Taunton State Hospital - Taunton Massachusetts

The Haunted Taunton State Hospital

The History

Located in Taunton, Massachusetts, and formerly known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Taunton, the Taunton State Hospital was built in 1854 as a psychiatric hospital, and it boasts a rather horrifying history. One of the hospital’s most famous patients was Jane Toppan, a serial killer who confessed to having murdered at least 31 people while working as a nurse. Lizzie Borden claimed to have been held in the asylum while she was awaiting trial (Lizzie Borden enthusiasts dispute this, the link where we got the info has now been taken offline), but records show she was never admitted to the hospital — only held in the jail. And yet, despite this dark history, according to some of the stories, the people who ran Taunton State Hospital may have actually been even more terrifying than many of the criminally insane patients it housed. Rumors persist that some of the doctors and nurses would take the (obviously unwilling) patients into the basement and use them to conduct satanic rituals and even sacrifices. There is also documented reports that the Satan, himself, made presence here. 

The Taunton State Hospital was abandoned in 1975. A fire struck the main facility in 2006, and the bulk of the original Taunton State Hospital was demolished in 2009, despite other parts of the facility continuing to operate and treat patients under the same name.

The Hauntings

While still in operation, staff members told stories that they would descend the stairs only to find something physically blocking them from reaching the 
bottom step…Only there was nothing there. There are allegedly still unexplained markings on the walls of the basement.

"The evil does not stay in the basement though. Residents have had their lights turn on and off in the middle of the night. Many have also experienced a shadowy man who appears out of nowhere. At times he is not much more than a shadow having no specific form and moving as if crawling across the wall. Other times he is more solid although somewhat stretched out. Three things remain constant in 
the report however; his face can never be seen, he is always described as being male and he appears in the corner of the resident's room in the middle of the night and stands as if watching them.

The area outside Taunton Secure has gained a reputation as well. The grounds and the architecture of the buildings has been described as Gothic and beautiful, but the whole property is now off limits to the people with cameras that used to stroll the area and run road races across its lawn. In a cemetery just off the property one resident had an experienced that changed his life. He was able to find a way out of the facility and decided to hide in the cemetery to lay low and plan where he would spend the night. As he crouched near a tombstone he felt cold hands on his shoulder. Thinking he had been caught, he raised his arms and turned around. There was no one there but he heard a faint voice whisper the word, 'leave'. He walked back to the building barely able to breath and turned himself in.
Address
Taunton State Hospital
60 Hodges Avenue
Taunton, MA 02780


Phone
(508) 977-3000


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