Northampton, Massachusetts: Northampton State Mental Hospital - Off Limits

It is now impossible to visit this abandoned mental hospital. The state sold the hospital to a development company that is going to turn it into housing, condos, and commercial properties. They are tearing down some of the buildings and digging up the ground, so they have deemed it an "environmental hazard" for any one who is not wearing the proper equipment. They frequently have police driving through to pick up any wanderers, so beware if you still want to venture onto the property. [K. Rothweiler, 07/12/2003]

Located on a rolling hill just behind the Smith College track, the ruins of Northampton State Hospital, a former mental institution that has been closed and rotting for at least fifteen years, are a beautiful thing to behold.

Though I believe it is technically illegal to enter the building, simply viewing it from the outside is a whole afternoon's worth of fun. Northampton State looks like a set for an episode of "Scooby Doo"; overgrown plants in the collapsing concrete courtyards, boarded up windows and broken glass everywhere, and torn industrial curtains waving creepily in the breeze. Go up on an overcast afternoon alone and prepare to get creeped out -- I'm a thousand miles away and I'm getting goose-bumps. A must-see for all who see beauty in the wretched and decrepit and all who love buildings that look haunted. Plus, for all you mopey college kids, rumor has it Sylvia Plath was once interned here (just miles away from her alma mater). I heard that they're going to tear it down soon, so hurry up and go! [gaby, 01/06/2001]

[RA: It sounds like this place is off limits and requires permission from the owners for any deep exploration.]