would a child be institutionalized.

yeah, if you think this is bad it isnt. i went there yesterday and the celing floors are falling off now. theres abestous everywhere and you practally need a mask to breathe this room was the first one i walked in and it was trasheddd. and the elephant had male body parts too. quite halirous. not as bad as an organ ws saw in the auditorium...

the floor and ceiling don't look parallel. was that to mess with the little patients.

To Whom It May Concern:

Please let me take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Erin Singer and I am writing on behalf of CMJ productions, an independent Television and Film Production company which is currently in developing a new documentary television series entitled, Abandoned Buildings.

We are interested possible filming at the abandoned Gaebler Children’s Center. We are very interested in speaking to somebody who stayed at this facility. We are looking to conducting an on-air interview about what happened behind closed doors.

Please call me at 514.731.4242 or email at e.singer@cmjprod.ca

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards,

Erin Singer
CMJ Productions
(514) 731-4242

Anyone want to relive those nightmares on tv????
I might send them an email.

You all say this was the activities room?
The same room we had coffee shop in on the weekends?
When you come down to the first floor you turn right and go to the end of the hallway. That room?
I don't remember those pictures being on the wall. But if that's the room, I know it as the place we had Coffee Shop on the weekends.

I did, I sent them an email.
We'll see what happens.
Maybe I can get a chance to be part of a doc on this place.
I think they should hurry though, I don't think that place will be standing for much longer.
I don't know why, but I'm getting the feeling that very soon, within a year the place will be torn down.

Hi all, its been a while since I posted.

I was in here from aug 88- nov 90. Looking for old freinds from ward D.

Hi Gaebler 1988,
I was on D Ward, but it that was before your time.

I was there 2 day and the room looks nothing like the pix anymore very haunting and decrepid all the walls are covered in grafiti and it's musty dark and chilling there's even a grafiti tag called 'dick man' idk it's a cool place tho they have all the windows borded up so it's impossible 2 see in there if only it were unborded I guess is the way 2 put it

Gaebler 1988 I left there in 1988, e-mail me at lmdewolfe@gmail.com and maybe we know each other. No need for names here.

I've been in here a few times now, it's much more vandalized than these pictures unfortunately. I just got home from the place not an hour ago. I've just found John's information on the place in the comments around here and I plan on printing them out for when I go back soon, hopefully I can get some pictures up.

Gaebler is an incredible place to visit. The history is so incredible, it's very haunting to stand in those halls now and imagine what it must have been like for you, the patients, back when it was operational.

To begin with Iwas there from 1983-1986 and it was !NOT! a place where children should have been placed, even for for the mildest case of potty mouth (yes, there were some there who could not control their mouths).

Let me tell you a bit about this room...This was once called "the Rec Center", or recreationa center for pre/adolescent and pubescent kids. Along the golden back wall used to be short, but long stack of shelves for books. The cabinet you see strait ahead, yes that one, held the bodacious 20" color TV.
What you do not see is the ramp leading to the inner sanctum sanitorium. aka-leads to the kitchen and some side rooms.
I could just fill this thread with soooooooo much, but I will leave there and post anew.

During my time, the 2 corridors in the back were called aptly (left) "Boners Lane" and (Right) Kissing Alley. Aptly named because if you had enough 'privilages' you could go unsupervised in some areas. Boys and girls , girls and girls, and even boy's and boy's would go back there for sompin'-sompin.
I used to watch them go back there, I was only 13 and nieve as a brick, and come back out 10-15 min later. Much of the time it was to use the payphone

The door(s) on the golden wall used to be an adminisrators office and a social workers office ( only in twice a week O.O)
In the back corridors were storage rooms for Field games and other junk. However, one was reserved as a game room (Remember, this is while I was there). At one point there was a Pinball machine that worked only have of the time.

That Pinball Machine walked out of the 1970 on all four (three, one was fitted) legs

And, If I am not Mistaken, That is the same piano we used for our production (I had a large role too) of "Your a Good Man Charlie Brown". However, my acting career ended while trying to get our failed attempt of "Grease" off of the ground.

how is security, do they patrol often?

I grew up in Belmont right down the street. Me and a friend went in last night with two flashlights after a 12pack of (IPA) India pale ale Wow what a creepy place we went to the third floor walked around looking at the isolation cells and the rooms what a sad place, On the way down we heard a door opening creeking sound got lost for a while found the exit and took off. Will never go back.

Eww, I'm glad I never got "sent anywhere"!! Fortunately, my "sanity" seemed intact until I was 20...

This is the TV stand where the Atari 7800 would have been. to the left there was homemade ice cream on Saturday. Saturday nights was bingo. there was a popcorn machine and juice. Use to watch night court

Gaebler school girl
I really want to know who you are I was there the same. Time as you. I was on ward A and then 3 east contact me on face book "dennis bunting"

Hey, I am personally starting a new group in yahoo for former patients to openly discuss their time at Gaebler. Please feel free to come by and visit.


Group name: GCC2010
Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GCC2010
Group email: GCC2010@yahoogroups.com

Anyone remember rustle from the activity center

Since coming across this site, I've been doing some research on several of the abandoned buildings listed here, and out of all of them, I find this one the most unique. I read the story "To Hell and Back", and it made my heart sink. How could anybody be taken away from the tender love of their parents, and pt in a place like this. Just makes me angry that it took the DMH to realize that these kids benefit from community-based programs. To former residents: what was the genereal age range of the kids here?

I assume that all electricity/utilities were shut off a long time ago

I have "trolled" and posted here for a few years now, and have to say after reading the replies, that this set has filled me with great sadness and despair. My heart goes out to all of you that had to endure the suffering.

I was a patient there in 1982-1984. I was on Ward D. I have to say that this is the picture of the recreation room, but, I am not a 100 percent sure. I am 40 now. This was a horrible place to put children. I remember my first day there and I had to have a physical and take all my clothes off and I refused so they took them off for me, they didn't sexually do anything toi me, but, I so felt violated. They don't let u have much things, you have to go ask the staff for things like,shampoo, toothepaste,toothbrush, and tampoons. I remember, Melanie,Jack, Willie and Suzanne and Harvey. Willie & Suzanne were the nice staff but, all the other's weren't. I think they understood us kids more than anyone there. I did meet the best friends there ever, and that is because they all understand each other. I have kept in contact with 3 of them. Let me just say this, the slamming down a child on the floor to seclude them and then call for help for all wards when they couldn't get the kid down was crazy, then they would throw us in the seclusion room,it was a small cold room with a metal bed. and a little window to see outside to. If you threatened to kill yourself, then they would come back in and take all your clothes off and leather restrain you to each post of the bed, and leave you there for ours naked. I also remember every morning being locked in the shower room, that was scary cause at any given time a staff member could go in there and rape one of us kids, and I am sure that sometimes that did happen, I don't know about it on my ward but, I did hear stories iof it happening. There was so much more to say but, there is just not enough time on here. There was really so much abuse in that place, between the lock downs,the drugs u were forced to take and how the staff treated you if they didn't like you, and among other things. but, I will say this, you were able to earn priviledges to go outside on nature walks with other kids from the other wards with the staff and to go outside at recess during school hours, and yes school was inside the building on the bottom floor and yes were also locked inside for school. Just a really unjust and humane place for any child, I mean jail is so much better than this place. All, I can say is that I am grateful to one boy who saved me from all the bad in that place and we are still together as friends. So, for all you people who keep going out there to take a look at Gaebler, what you see is not how it really was......

That's horrible.

looks like the paint lasted longer than anything else....

THIS IS NOT THE CAFATERIA DURING THE TIME BETWEEN 1980 TO 1985.

The cafateria was at the other end of the building (up the ramp, through the doors, past the front entrance SLAM door, further down to the second to last door on the right before the stairs). The cafateria had a walk though line while I was there and each ward went down seperately at half hour intervals to eat. the tiles on the walls of the kitchen were almost sea green and the cafateria was light peach over a darker shade of flesh tone. the chairs were heavy mismatched formica-like seat and backs on chromed frames. the floor was the same type of material that was speckled and covered heating pipes that made the floors warm in the winter. NO PAINTINGS OR WALL HANGINGS WERE ALOWED IN THE CAFATERIA. (BTW, most of the kitchen staff were Hispanic and were the ones who introduces me to Spanish. One of a few highlights I had while there).

It's strange-the room looks pleasant enough, but I guess looks are deceiving. It's a really sad story. I hope all the former patients of this place are OK today. May God Bless all your Footsteps...

Of course this is the wreck room see the piano and through that right door is the pool table and the right most back door to the back parking lot

I was here today

Me and my Urbex Group have been looking into comming here. We have been to Addison-Wesley and The Danvers State Hospital and were wondering how to get inside Gaeblers. Are there any broken window or opened doors. Are there Alarms, Cameras, Motion Detectors, or Gaurdes. How Much Police Mantenence is there? Whats the low-down?

Nick
I was in today. The place is wide open. The city ownes it and we had no problems with the police or anything. We talked to a city worker. He said the place is open to contractors

I love this mural-I wish I could see it in person. I wish I could play that piano too! : ) Thanks Mr. Motts for taking this picture before all the graffiti and trash came.

Marie
I played that piano with a old friend from there last monday

@Boiler 1220-It must have been fun to play that piano and reminisce the good times of being together. I love that tiger that is painted in the background-I can't get it out of my mind. It probably reminds me of when I was in Kindergarten, and I used to love to draw tigers. I drew them all the time in class and drew them well-it gave me confidence since I was a very shy child. The teacher got mad at me since I only drew tigers, but what she didn't realized is that it was a confidence booster for me in a new classroom setting. I have always loved to draw. Today, I love to draw portraits, since I find the human face so fascinating! : )

Aww... This brings back wonderfully fond memories of when the family psychiatrist decided it would be BENEFICIAL for me to spend some time in a childrens MENTAL ASYLUM WHEN I WAS 7! HAHA I'm OK

Scott
R u scott L from three east

Scott
WOW!!! I was there too, and that is how I got in there as well......

They started taking the place down. Tasta is there now with there equipment. Were going to the nature trail on sunday if anyone wants to meet us call me.

did anyone ever hear anything being dragged across the floor?

Matt
No I haven't. Do you live close

This is where we played bingo on Saturday nights. Where the raffled TMNT coloring books. Where they dispensed home made ice cream and there was ATARI 7800. There was a popcorn machine where we would zone out to "night court" after getting our meds. Yeah it wasn't all bad.

Not Your Concern,
Hello when were you there? I was from 1982-1984 and IU was on Ward D. We never got popcorn or ice cream when we went to the activity center. You were lucjy. We also never got to roller skate or play pool like some of the other kids that I have talked to who was there as well. The place is a mess now, they have started cleaning out the building of asbestos and lead paint, so they can take it down, I want to say it will be down in 2 months the latest, I have been going up there a couple of days or say and on Sundays with Boiler 1220. I have a lot of pics on my facebook., look me upo if u want to and request me as a friend, my name is Michelle D.Woods-Gddfroy, I have new pics from yesterdsay and I video taped the inside and utside but, IU haven't posted them yet on my facebook, but, as soon as I get a chance I will...

Grew up in Belmont down the street Live in Cal. now I am here visiting my mum. Went in last night after a six pack of ale It is being dismantled as we speak The boards are off of the windows so there is much more light inside.. There is trash and asbestos everywhere I heard a lot of noises on the third floor it is still a very spooky place. Wonder what went on there in the early 50's and 60's

I was up there just yesterday. The tennis courts have been torn up and there are bob cats inside tearing it up. I was lucky and no one was working when I was there. If you want to visit one last time I advise you go as soon as possible. It won't be around for long.

Is any of it still left????
I'm tempted to go there like even tonight or in the next few days as I hadn't checked here in a while and didn't realize they'd started tearing it down already although I knew it was coming.
I was foolishly lazy in getting my ass up there to try and see the inside although I did get to see the outside.
Damm Fucking city of Waltham!! **MAD** ;)

Oh and Pookie what is your facebook addy, not just your name as I tried entering the name you posted and couldn't find you?? Would love to see your pics!

Ok here's another update.
If you can believe it I just drove an hour and a half two nights ago to check it out as I was anxious to see if anything was still left, and spent a couple hours in the dark very early morning going through it. The actual outer shell of the building is still fully standing, however most of the inside has been gutted. It's certainly no problem whatsoever getting in there now as practically every door and window is now completely opened up, lol. ;) There are large piles of rubble and some other construction equipment surrounding the place. A few sections of the inside like the basement and the gym are still intact, as well as some of the stairways so you can pretty much move throughout, although you certainly wanna be careful as I did see a couple openings in the floor, easy to see as long as you watch where you're going, where you could actually fall through to below. There's also a large hole in one section of the roof on the third floor.
I'm really kinda pissed as I procrastinated too much and didn't get to see the inside before it was torn apart, although you do get an interesting perspective now as well like in terms of how fortress-like the buildings construction was. It makes for some kinda weird and strange thoughts for me of how even in the mid 20th century it almost seems as if the primary concern in designing the place was to make it escape proof for the poor emotionally suffering young inhabitants trapped inside.
Like for example in addition to the outer walls which appear to be about a foot and a half thick from outside to inside wall, with a concrete block inner wall in addition to the outer red brick layer, all the original windows were essentially large rectangular hard (steel or iron?) grates comprised of several small (maybe 8 by 5 inch?) pains of glass so even if all the pains were broken the super hard probably cemented in grate would only allow someones arm to be stuck through to the outside. Although some of them as you can see in the pics I guess did have sections that could be opened although I imagine it wasn't very wide. And as is mentioned elsewhere in this gallery it appears that many of those later on had more modern hinged lockable security screens (like super strong versions of window screens), installed over them for additional escape-proofness. Also it seems that so many of the inside surfaces, wall and floors etc., were of very cold and hard materials like tile and glossy painted/porcelain brick walls and terrazzo-like flooring. And all the doors throughout were also very heavy looking.
It almost seems as if even when the place first opened it may have seemed a bit dated and kinda forbidding and scary for a troubled little child being forcibly brought in there.
But yet at the same time even though I was never there as a patient some part of me is still kinda pissed that the narrow minded city of Waltham is so eager to get rid of it.
I'd be interested in talking with anyone here about the place:
My MSN is schoolbed@live.com or yahoo is schoolbed1@yahoo.com :)
:)

From what I hear, the whole buildings gone

Massguy
Not yet

No, the building is still standing, but, not for long, I was just there a day ago and the whole building is gutted but, the structure itself is still standing,but, I give it a week and it will be gone, I live in Waltham and I go by it almost everyday, if you request me to be a friend on facebook Michelle Woods-Godfroy you can see my pictures of Gaebler and my vidoeos. I have been in the building several times over the past several months. Richard if you want to talk to me about this place request me on facebook, if you don't have a facebook then you sign up an account cause that is where all my Gaebler pictures and videos are.......

Hey Pookie, what is you exact Facebook addy?? I so wanna see the pics you took!! :) :D

Oh wait sorry Pookie never mind lemme look into this, I was in such a hurry to make a post when I saw you'd been on today I didn't even read yr whole message first. LOL :)

Yeah I was actually wondering if just maybe they were gonna save the outer shell, like for a low rise building like that why wouldn't they just start tearing it down after removing the asbestos/lead paint etc. vs. knocking out alot of the interior (by the way there was a semi trailer up there that had "Danger asbestos" signs on it so there must've been a lot of it!), but I suppose what it may be is maybe there's so much of it inside the walls etc. they had to do that first.

They seem to try to make it cheerful.Though children were not treated good here.

Richard, the whole buidling was incased in asbestos, there is a ton of it to say the least, and they had to get rid of that first before they could even start taking it down, but, I did go there today and it's a friggin mess, a lot of it has come down, but, the structure is still standing but, I give it a day or 2 and it will be down......

Putting a facade over a facade does not make the pain go away. I spent years working out what Gaebler did to me and no ear has ever lifed a finger to root out the despicableness of the staff and state who now cover up their lies with rubble. Some of the children were damaged so brutally (psychologically and on many occasion physically), that I know of two at least never made it to their twentieth birthday. Just some thoughts...

Putting a facade over a facade does not make the pain go away. I spent years working out what Gaebler did to me and no ear has ever lifed a finger to root out the despicableness of the staff and state who now cover up their lies with rubble. Some of the children were damaged so brutally (psychologically and on many occasion physically), that I know of two at least never made it to their twentieth birthday. Just some thoughts...

Jace, when were you there? I was there 82-84, the City of Waltham is not the issue, they just bought the building in 2005, I know this for a face because I live in Waltham and have most of my life, the Dept of Mental Health owned it til then, the ciry of Waltham did want to make a children's center out of it, but, because the asbestos and lead paint were high, it was to expensive to remodel, so it was cheaper for them to tear it down, cause the building is hazardous. I agree, it shouldn't be torn down, that something good should be made from the horror that we had to endure and that someone needs to tell someone what went on in there, I emailed channel 5 and I never heard from them. If you request me as a friend on facebook you can all my pictures of the place as I have been in the building several times and took pics and videos. I also heard a lot of the kids that were there never made it to the 20th birthday. The staff I feel need to take responsibility for their actions of the treatment that gave us, as well all the dept of mental health and all the dr's who drugged us and every other thing. I hope that you are doing well in your life now, I am, I am happily married with 2 beautiful girls, one is 16yrs old and the one ts 6yrs old. I am going to try and get up there today as the rain here has stopped, you can't drive up there anymore, there is way to many police patrolling the place all the time as the building is all opened now and a danger to society, so we my husband and I have been doing is going to Rock Meadow on the Belmont side of the place, the same street Mclean's Hosp is on and walking thru the woods to get there......I will post here and give an update as to if I did or didn't get there and what the place looks like now.......

I just wanted to let everyone know that Gaebler is now down, the entire building has completely down on Tuesday 11/16/10, now it's just a pile rubble. It looks scary, I didn't get pictures cause the police are parolling it all the time and already got caught once but, was able to talk my way out of it, even thou I wasn't near ther building I was at the end of the driveway and the sign says no tresspassing, so I was lucky I could have gotten arrested. Anyway, I am going to try this weekend and take pictures of it all down and what is left of the rubble and piles of bricks and crap. I will keep everyone updated to the best of my knowledge....

Hey Pookie I saw it last night on my jog too. As far as I know you're not trespassing if you don't pass the fence. You're feelings must be mixed seeing it come down. I hope we take better care now of Children with family or mental issues than we did back then : my hunch is we treat them the same but a Pharmaceutical company gets a chunk of profit

Belmonster,
Hello there and good morning, Yes, you actually are tresspassing the second u step on the grounds, my husband and I were at the bottom of the hill as you enter and the police told us were tresspassing and could have us arrested and my van impounded, but, I got lucky since they looked my name and my husbands name up and we didn't have a criminal record or even any tickets or accidents, so he let us go, I used the excuse I was just turning around to go down the street the opposite way I came.....I do have mixed feelings, I think they should have done something good with the place, I don't think taking it down was the thing to do, I think they should have made a children's center out of it where kids who do have problems can go there and talk to people and other kids but, not in a locked environment, like a day center or something like that and also that kids who were patients be the ones to run the place cause we would know exactly how to deal with trouble kids and teens and know what to say to them and help them and not cut them down, drug them and lock them up,,,,If the city of Waltham who only aquired the building in 2005 thought by taking it down it would hide what went on in their, they are sadly mistaken, I will get my voice heard on that, you can't hide that kind of abuse and crap, eventually I will find someone to listen to me, and the Dept of Mental Health will get in trouble, they said they called it for budget cut reasons, that's not what happened, my boyfriend got the living shit kicked out of him in hiis sleep by 2 sraff members to the point where he ended up in the hospital and almost died and his parents took the place and staff to court and they won and he never had to go back there again, one of the staff members actually called his parents and said you need to get here something happened to your son, then they changed all their policies, how you took showers and went to the bathrrom and added more outside activites and they never secluded a child again, they had a lot of lawsuits against them and I know some of them are probably still pending, it was a horrible place to grow up in as a child......

Hi again pookie. I chatted briefly with
City counsilor who basically said they will prioritize Fernalds development before coming to a decision on what to do with Gaebler. The gist I get, and I could be completely wrong, is that Waltham is waiting for commercial real estate to recover before committing to anything.

At the mental institution I was just as (MHRC) which is no where near this bad, had a mural of the earth on it and various other kid paintings, the walls were dark blue. Seems like all childrens institutions use murals like this.

Tearing it down doesn't make what happened to us disappear.
John Q Public will forgot about the place, but for those of us who was there, we'll never forget.

John
So right

Belmonster,
Hello again, trust me when I tell you, they are going to put up condos, I know this for a fact, as for the Fernald, they will probably sell it to Gann Academy again, cause they want more space, I know alot of what goes on in Waltham because I have lived here since I was 11yrs old and my girls are in the Waltham public school system, one is at Plympton and in Kindergarten and the other one started in kindergarten at the Plymptom,then went to the McDevitt & now is a Junior at the High School, I do get all the notices on buildings and house being put up, gone to the meetings about the congestion and adding more condos and houses in waltham and the zoning board meetings, so yes, I know alot. I am not saying they will put them up anytime soon, but, trust me, that is what is going to go up there....Anyway, not to sound rude, but, who are you? where you ever a patient at Gaebler?

John,
You are right, the demise of the building being taken down doesn't change what happened in there, but, for some reason the dept of mental health feels that with the building and a good portion of the records being gone, that they covered their tracks of the abuse that we incured in Gaebler, but, you can't hide what went on in there, if enough patients come forward we can do something about this...

Interesting.....Here's what I wrote on here back in 2009.

........
I think they should hurry though, I don't think that place will be standing for much longer.
I don't know why, but I'm getting the feeling that very soon, within a year the place will be torn down.
John
Fri 07-17-2009

I guess my intuition is still high.

One thing is for certain, for those of us that was there, we have a special bond that no one can ever take away from us.

John,
You are absolutely right, we do all have a bond, no one can take that away from us, the bestfriends I ever had were from there...

Wow!!
I can't believe the building is gone

Again!! I can't believe the place is gone

Does anyone remember shawna wood from ward A??

I was there for a year and a half. It was an interesting experience to say the least coming from someone that just had behaviour issues rather than mental health issues. Watching people doing the "thorizine shuffle" and zombified due to overuse of meds. Listening to the screams from the open rooms and 5 point restraining rooms. We even had a half deaf staff member that was in Met-state her self when they had children there who I believe still had issues and shouldn't have been a staff member. As long as you knew how to beat the system or manipulate you were able to keep clear of the "mangling" as I called it. I went to the restraining room just once. Which is all it took. I was one of the lucky ones to get unsupervised movement priveledges within the hospital. Being 14 when I got there and used to more "free" environments the place scared me to death. I believe in the period I was there abuse was at a minimum. Although being one of the older patients staff often tried to intimidate us into getting into physical altercations with them just to prove thier superiority. I was smart while I was there,keeping myself from being medicated and minimal physical confrontation with the staff. Nonetheless the place was a scary place for me. And once you witness someone on thorizine you tend to be intimidated and use more restraint on yourself so you won't be subjected to the helpless zombie results of the drug. There were alot of us that weren't psychologically defected, just behaviourally problemed and shouldn't have been put together with those that were. The pictures are more morbid than the reality of when it was open. The murals were not a trick, just to give the patients a peaceful, safe feeling. Like the yellow painted walls. It sucked having to sleep with an overhead light on at all times though. And having that Rod Mathews (the kid that beat another kid to death with a baseball bat just to see what it felt like) while he awaited trial, who was also allowed to watch the World series (oh the irony in that) was a securing feeling. I was there from 86-88. Anyone else that was there during that time is more than welcome to contact me at deezil_daddy@yahoo.com . I hold no grudges or bad feelings toward the place. I was just out of place. There are even staff members I miss and would love to hear from.

Micah
I tried to send u a message at deezil_daddy@yahoo.com. It didn't go through

great history in world

I was a room mate of Andrew Palmer.This place was horrible it scarred me for life.I was there as a patient from 1977-1979 .Harrold was very mean to Andy. Andy was just sticking up for himself. The counselor I hated the Most was a women named Marie.She looked like the bad witch on The wizard of oz. I loved the councilor Dianne. Andy's portrait of Gaebler was very vivid and realistic. Our other room mate Kevin was a trekky.He worshipped Star Trek. Kevin would sing a song called ,"Their coming to take me away ."To the funny farm. Sometimes a good backrub would make everything alright. Napoleon Bonapart took us out on the grounds to collect maple syrup. He would also let us make our own rootbeer out of a rootbeer root.

I forgot all about the rootbeer root. Wow

wow i havent been here for awhile. just wanted to say its great so many of us from gaebler can come here and be able to share something we experienced. it may have been at different times but the bond we share i everlasting. ps "shane s" ive tried getting in touch with you forever. hope everything is good. anyone who was there and wants someone just to say hi to or share a memory please email me. shaunabassett@aol.com god bless all of us we truly are survivors and we are special. xoxo

Hi Pookie,

I haven't checked this site for awhile, so I didn't respond to you -sorry!

No, I was never a patient at Gaebler. I'm just interested in it because I volunteer at a nearby psychiatric hospital. Plus I like to jog at Rock Meadow.

Your stories seem strange to me because the kids I work with don't really get "privileges" or anything like that. If a kid wants to leave the house for a bit I take them for walks all the time. I play basketball with them - but these kids REALLY suck :-) This is honestly the first time in my life I've ever been considered good at basketball.

I think the biggest change is how mental disease is managed. The kids I know stay in the program for a 2 months tops. Then they are managed through other systems. Keeping kids in a hospitalized setting seems cruel and really expensive.

Anyway, I'm super glad to hear you're doing well, and I hope the town does something nice with the land, although I doubt there's any budget for it right now.

that big room was the activities room. we used to get coffee & plain doughnuts on sunday mornings. That's pretty much all I remember. Oh wait... I do remember being in a talent show in that room too. creepy huh ?

I remember having a talent show. I forgot about that