Then & Now: Danvers State Hospital

Welcome to Then & Now, a new column featuring the historical background of spots in town. 

Have you ever wondered about the history of a certain building or area in town? Let us know and we'll feature it in an upcoming edition. 

In our first Then & Now, contributor Monica Noury takes us back to 1874, when the infamous Danvers State Hospital was built: 

The Danvers State Hospital had been a mysterious place for many years, even after its demolition in 2006. The hospital was a mental health facility built in the year 1874 that consisted of seventeen buildings used to house male and female patients, some of whom were suffering from extreme mental health conditions.

Over the years, Danvers State Hospital continued to grow and expand with the incoming number of patients. Several different cottages and medical buildings were built, and in 1955 The Bonner Building was constructed as an additional medical facility. As the hospital grew, rumors began that the hospital was providing inadequate care to the mentally ill; however, the hospital maintained their patient care was "sufficient and humane." In the early 90's, the hospital was shut down due to state budget cuts, but became the backdrop to many memoirs, novels, as well as the film, Session 9.

It wasn't until 2006, against protests, a majority of the hospital was demolished and apartment buildings were built in its place. However, under mysterious circumstances, the apartment buildings burned down in 2007. A new has since been built, and now the only parts of the original hopsital site that are left are the cemetaries, parts of the underground tunnels, and the parts of the building that avoided demolition.