It’s been a hot minute since I shared some photos of any of the cool, abandoned, and often historical places in and around New England (something I did quite often at the height of the pandemic since social distancing made it so easy!) although my longtime passion for what is commonly referred to as “Urban Exploration” has never gone away or waned.
Over the past few years, still-standing abandoned structures around my neck of the woods have become a bit more sparse given extreme weather we’ve experienced and redevelopment projects that have resulted in different buildings being bulldozed to make way for luxury condominiums, storage units, or strip malls. It’s disheartening, really- especially since so many of the places have such cool, often spooky histories and/or overall atmospheres around them.
This past weekend, however, while making my way to Georgetown to photograph an adorable café (and I’ll talk about that later on this week!) I came across a still-standing, repurposed-but-in-a-good-way and absolutely haunting building that I’d only ever read about but had never seen up close and in person.
And I have to thank my phone’s GPS for malfunctioning- because if I hadn’t pulled over into the empty parking lot for this place to fix and reset it- I never would have seen it!
Tewksbury State Hospital, built in 1854, is a former almshouse turned psychiatric hospital that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Like many of the other, similar psychiatric hospitals that were operational way back when, Tewksbury’s facility was no stranger to allegations and rumors of patient abuse, mistreatment (and in some extreme cases- murder.)
And while there is now a fully functioning, newer hospital that has built on-site nearby, what remains of the original structure- specifically the Administration Building- now serves as The Public Health Museum. I’m so curious to see the inside of the building, especially since I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the somewhat run down exterior after I’d gotten out of my car to have a closer look, that I’m considering booking a tour soon.
Above are some of my favorite shots I snapped this past weekend before it started pouring out and I had to make a mad dash back to my car. I believe the grounds are open to the public, much like Medfield State Hospital- since I saw a few people walking around while I was there.
I’m hoping to get some better ones the next time I’m in Tewksbury!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 