Of the six patients, including the two who had cancer, he went on, five were from manteno. A wheelchair in the abandoned norwich state hospital is pictured clean. These buildings are abandoned but left in original condition. I remember getting stooped at a dead end by a locked hatch that, i think, led up to an active building. In the 1960s, the hospital handled approximately 8,000 patients. The cemeteries are large and are located on the far. A state hospital cemetery is to the east of the site. Manteno state mental hospital ghost hunt pics ghostly. It received its first patients in 1930 and closed in 1985. The story of gennie pilarski sometimes interesting.
Over the years he has noticed that the grave markers have been sinking into the ground as well as disintegrating, most probably from the acid rain so prevalent in the chicago area. Available at the kankakee public library and at the illinois state archives database. But after being committed to manteno, gennie would never be the same. All thats left are the memories of sneaking in the abandoned building at night and trying to scare each other. Genealogy research at the manteno historical society. By 1939 manteno state hospital had grown to twice the size of kankakee state hospital.
Manteno background information manteno state mental hospital is located just outside of manteno, illinois, south of chicago. Haunted manteno state hospital in illinois is fascinating. Manteno main campus history of the flagship campus site staking universitys flagship campus was once a selfcontained city, originally encompassing 16 full city blocks. If i didnt have manteno state hospital i think i would go nuts, she says. These sinister bathtubs come from manteno state hospital in illinois, an asylum which has now been demolished. I have and written about in four paranormal books, at times individuals write me, send me. Few noticed or cared as she had been a prisoner of illinois state mental institutions for over 50 years.
New book highlights manteno history through photos local. Manteno community room photos courtesy phil tkacz, as the scope and funding of manteno state hospital grew, so did the number of patients. At its peak, manteno was one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world. This was an issue that i thought could be a project for the group friends of manteno state hospital. Gennies parents had her committed to manteno state hospital in 1944 when she was only 25. The shapiro center was generating and submitting to the state treasury, 65% of its total operational costs. Haunted places in kankakee, illinois haunted places. The grounds are the now the home of numerous housing developments including a residential. Because of the nature of the hospital, information on a patient cannot be released except on a signed consent from a relative. The tunnels danvers state mental hospital danvers massachusetts the scariest place on earth ive read about these once pretty interesting history behind them rusted passage photo of the abandoned danvers state hospital. Manteno state hospital abandoned asylums, abandoned. These tunnels were similar to nearby manteno state hospital s tunnels.
History and photos of the abandoned manteno state hospital, in manteno, il. Or she thumbs through books on the subject that intrigues her the most. Accounts of ghostly sounds and encounters have filtered down from those adventurousor fool heartyenough to explore the old tunnels and buildings. An abandoned insane asylum was opened in 1929 and closed in 1985. Manteno state hospital is an abandoned mental hospital in manteno. List of abandoned places and urban exploration sites. While providing important historical background on your favorite haunted. Tunnels under the hospital are reportedly haunted, and visitors claim to have seen phantom nurses and patients. Latinautor, triryche corporation, bmi broadcast music inc. I thank all of you who have commented on my march 2012 article about mental hospital records at the illinois state archives.
The site was redeveloped as a va home, an industrial park, and a portion of the grounds is now the manteno municipal golf course. Texas forum i just dont have the heart forum jessie m. There are underground utility tunnels leading from building to building in the facility. In the 1920s, a need for an additional illinois mental health facility began to grow as the state hospitals in jacksonville, elgin, and kankakee became overcrowded. Exclusive letter from one who visited the insane asylum click here to read it.
Ralph hinton was the first administrator and many people who lived in manteno rushed to apply to work at the newly built institution. Danvers state hospital is a historic site in danvers. The hospital was closed down due to improper practices in the 1970s. Before thorazine and other antipsychotic medications, the severely mentally ill were housed and treated at institutions such as manteno state hospital southwest of chicago. A series of tunnels were constructed below the buildings for easy passage and access to each. The hospital was responsible for the care of the mentally insane, the chemically dependent, those stricken with tuberculosis, as well as some of the state s.
Apter has kept in touch with the surviving patients to this day. To learn more about accessing mental health records, please read this followup after reading the post below. We stood by ourselves against a steel gray sky to bid farewell to gennie pilarski. Located in rural kankakee county, manteno state hospital opened in 1930. Constructed between 1929 and 1932, the site was formerly known as manteno state hospital. The cemeteries are still open and can be walked through, but the main draw is gone.
Manteno state hospital, one of the largest psychiatric hospitals in the country when it opened in 1928, was located 2 miles 3 km southeast of the village. Manteno state mental hospital paranormal research group. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. The manteno state hospital began construction in 1928 and the first patients were admitted in 1930. Manteno state hospital opened its doors in the early 1930s as construction on the sprawling hospital was still ongoing. Fun book that highlights the oddities all over the state. Letter remembering the now haunted manteno state hospital.
In 1985, manteno state hospital closed down due to lack of funding and the southern twothirds of. Peoria state hospital bartonville, illinois this abandoned mental hospital, now in the planning stages for restoration, is said to be haunted by manuel a. Help in accessing closed records of illinois state mental. Garner health law corporation understanding modern. However, they ran into an obstacle that was tough to get around. This is a video tribute to the memories and history of manteno state hospital until its final demolition. His most notable book, nutrition and mental illness. Accounts of ghostly sounds and encounters have filtered down from those adventurousor fool heartyenough to explore the old tunnels. Manteno state hospital trilogy 1 roads to madness youtube. The cover of the new manteno book features members of the albert stauffenberg family on their farm northwest of the village. Celebrating manteno state hospital during construction, circa 1928.
These creepy images of an abandoned illinois mental hospital will give you goosebumps. Imagefind images and videos about creepy, abandoned and hospital on we heart it the app to get lost in what you love. Photographer captures haunting images of sights inside the. If you are an immediate family member of a deceased patient, or can get. As the scope and funding of manteno state hospital grew, so did the number of patients. In this planet underground tv short, tunnel vision, we follow some of the company crew members as they work to get around the tunnels and complete their fiber installation project. History, size facts about hospital s facilities given over 40 years ago, in 1927, the first acres of farmland that would later become the 1200 acre manteno state hospital were purchased by the state of illinois. Manteno state hospital, spread across 1,220 acres of land, opened in 1930, welcoming 100 male patients from kankakee state hospital. Weird illinois by troy taylor share book recommendations. Manteno state hospital was a psychiatric hospital located in rural manteno township in. Many disturbing things took place here, as you can imagine would be the case at a mental hospital during this time. Not long ago, i made a visit to the cemetery with three assistant public guardians. The state would take her freedom, and the doctors would take her sanity. Hospital of horrors, spent three months at manteno as a research assistant.
American locator and planet underground tv posts facebook. The tunnels stretched quite a long way and i believe some of them even went under active stuff. The 1930s manteno state hospital suffered a typhoid fever epidemic in 1939, and more than 50 patients and staff members died. In this planet underground tv short, we follow some of the camco crew members as they work to get around the tunnels. Many other buildings have been renovated for other uses as of july 2009. Clearly there is a clamoring for access to the closed patient records. Harvey widroe, author of diary of a medical student. Its far from comprehensive but does touch on the highlights like resurrection mary, the manteno state hospital, roseland cemetery, route 66 and even the lexington hotel made famous by geraldo rivera when he excavated capones vault. While throughout its history patients at manteno state hospital frequently tried to escape, a new generation of men and women are desperate to find their way inside. It was creepy down there though, i remember a childsized chair. The grounds of the hospital is one square mile in area and the oldest buildings date back to the 1890s.
How to get up from the floor after a fall macgyver style. The tunnels below the buildings are also supposed to be very haunted, and at least one person who went down there felt like he was touched by something unseen. Manteno state hospital gave jobs to many people during the great depression. Old book was a patient who worked with the burial crew at the hospital until his own. Gennie said she would like to have a job, clothes, some books. That closure and the 1983 closure of hilman hospital, a general medical hospital, brought economic stagnation to the town. It was almost hard to imagine that it had once been the home of so many mentally ill people. Records of state mental hospitals at the illinois state. Over the next few years, the hospital expanded in size, including extensive work in the electrical system, a comprehensive tunnel thoroughfare, and a sanitary and sewer system, all run by a central power station. You could tell that at one time, in its day, this hospital had been architecturally grand and beautiful in its remote little setting of the manteno countryside. Peoria asylum bartonville 2020 all you need to know.
My research to date shows there are two ways to obtain them, depending if immediate family members survive. It was a psychiatric hospital, most densely populated in the mid1950s. See our gallery of ghost hunt pics from manteno state mental hospital. It answers many of the questions we have received via comments. Exploring illinois abandoned psychiatric hospitals by hale goetz in news on apr 1, 2016 3. Plan your road trip to danvers state hospital in ma with roadtrippers. Rockville township cemetery book including bloom and deselm cemeteries published in 1990 and the manteno township cemetery book published in 1991 which includes elmwood and st. In recent years, much of the former hospital has been reclaimed as an industrial park and as lowincome housing. To get answers to individual questions, contact a librarian. Top 10 most haunted hospitals in illinois mysterious.
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