Having done everything we set out to do in the NSH Southern campus, my friend and I now set our sights on the Northern half of the estate. Specifically the [REDACTED] building and its abandoned neighborhood, as I'd seen signs of activity near the building while passing it on previous trips and it looked like our... benefactors were preparing to tear [REDACTED] and its houses down too.

Looking back at the previous NSH galleries, I noticed that I did a poor job of actually documenting the locations. This gallery attempts to improve upon that with more "overview" shots of various rooms and locations of interest.

Some of these shots are terrible but are included to paint a better picture of the location. If same-height tripod photos are your trigger, leave now or forever hold your peace!

If houses aren't your thing, skip to photo #18!

This exploration took place on February 10th, 2018.

01: Watertower
Our first stop in the abandoned neighborhood was the watertower that dominated its skyline.


02: Sky Hatch
Once upon a time this would have been impossible to enter. Now it's easier.


03: The Peak
My friend decided to climb up the tower. I stayed down on the ground to photograph the attempt. The vines twirling around the hatch appear to run all the way to the top. My friend later reported that the cold metal ladder froze his hands, and since he forgot his asbestos heater they remained frozen for the rest of the exploration.


04: House 10
We had planned to explore the [REDACTED] building on this trip, but elected to first explore one house to get an idea of what they had in store for us later. We plan to dedicate one trip here completely to these houses and document as many as we can.


05: Sunray IV
My old house had a furnace like this, a Sunray IV, which worked well enough until the basement flooded one too may times and its bottom rusted through. The one installed here was last inspected in the late 1980's, iirc, and passed with a low-80's efficiency percentage. Which my friend called BS on.


06: Burner Swirls
The kitchen in this house was trashed both by hooligans and by nature. Any cheap building materials had warped or decayed from years of humidity, however these houses didn't appear to be too out of date.


07: Dining Room
Passing through the kitchen got us into the dining room. There wasnt much to see here, just peeling paint (which I photographed because I like peeling paint but the results were blurry).


08: Living Room (Left)
The living room was fairly sparse - its fireplace doesn't even have a mantle, just a border.


09: Living Room (Right)
The houses appear to have been abandoned since the 1990's, possibly even as early as the 1980's, and they did not weather that time well. It's easy to forget that the 1990's happened mostly over 20 years ago.


10: Starbust [sic]
Some of the rooms still retained their original light fixtures, but unfortunately someone destroyed the starburst one in this upstairs bedroom.


11: Second Floor Landing
This is looking back out into the hallway from the room of the previous photo's light fixture.


12: Star Patterns
Whether due to water running down the walls in perfect rivulets or some other phenomenon, this particular room's paint peeled in a curious pattern.


13: Rough-Edged
I love when glass breaks in interesting patterns.


14: Tall Stairs
Since the attic was just a crawlspace, this house didn't have a dedicated stairway up to it, leaving a huge open space above the stairs.


15: Accursed Insects
While leaving the house, we discovered a gigantic hornets nest right outside of the back door. There were no signs of activity, but we didn't press our luck.


16: Shipwreck
Down a dead-end street in the neighborhood sat a boat that had fallen off of its drydock. My friend is inside the forward cabin poking around in this photo. The roof above the control panel fell sideways upon the impact with the ground but was still attached, held up by the sheer willpower of the right-side control console.


17: Butterphalt
The boat's wooden hull weakened over the years as it sat out in the rain and snow with no covering, allowing water to rot it from the inside out. After too much rot, the hull integrity failed and the stands it was sitting it impaled right through, letting the boat crash over onto its side. When it fell, one of its propellers sliced right into the asphalt. Props to whomever built this boat for installing indestructible propellers.




Part 2: The [REDACTED] Building

18: [REDACTED] Backside
This photo was taken on our way off of the property after we finished exploring for the day, but I felt it was better served here to get an idea of what the building looked like before we entered.


19: Side Room (Left)
Getting in put us in a large room whose floor was made entirely of rubber. We're not sure why, I assume for noise dampening. There were no items left in this room to suggest its purpose.


20: Side Room (Right)
The doors at the far end of the room lead deeper into the building.


21: Beautiful Curves
Brickwork like this just doesn't exist in modern buildings.


22: Asymmetry
I didn't realize there was no fifth window at the right until I got home and reviewed all the shots.


23: Glowing Door
Hanging ajar, inviting us in.


24: Golden Hall
Following this hallway took us to a variety of different places.


25: Front Doors
The fading sunlight outside coupled with the paint made some areas of the building glow a warm yellow. This room was small and cramped, hence the fisheye(?) effect along the edges.


26: Cafeteria 180
Turning directly around from the previous photo points the view at a set of doors to which I assume was a cafeteria (which we confirmed on a later trip), but couldn't tell at the time because my friend urged me to continue down the hall. I got sidetracked and forgot to photograph some things along the way due to him calling me over.

Off the right side of this photo and down the hall, we found a number of school textbooks, which led us to believe that the [REDACTED] building here served a small school for this neighborhood. Later research seems to back up that theory. Curiously though, the textbooks are all marked as belonging to a different school; we assume the books were all donated since this school appears to have educated adolescents with psychiatric issues (what with being on the ground of a psychiatric hospital and all). The building isn't featured on some maps of this campus, perhaps because of how far away it is from the rest.


27: Underhall
This long a pipe-filled hallway was littered with what looked like walnuts but might have been something else. This is the hallway after we passed through it, which deposited us at the next photo.


28: Framed Glass
Turned around 180* from the previous photo gets the viewer into a shorter hallway made of glass block windows.


29: Activity Room (Left)
Following the glass block hallway brought us to a large room that appeared to have once served as an activity room or multi-purpose classroom.


30: Activity Room (Middle)
This room was in awful condition. Most of the ceiling has collapsed years ago and completely obscured the tile floor.


31 Activity Room (Right)
The front part of the room had fared somewhat better then the opposite side, but it too was in horrible shape.


32: Setup
I'm sure someone before me placed these desks like this to make a shot, and I thank whomever that was because it allowed me to take that shot as well!

The one desk still standing had some 1978 Superman stickers stuck to it, which was the latest date we could find on any objects in the building thus far. It's a nightstand! No, it's an end table! No, it's Superdesk!


33: Hollow Tube
Another obliterated 1950's television set. While walking around, we found one of its vacuum tubes lying intact on the ground on the opposite side of the room, near the three desks. I handed it to my friend, who proceeded to put it back in the TV while I wasn't looking. All the same though - that was my plan too.


34: The Bad Half
The back half of this room was in substantially worse condition than the front half. The room above this part of the room disintegrated from the weather and all that was left in some spots was the wooden framework.
..

35: Civil Defense
In the basement, we found tins upon tins upon tins of Civil Defense cracker rations. Many of them had been ripped open, but there were at least two still sealed. One was dented badly, the other was practically mint. We did not attempt to open either as doing so requires the destruction of the tin.

I also can't help but see the pile of wood outside the window as a zombie dog or something looking in the window.


36: Leaving for Today
Due to the failing light and our own exhaustion, we elected to leave for the day and come back next weekend. Hopefully the demo crews stay preoccupied with the Southern campus long enough for us to make a few trips here.


Epilogue:

The long trek back to the cars left us cold and hungry. We split a pizza and then went our separate ways.

As stated in previous threads, this campus is currently being razed - make a trip while you still can!

Great Post, amazing pics!

It really sucks to see this place go. I wanted to visit when I was seeing family in boston but didn't have enough time to go down there. It's always nice seeing you document this wonderful place as the demolition procedes.

You captured some nice shots
Asbestos heater? A flameless handwarmer?
Those vines are prolly poison ivy...

the north end of the campus is on hold as far as I know due to the owner (brick house on the edge of property next to last photo) going bankrupt a few months ago. Nice guy if you ever run into him just tell him your doing a photography thing and he will leave you alone.

Posted by Alpine7840 Great Post, amazing pics!

Thank you!

Posted by Pear It really sucks to see this place go. I wanted to visit when I was seeing family in boston but didn't have enough time to go down there. It's always nice seeing you document this wonderful place as the demolition procedes.

Thank you, we're trying to explore and document as much of it as we can before it's. The demo crews haven't touched the surgery building and one of the other buildings yet - from our own observations, I'm sure surgery will be an absolute nightmare to abate.

Posted by blackhawk You captured some nice shots Asbestos heater? A flameless handwarmer? Those vines are prolly poison ivy...

Thank you; ye olde Google tells me that flameless hand warmer is the right term for it. There's a little asbestos mesh (steel in newer ones, I think) that the user lights and puts a cap over.

Posted by AsylumGhost the north end of the campus is on hold as far as I know due to the owner (brick house on the edge of property next to last photo) going bankrupt a few months ago. Nice guy if you ever run into him just tell him your doing a photography thing and he will leave you alone.

The owner of the brick house? Or does he own the entire North end of the campus? Or just some of the large buildings? Would be cool if he knew any history about the place. The trees shoved in the windows and in front of the main building are all pulled out and cut down though. I remember driving past on my way to the South end and seeing a shiny new maroon pickup parked up near the rusty construction equipment. There's also been some activity in the neighborhood behind it - an active equipment trailer parked in front of one house was gone one our second visit, and there's a *ton* of logs and wood chippings cut and cleared out of the woods behind the houses near the bottom of the hill.

Demolition might be on hold but something's definitely going on there.

He owns the "Norwich" side of the property which is everything on the other side of the road plus the one building outside of the fence on the main campus. He does not unfortunately want to talk anything NSH related. He was polite but firm about it so we didnt push. This was in the fall. His business partner died, and Im guessing he held the wealth of the two of them and this gentlemen filed for bankruptcy. Again this is only my assumption. My thoughts now is that since its in bankruptcy any work done on behalf of the two of them has come to a hault maybe something is either held up in probate from the death, or through the bankruptcy filing. Also I wonder who knocked the boat over. It was standing on the pieces it was resting on as of the summer last year. He lives in the brick house which he rehabbed and connected to city water and sewer a year or two ago. Probably two years if my memory serves right. He has a maroon pickup and a few small tractors or something in the end of the driveway.

Other things to note property related - They are on the final section of OT "Russell" as of today. Building out back is still being cleaned out but moving along at quite a pace. "Boneski" behind the cemetery is all cleaned out and set for demo I assume after "Russell" as that would clean up the whole front of the campus. Also the tunnels that were left from "Lodge" and "Kettle" which much to our surprise was up recently have also been filled in and dug up in sections as of two weeks ago.

Posted by AsylumGhost He owns the "Norwich" side of the property which is everything on the other side of the road plus the one building outside of the fence on the main campus. He does not unfortunately want to talk anything NSH related. He was polite but firm about it so we didnt push. This was in the fall. His business partner died, and Im guessing he held the wealth of the two of them and this gentlemen filed for bankruptcy. Again this is only my assumption. My thoughts now is that since its in bankruptcy any work done on behalf of the two of them has come to a hault maybe something is either held up in probate from the death, or through the bankruptcy filing. Also I wonder who knocked the boat over. It was standing on the pieces it was resting on as of the summer last year. He lives in the brick house which he rehabbed and connected to city water and sewer a year or two ago. Probably two years if my memory serves right. He has a maroon pickup and a few small tractors or something in the end of the driveway. Other things to note property related - They are on the final section of OT "Russell" as of today. Building out back is still being cleaned out but moving along at quite a pace. "Boneski" behind the cemetery is all cleaned out and set for demo I assume after "Russell" as that would clean up the whole front of the campus. Also the tunnels that were left from "Lodge" and "Kettle" which much to our surprise was up recently have also been filled in and dug up in sections as of two weeks ago.

That'd wild, I guess we can take our exploring this half of the campus then.

The boat didn't look like it was knocked over when we examined it. One of the poles that kept it propped up on the center blocks had punched right through the wooden hull on the side it fell over onto, which looked a bit decayed on the outside. I'm sure sitting outside with no roof for years didn't help it. Could've also just been a storm that pushed it onto that side.

"Boneski/Gallup" was the first building we got into back in August but had to leave early because the third person we brought along got scared by "spirits" like 30 minutes in. It got sealed for abatement soon after and only once the abatement seals were gone were we able to get back in. "Ray" was sealed for abatement last I saw it about a month ago so it's probably the same as Boneski/Gallup now. Only "Mitchell" and "Lippitt" haven't been disturbed yet from what I could see from the road. Gonna suck with Lippitt comes down, that place is still amazing even after decades of abandonment and vandals.

believe it or not ive been going there since 2002 and have only been in Lippitt one time at night, and I only live 5 mins away from this place. haha.

I did however return to Admin with full legal access and that in itself was Amazing and beyond my wildest dreams. I should be back soon in the spring legally for some more time around the property. I was in "Russell" for a short time too when I was there in November. I only return legally now as I dont want to risk anything and mess up a 6 figure a year job.

Also side note, starting today, continuing for one week, the mohegan tribe is having a fire on property. If you wanted to talk future plans or anything these people might be the ones you would want to speak with. No pictures of the fire are allowed. They are there one week a season for all four season and they believe the smoke cleanses the property.

Posted by AsylumGhost believe it or not ive been going there since 2002 and have only been in Lippitt one time at night, and I only live 5 mins away from this place. haha.

In my opinion, "Lippitt" is the most amazing building I've been able to see there so far. No idea what's in Admin so no opinion of that one, but I can guess at the conditions of the buildings across the street based on the condition of "Mitchell". And obviously I can't see any of the ones already demolished. I definitely missed out on the glory days of exploring the hospital grounds but Lippitt was worth it.

Posted by AsylumGhost I only return legally now as I dont want to risk anything and mess up a 6 figure a year job.

That is perfectly understandable!

Posted by AsylumGhost Also side note, starting today, continuing for one week, the mohegan tribe is having a fire on property. If you wanted to talk future plans or anything these people might be the ones you would want to speak with. No pictures of the fire are allowed. They are there one week a season for all four season and they believe the smoke cleanses the property.

Is it a huge bonfire? Or just a campfire they maintain? That would be interesting to see.

Posted by AsylumGhost I did however return to Admin with full legal access and that in itself was Amazing and beyond my wildest dreams. I should be back soon in the spring legally for some more time around the property.

If you're ever allowed to have two dorks tag along into Admin, well, give me a shout!

Great stuff man, always appreciate your attention to detail and your narration! I've only seen this part of campus after dusk, looks like there's definitely still more worth checking out.

Photos are not loading for me for some reason. Would love to see them.

Today is 3/4/18. Still worth taking a trip out there, or is most of this place now demolished?

Thanks.

The bonfire is a larger than normal camp fire but still alas just a campfire. I spoke with them the night we got that big storm the other day and brought them some coffee and donuts. good people.

Posted by SaladKing No idea what's in Admin [/i]

just a taste. completely and i mean completely cleaned out. BUT the building architecture more than makes up for it

Posted by Sanitarium Sean Great stuff man, always appreciate your attention to detail and your narration! I've only seen this part of campus after dusk, looks like there's definitely still more worth checking out.

Thanks! There absolutely is, the sun brings out colors and details that nighttime flashlights just can't.

Posted by ROMNEY Photos are not loading for me for some reason. Would love to see them. Today is 3/4/18. Still worth taking a trip out there, or is most of this place now demolished? Thanks.

Sorry for the photos not loading, the storm knocked out my power and took my server down. They should be available again now though. Visiting is still absolutely worth it (if you're not travelling too far). The OT building should be pretty much gone by now and "Gallup" and "Ray" are both abated and empty and pending demolition, but "Mitchell" and "Lippitt" (my personal favorite so far) haven't been touched yet as far as I know. And there has been almost zero progress of any kind on the Northern buildings besides some tree clearings.

Posted by AsylumGhost The bonfire is a larger than normal camp fire but still alas just a campfire. I spoke with them the night we got that big storm the other day and brought them some coffee and donuts. good people.

I was hoping to catch a glimpse of it from the Northern campus on Saturday but the storm knocked out my power and I had to get my car inspected at the same time so we wound up not going. Was wondering how they made out with keeping the fire lit during the storm.

Posted by AsylumGhost just a taste. completely and i mean completely cleaned out. BUT the building architecture more than makes up for it

Aha, I've seen those stairs somewhere on here before. They're gorgeous.

It was amazing when their were glass globes at the end of each of the stair railings and all the glass around the doors was still intact etc.

FWIW the bowling alley in OT "Russell" met its demise today.