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Location DB >
United States >
Virginia >
Radford >
St. Albans Hospital
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Publically Viewable |
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This location has been labeled by its creator as Public, and therefore can be viewed by anyone.
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A beautiful old building and grounds, former home to both a mental hospital and a private school and home for boys.
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Type: Building
Status: Abandoned / Under renovation
Accessibility: Moderate
Recommendation: worth the trip
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A sandwich of silent loveliness between the basement bowling alley and rooftop garden.
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wooden boarding
the newer building on the grounds is actively used
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flashlight
breathing mask
long pants / sleeves
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The proper way to spend a visit is by candlelight - but don't burn anything down, please.
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In 1892, a man named George Miles had the notion to found a prestigious private school for boys. He chose a hill on the green embankment of the slow-flowing New River of Radford, Virginia - where he laid the cornerstone of St. Albans.
The school reached a respectable level of success, particularly in athletics. Other schools were said to fear playing football matches against the boys of St. Albans.
Despite the school's success and growing reputation, it could not manage itself after the retirement of its founder George Miles. The school closed its doors in 1911, leaving the building and grounds to receive their first taste of abandonment.
In 1915, a doctor named John C. King grew tired of the unethical treatments employed at mental hospitals during the time period. He wished to leave his current hospital in Marion, Virginia, and begin his own asylum - where he believed he could employ more gentle care of his mental patients.
Although the old St. Albans property was built to be a school and boys home, Dr. King found to be suitable for his liking to run as a hospital. Even with the risks carried with psychiatric care being a new and mostly unknown field, Dr. King bravely ventured forth and borrowed the sum of money needed to purchase the former boy’s home and the surrounding land.
The good doctor reopened St. Albans, where it served not only as a place of healing for the mentally unwell, but as a general hospital for the surrounding community, morgue, nursing home, and even including an extensive branch of farm land that gave patients an employment opportunity.
The hospital reached its peak in the 1960s, where its paint was over 65,000 - serving residents of many surrounding counties. It became renown as the only privately funded, non profit psychiatric hospital in operation in Virginia. It also provided many jobs for doctors, nurses, cooks, maintenance workers, and farmhands - existing as a staple for a little sleepy railtown.
Most importantly, St Albans was a light for the headsmashed and mentally ill. The treatments given were done under the original dreams of its founder Dr. John C. King - fairly, without cruelty. A fair and honest chance at getting better, without locking anyone to a radiator or scooping out their brains.
St. Albans reached its high tide during the 1990s. It was decided that the old hospital buildings were inadequate and too old-fashioned to continue carrying out the practice of modern healthcare. So, St. Albans was absorbed into the Carilion Health System. The windows were boarded up, and the old hospital fell asleep.
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The old hospital was bought by a private owner, who's promoting it as haunted and selling tours. The owner has added a lot of flair to make the building seem scary - tacking disturbing pictures to the walls of the patient rooms, etc.
The owner has stated that the building will be renovated, but they have spray-painted much of the hospital with arrows and signs for the ghost tours - adding more damage than years worth of college kid visitors. I doubt the progress of an actual renovation or restoration.
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The moderator rating is a neutral rating of the content quality, photography, and coolness of this location.
This location has not yet been rated by a moderator.
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This location's validation is current. It was last validated by
Opheliaism on 9/14/2011 12:35 PM.
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on Sep 14 11 at 12:35, Opheliaism validated this location
on Jun 13 11 at 21:36, Opheliaism conditionally validated this location
on Jun 13 11 at 11:42, Smash Adams updated gallery Wildflowers For Amy
on Jun 13 11 at 11:41, Smash Adams made this location available
on Jun 13 11 at 11:39, Smash Adams updated the main picture
on Jun 13 11 at 11:39, Smash Adams updated gallery Wildflowers For Amy
on Jun 13 11 at 11:39, Smash Adams updated gallery Wildflowers For Amy
on Jun 13 11 at 11:38, Smash Adams updated gallery picture 005(1).jpg
on Jun 13 11 at 11:36, Smash Adams updated gallery picture 005(1).jpg
on Jun 13 11 at 11:35, Smash Adams updated gallery picture 005(1).jpg
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