Drive-In at Airport

Last Saturday's weather was picture perfect, a break from recent sweltering temps here in NH.  It was a perfect day for a short road trip to a local aviation museum.

A lineup of vintage and muscle cars at the Aviation Museum car show

No, we didn't go to see planes — instead, we saw a lot full of vintage and muscle cars on display at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire in Londonderry, NH. The auto show was a fundraiser for the museum and show admission also allowed visitors to tour the museum at no additional charge. We did too, but the museum is small and was very crowded, so no interior photos taken on this trip.

Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, Londonderry, NH

The main building includes the airfield’s 1937 passenger terminal and control tower. In 2011, the museum was enlarged to include an Aviation Learning Center. The museum supports plane building programs at area high schools. The historical museum is operated by the New Hampshire Aviation Historical Society, a non-profit group focused on preserving aviation history within the state through various exhibits and programs. (Astronaut Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr, a native of nearby Derry, NH, was the first American to travel into space. In 1971, he became the fifth and oldest person to walk on the Moon, age 47.)

There was no lack of vintage autos at Saturday's show. Below are assorted views of some beautifully restored cars with a bit of history and tunes. Over the years, autos have been glorified in in pop music across genres. Why? In music, cars symbolize the open road, settings for romance, cruising and nostalgia.

There were a number of vintage Ford cars in this show, although I'm not sure any were the 1932 Ford Coupe hot rod popularized in the 1963 song, Little Deuce Coupe by the Beach Boys. This song was the B-side to group's hit single, Surfer Girl. The term specifically references the year of the car's production, with deuce being slang for two in 1932. The Beach Boys released an album titled after the car and also included the song on the later Sounds of Summer album. The Deuce Coupe became a cultural icon and appeared in hot rod culture movies like American Graffiti.

This Oldsmobile model was spotted in two different colors, red and gray. 

The photos below show a close up of the front and rear styling of the vehicles.

There were a number of colorful pick-up trucks at the show.

Here's a look at a few more colorful autos, including a Hot Wheels version of a popular die-cast toy car.

The Buick auto below had a vanity plate of Tank with a carful of passengers. The front seat driver was a large stuffed toy version of the Tweety Bird cartoon.

And, this Dodge ↓ had a plate of Esther, perhaps a sweetheart or the car's owner?

Some of my earliest car rides were taken in a car similar to this one ↓ which was the pride and joy of my late father years ago..

This Studebaker Coupe was like one owned by my father

The 1950 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe attracted attention because of its ultramodern styling. Its center "nose" resembled part of an airplane, its wraparound rear window and long, horizontal rear deck were radically different from 1930s and 1940s teardrop cars. (This term referred to autos with a distinct aerodynamic, shaped body design, which is referred to as Streamline Moderne.) 

The 1950 and 1951 Studebaker models marked a sharp break from 1930s streamline or art deco styling and the beginning of flamboyant, futuristic styling of the 1950s. Studebaker led the way in this design and marketing change. The unique front end, combined with sleek and stylish lines, set it apart from anything on the road and Studebaker sales were fairly strong after WW II reaching a peak with the 1950 model. The Champion was one of Studebaker's best-selling models because of its low price, originally between $1,514 to $1,592, depending on the specific model (Custom or Deluxe). Today, the price of a 1950 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe varies, ranging between $17,309 and $31,037 depending on condition.

The Plymouth Road Runner was named after a cartoon character

Beep Beep is the sound most associated with the Plymouth Road Runner, a muscle car that Chrysler introduced in the US for the 1968 model year, marketed under its Plymouth brand. The Road Runner combined a powerful engine with a sparse trim and a price that undercut increasingly upscale and expensive muscle cars like the Pontiac GTO and Plymouth's GTX. The Roadrunner model was initially a sales success. However, in the 1970s, its performance and sales declined due to an increasing focus on fuel economy and the adoption of stringent US emission standards. 

Plymouth paid $50,000 to Warner Bros.-Seven Arts to use the Road Runner name and likeness from the Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner cartoons. Plymouth also paid $10,000 to develop a beep beep horn.

Two different model years of Pontiac GTO

The mid 1960s Pontiac GTO remains one of the most popular muscle cars in auto history with nearly 100,000 sold in a single year. The GTO name was inspired by the Ferrari 250 GTO and is an Italian abbreviation for Gran Turismo Omologato 

The most iconic song about the Pontiac GTO is the 1964 tune, Little G.T.O by Ronny and the Daytonas. This pop song celebrates the then-new muscle car, highlighting its performance and features like the three deuces and a four-speed, and a three-eighty-nine. The song was a hit. It sold 1,250,000 records and reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 1964.

According to one story, originally the Beach Boys were approached to record the song, but wanted a lot of money up front to record it. The Beach Boys later did the song, but in my opinion their version is not as good as the original.

Ironically, the Beach Boys released their own muscle car song in 1962 song, 409 was about a Chevrolet Impala, equipped with the 409 cubic inch V8 engine. The song, which celebrates the engine's power and performance, was originally released as the B-side of the single Surfin' Safari.

Monkees & Monkeemobile (Internet source)

The Monkeemobile was the iconic car of the 1960s pop group, The Monkees. This customized 1966 Pontiac GTO was built and designed by custom car designer Dean Jeffries and further customized by George Barris for the group's popular TV show The Monkees. Two cars were contracted and built in 4 weeks, one for the TV show and one as a promotional for touring car shows around the US. After the television show ended, both cars were offered back to Jeffries for $2,000 each. He declined to purchase them.

The AMC Nash Rambler was featured in a popular novelty song

The Nash Rambler was a compact, front-engine, rear-drive automobile manufactured and marketed by the Nash Motors division of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation for model years 1950-1954 in a sedan, wagon and convertible body style. When Nash-Kelvinator merged with the Hudson Motor Car Company in 1954, the Rambler became a product of the American Motors Corporation (AMC).

This car was featured in the humorous novelty song, Beep Beep (the Little Nash Rambler) recorded by The Playmates (1958). The song describes a road duel between drivers of a Cadillac and a Nash Rambler. Concurrent with this song, AMC was setting production and sales records for the Rambler models. Beep Beep was also popular with workers building the cars on assembly lines in Kenosha, WI.

The Playmates from Waterbury, CT, were one of the first rock & roll groups signed to NY-based Roulette Records. The label didn't want to release Beep Beep as a single for several reasons: it changed tempo with the increasing speed of the drivers; it named contemporary cars on the market; and it wasn't danceable. However, when disc jockeys began playing it off the Playmates album it forced the label's hand, and Roulette released it as a single. It stayed on the Billboard Top 40 charts for 12 weeks and peaked at No. 4 selling over a million copies and garnering a gold record. 

Obviously from previous posts about cars, we enjoy seeing them in all shapes and styles having gone to many outdoor shows and indoor museums. Summer months are the most popular for outdoor shows as most vintage car owners keep them garaged the rest of the year. Apologies for any ear worms from the song links. For anyone who enjoys novelty car songs, here's a 1959 tune sung by Paul Evans.

Diana's Baths

Spoiler Alert: what follows has nothing to do with the late Princess or her bath. (Thanks to blogger Sandra for the chuckle about the post title.)

Our May anniversary road trip to North Conway, NH, included a short hike to Diana's Baths a small series of waterfalls near the town of Bartlett, NH, in the White Mountain National Forest. The cascading falls measure about 75 feet high. The main attraction is a 12-foot waterfall which is fed by Lucy Brook and cascades over large granite boulders.

If you're wondering if the waterfalls were named after the Roman goddess of the hunt,. Yes, they were but the details are very scant. According to online sources, around 1859, a Miss Hubbard of Boston, who was a guest ay the old Mount Washington House in North Conway, christened them Diana's Baths, presumably after the mythological nature goddess. 

In the 1960s, the name became official in the when the U.S. government purchased the land and made it part of the White Mountain National Forest.

Before time, and still today, the pools were known as Lucy's Baths. The stream that flows into the waterfall is named Lucy Brook after the family that operated a sawmill here in the 1800s. 

In the 1860’s, the five-acre site was purchased by George G. Lucy, who after building a house and barn on the banks of the brook, built a water wheel powered sawmill in the middle of the cascading waterfalls. In the 1890s, Lucy who recognized the tourist appeal of the falls, built a three-story, 12-room boarding house for visitors. But, the business proved unsuccessful due to competition from five other hotels in the area. 

In the 1930’s, Chester Lucy, built a concrete dam with a water feed and turbine system to replace the water wheel used to power the sawmill. However, the site was abandoned when the invention of portable mills was introduced.

Hattie Lucy operated a gift shop beside the falls through the 1940s with an ice house behind it to cool soda that was sold to tourists. Lucy and her son, David, lived in the home through the late 1950s when the house was sold. The new owner, who also purchased the remaining land, wanted to install electric power at the property and live there. Forest officials objected as the power would need to come over national forest land. So, the land was sold to the government and became part of the White Mountain National Forest. In the 1960s, due to vandalism and deterioration any buildings still remaining on the site were torn down and removed.

Today, remnants buildings that once stood on of the site are still visible including old cellar holes and parts of the dam system, feed tube and turbine gears that were used to power the sawmill.

The waterfalls are popular with visitors, especially children, who like to explore the many rocks, ledges, cascading falls and pools in the brook. There's several levels with numerous small waterfalls and pools. The park service allows swimming here, another reason its large appeal during warmer months. 

The hike to Diana’s Baths is a fairly easy, about 6/10ths of a mile on a relatively flat, wide gravel path. It's well-kept and cuts through a forest of tall pine trees. The day of our visit in mid-May was warm and sunny and the site was fairly uncrowded with other visitors.

There's a large parking lot at the entrance to the hiking path along with a self-service pay station. Visitors must purchase and display a daily pass on their vehicle's dashboard. However, if you already have one of the various national park passes, as we do, that can be displayed instead.

If you are ever in this part of the White Forest area in NH, a visit to Diana's Baths is highly recommended. We can't believe it took us so long to make our first visit.

Dalvay-by-the-Sea

If the walls of Dalvay-by-the-Sea could talk, the tales they could tell of the Scotsman turned oil baron, two girls who grew and married into royalty, a father who cheated them of their inheritance, a caretaker and prohibition rum-runner who owned it and much more.

Now, this is an ideal summer home, which is exactly what this house was for many years on Prince Edward Island, Canada. It was an unexpected site we "discovered" when day-tripping on our May road trip to Maine and Canada. It may look familiar to some since Dalvay-by-the-Sea was featured in a film, Anne of Green Gables (1985) as the White Sands Hotel.

Alexander McDonald at Dalvay

While it's still known by its original name and is now a Canadian National Historic Site. This house was originally constructed by Alexander McDonald as a summer home. He was a very wealthy businessman (millionaire status) in the late 19th century. As President of the Standard Oil Company of Kentucky, he worked with John D. Rockefeller. McDonald was also the director of the Big Four Railroad, the Third National Bank, and the Carnegie Trust Company. Today, Dalvey is a summer resort open May to October with 25 guest rooms in the Main Inn and eight 3-bedroom cottages for larger groups were added in recent years.

On the day of our visit, the entire building was reserved as a retreat for female cancer survivors. The management graciously allowed us to walk around the main floor and tour the outer grounds as the events had not yet started. We learned much about the house; however, this post is about the original family that owned Dalvay-by-the-Sea than about the house, as their lives proved quite interesting.

Main reception desk for guest check-in

Exploring Dalvay, we learned about its original owner, a native of Scotland, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1833 and settled in Cincinnati, OH. By 1863, McDonald entered the oil business and became president of Standard Oil of Kentucky and also a very wealthy man. He wed Laura Palmer in 1862. Their daughter, also named Laura, married Edmund Stallo, a Cincinnati lawyer, and they had two daughters, Helena and Laura (third Laura). The McDonald's daughter Laura died of cancer at age 25 in 1895. She left her young daughter's care to her parents who later adopted the two girls. (There was no reason given as to why it wasn't her husband, but more on him later.)

The original entry doors still remain at Dalvay

The family vacationed on Prince Edward Island the summer after their daughter's death. McDonald bought 120 acres of land on the north shore to build a home. The plan was to spend summer vacations there in memory of their daughter. Years ago, it was common for the very wealthy to construct an elaborate seaside retreat because at the turn of the 19th century, it was how those who could afford it escaped summer heat of the city. One of their favorite locales was the U.S. East coast (Newport, RI and the White Mountains of NH) and Atlantic Canada for the cooler summer temps. Another fellow Scotsman, Alexander Graham Bell, had a summer home in Nova Scotia. It was built by Rhodes, Curry and Company, a Canadian construction firm which later built Dalvay.

The original Dalvay-by-the-Sea after completion

In late 1895, construction costs were close to $50,000 (imagine getting a house like this built for that now). Local building materials were used exclusively. The lower half of the house was built with Island Sandstone in natural boulder form, fireplaces were built with quarried blocks of the same. Most of the furniture was oak and mahogany. The extensive use of wood reflected a long-time Maritime building tradition. 

This is the main lobby that we came into from the front doors shown above. These furnishings are not original to the house. The McDonalds had traveled extensively and items they included in the house were sold in later years.

Home of Alexander McDonald in OH

The McDonald's Cincinnati, OH, home was called Delvay after McDonald's boyhood Scottish home. When the summer PEI house was built, it became Dalvay-by-the-Sea. The difference in spelling between the two homes is a mystery. The OH home, which sat on six acres, was demolished in the 1960s. The site is home to a Cincinnati Public School. 

Annual operating costs for Dalvay ran about $10,000, a huge sum even now. There was a large number of servants, caretaker and men to look after the horses and stable.  There was a covered bowling alley, a billiards room on the third floor and a sailboat for use on Dalvay Lake. The summer house was usually filled with guests as the family entertained often. Every season before leaving, McDonald hosted a dance for the local residents.

This main stairway leads to guest rooms on the upper floors

McDonald Mausoleum, OH

Laura McDonald died in 1903 and after that Alexander McDonald was reported to visit less often. In 1909, on his last visit to Dalvay, McDonald was unwell and reportedly bid the house goodbye. He never returned and died in 1910 in Long Beach, CA, at age 82. 

They are interred in the McDonald private mausoleum in Cincinnati, OH. 

McDonald's vast fortune was left to be shared between his two granddaughters, 16 and 17 years old at his death. The estate was worth roughly $15 million dollars making the young women two of the wealthiest women of their day. Their father oversaw the estate and was entrusted to keep it until they reached legal age.

Two Rich Young Women Marry

Laura & Helena

Both women planned to marry successful young men from the society roster. But, family members were convinced that they could make better matches by striking out for European royalty, and so they did. Laura married an Italian nobleman and Helena wed a French prince. Their futures looked great. 

But is wasn't as by 1930, their inheritance was as good as gone. Their father, Edmund Stallo, apparently not as financially savvy as his father-in-law, had invested in several sketchy schemes. His bad investing was really bad. 

The young women were unaware that as soon as Stallo was put in charge of their inheritance, he began to loot it. Eventually, they learned that their own father had spent nearly their entire inheritance; the large fortune Alexander McDonald left had dwindled to almost nothing. (Stallo not only ruined his daughter's finances, but also lost fortunes inherited by two successive wives. He died penniless in 1945 after being committed to a CA hospital for the insane by his third wife.)

Edmund Stallo and his daughters

Laura and Helena's lives changed since when the sister's money ran out, so did the husbands. Both marriages ended in divorce. Helena died of cancer in her 40s, nearly destitute. Laura moved to NYC and worked to support her family. (Helena’s grandson is NY born actor Rene Murat Auberjonois who played Father Mulcahy in the 1970 film version of MASH.)

What happened to Dalvay-by-the-Sea?

William Hughes, Dalvay's caretaker after McDonald's death, continued to look after the house until the family couldn't afford to keep it. Laura told Hughes that he could have the house for what was owed in back taxes. Hughes purchased it for just over $486 (what a deal) but had zero interest in keeping up the huge mansion, so it was sold for an undisclosed amount.

Lounge room at Dalvay-by-the-Sea

Its next owner, William O’Leary of Charlottetown was the brother of the Bishop of Charlottetown, who used Dalvay as a summer retreat. During this ownership many of the finer furnishing were removed from the house and sold.

It next went to a notorious rum runner during PEIs prohibition years. In 1932, Edward Dicks bought the property to operate as a summer resort. He spent so much money in upgrades that there was little left to market it. No marketing meant no clients and Dicks went bankrupt. In 1936, its new owner was George Delois, one of his creditors, and former PEI Lieutenant Governor. 

In 1938, ownership of Dalvay-by-the-Sea was transferred to the government when Prince Edward National Park was created. DeBlois bargained to retain a large, white family cottage on a piece of land across Dalvay lake; it remains private to this day.

Dalvay has an extensive and comfortable front porch seating area

In 1994 Dalvay became a National Historic Site of Canada. It's operated as a summer hotel and dining room in a lease agreement with Parks Canada. Major renovations started in 1995 are ongoing. A full dining room expansion was done off the main house to offer views of Dalvay Lake.

Patrick at Dalvay's main entrance

Original materials were used to retain the full Heritage Standard of the original house, including pine wood panelling for the ceiling to the maple hardwood floor. Exterior field sandstone was quarried locally and hand-built by local masons.

Beach views at Prince Edward National Park

If we are ever revisit this part of Canada, this is where we would consider staying. Dalvay-by-the-Sea not only offers beautiful views, but is within Prince Edward National Park.

Medfield Insane Asylum (MA)

This post is about a road trip to the site of a former MA insane asylum last fall. Mental illness was and continues to be a serious issue that affects many. No disrespect is intended for anyone who has suffered or knows someone dealing from any forms of this illness. In the 1950s, my maternal grandmother was hospitalized for many years in a NJ facility.

There may be no other place in the country where you can freely explore the exterior (only) of an abandoned psychiatric hospital. However, here in New England, you can walk the grounds of the shuttered former Medfield Insane Asylum, later renamed Medfield State Hospital in MA. This is a lengthy post as the history of this site was interesting and sad in so many ways.

Former Medfield Insane Asylum, 2018 aerial view (online)

The above overview shows the size of the former Medfield Insane Asylum located just outside the town of Medfield, MA. 

Medfield became a state hospital in 1914

Everyone can freely walk here, but only during daylight hours. Just don't try to enter any of the buildings. They're all boarded up and there's an onsite security patrol.

On second thought, why would you even want to try? Years of neglect and vandals have taken their toll, there's unsafe conditions. Many buildings have markings to let firefighters know the flooring is unsafe. Still, you can find many online videos of those who have trespassed.

We considered our short visit an amazing experience which led me to learn more about the long history of this now abandoned hospital.

All of the buildings display signs like: Do Not Enter, Watch Out for Cancer, and Your Risk, Not Ours. During the day, you can stroll along the roadways that wind between them, walking at your leisure right past these now vacant structures. Windows are shuttered with red-painted plywood, some steps are crumbling. There's some very unique architecture to see here.

We saw fewer than a dozen other folks during our walk around the grounds, some with small children in tow, other walking dogs. The town of Medfield has opened the site as a public space. It was a short road trip, just over an hour car ride from Nashua, NH, on a beautiful late fall day.At its height, the site encompassed almost 1,000 acres. While the farm area and some buildings are gone, the campus is large with over two dozen structures remaining, all built of matching red brick, most with unique features including porches and numerous windows as shown above.

How It Started

The former Medfield Insane Asylum was a psychiatric hospital complex that opened in 1896 as the state’s first facility for dealing with chronic mental patients. The state legislature appropriated $25,000 towards the purchase of 425 acres and $500,000 for building construction. It was authorized as a 1,000-bed hospital for the care of chronic and incurable cases of the insane.

1896 illustration of Medfield Insane Asylum (online)

By May 1896, 12 buildings were completed to accommodate 600 patients. The first 60 men and 60 women were admitted later that month, by September, there were 563 patients.

It always amazes me just how much information can be found online, such as The First Annual Report of the Medfield Insane Asylum for the year ending 1896, which covered the first 5 months of operation. It is available online from the State of Massachusetts archives and reveals a lot of information, here are some excerpts taken directly from that report: 

As the year for the institutions in Massachusetts ends with September 30, this report is neces- sarily short and includes only five months, the time elapsing since it was opened. The work of cleaning, furnishing and otherwise preparing the different buildings was begun March 1, and was pushed forward as rapidly as possible.Twelve of the cottages for patients were ready to be put in order while six others designed for the filthy and more disturbed classes were in process.

The really great work of organizing and opening a large asylum has been carried on in a manner satisfactory to the trustees and creditable to the superintendent. This work was rendered more perplexing from the fact that the whole plan of administration was a new one in this State. The daily routine of the patients transferred was entirely different from that to which they had been accustomed, many of them for years, and they found it difficult easily to accommodate themselves to the change. In addition to this, building operations have been carried on through the year. This has been an important factor as a disturbing element, adding to the natural excitement of the patients incident to their removal to a new home. The friction and discomfort arising from these causes are, however, becoming less every day.

The cottage plan adopted in the construction gives a much better opportunity for the classification of all forms of insanity than is afforded by any hospital in the State.

The expenses of the institution shall not exceed $2.80 per week for each patient. This sum can be sufficient only when the asylum has become well established, with at least two-thirds of its complement of inmates . This report covers the first five months since the asylum was opened, with the number of patients varying from 120 to 596, and the expenses for this period and for the month of March, during which the buildings were made ready for occupancy, has been $3.21 per patient. Expenses during the summer are always less than during the winter, when the item of fuel adds considerably to the expenditures.

Any success which is achieved in the management of an asylum for the insane requires, on the part of those in charge, unceasing diligence, an unlimited amount of patience and never-failing kindness in manner and speech towards the unfortunate inmates.

That first annual report also listed these annual salaries: superintendent $2,500; assistant physicians $1,500 and $900, engineer $1,000, bookkeeper $600, Treasurer $500, and matron $400. No information was listed for attendants, whose salaries were undoubtedly much less.

Women patients at Medfield: Medfield Historical Society source

Six additional buildings with wards for untidy, excited, and epileptic patients were completed in early 1897, boosting patient capacity to 1,100. By year end, Medfield Insane Asylum had 961 patients. Many had been transferred from other institutions and classified as old, sick, feeble, filthy in their habits. (Original terms used for patient conditions.)

Life in an Asylum

Insane asylums, also called lunatic asylums/funny farms by insensitive people, were established in the U.S. in the mid-1800s often to replace poorhouses and housed many considered unfit to live with others. Here's some of the actual physical and mental admission causes listed in the Annual Report: epilepsy, fever, fall, masturbation, heredity, ill health, menopause, nervous prostration, domestic affliction, financial troubles, jealousy, religious excitement, worry, hysteria, syphilis, sunstroke, intemperance, overwork, unknown. There were also those with actual mental health issues, schizophrenia to manic-depression (known as bi-popular disorder) and some criminals. While the report contained a column for voluntary, none were listed there. 

Some patients admitted to Medfield were never diagnosed, but placed there by families who used the asylum to house unwanted relatives. Sadly, a common practice in the 1800-1900s.

According to the Annual Report cited above: There have been discharged 13 patients; 2 were improved and 11 were not improved. Eight of these were transferred to other institutions by orders from the State Board of Lunacy and Charity. There were 24 deaths. When we consider the feeble condition of many of these patients, and that in some cases death was a " foregone conclusion" when they were admitted, and the fact that the change of habits and environment of elderly demented patients often hastens a fatal termination, it is not excessive. All those that eloped have been returned except one, who was arrested as a vagrant in a neighboring town and committed to another lunatic hospital.

It was no surprise to learn that the asylum had many fatal incidents. In 1897, a patient, seriously burned after being left unattended in a tub of hot water, later died; the attendant was discharged. In December that year, a woman escaped, despite efforts to track her in the snow, her body was found in February. In 1916, a woman in the ward for violent patients was killed by another female inmate when an attendant left the room (a New York Times article reported the murder was committed with a heavy iron polisher). In 1916, three attendants were arrested and charged with a patient's murder. One was found guilty and sentenced to 3 years, the other two were dismissed. There were reported incidents of racial discrimination as well.

Internet source

Being committed to an insane asylum was akin to being imprisoned and was often a life sentence, many inmates never had visitors. If they died without a burial location, bodies were either donated to medical schools or buried in the Vine Lake Cemetery in Medfield. Those burials stopped in 1918 when the area was hit with the influenza epidemic. It spread to 308 patients and 55 died in a month and, with town pressure, a state hospital cemetery was built at the height of the epidemic. (The Medfield State Hospital Cemetery, which we didn't visit, contains the remains of 841 patients and is in a field about a half mile from the hospital.)

Cottages for Men (top) and Women (bottom) - Medfield Historical Society source

The college-like campus was designed by Boston architect William Pitt Wentworth, a Vermont native. Buildings were designed around a quadrangle, that resembled a New England town common and were constructed in several styles: Greek Revival, Queen Anne, and Beaux Arts. Wentworth was a noted progressive architect of hospitals; this was one of his last major projects before his 1896 death at age 59. (While there are many photos of the hospital buildings, there are none of its architect, Wentworth.)

Lee Chapel, patients prayed and attended mass here. Later, a morgue was added in the basement; the chapel was later reused as a gym

The Administration Building and wards for quiet patients were at the front, with wards for the untidy, excited, and epileptic patients (again, original terms) around the perimeter. The infirmary and industrial buildings were located at the corners. The chapel, powerhouse, carpenter’s shop, laundry, kitchen, and dining facilities were placed in the center; the hospital was a self-sustaining community.

Medfield was the first state mental facility in Massachusetts to be built under the cottage plan layout. Back then, this was a very unique concept because instead of placing patients in cells, they were integrated into a small community and worked a specific job within it. (Major similar institutions followed the Kirkbridge Plan created by Dr. Thomas Kirkbridge in which patients and staff were all housed in a one large building.)

Interior living quarters - Medfield Historical Society source

Living conditions were home-like with sleeping quarters on the second floor; sitting and work rooms on the ground floor. Staff worked on the wards 12 hours a day, six days a week and lived in the wards as well. At one point, the asylum had over 2,000 patients and 500-600 staff.

The psychiatric hospital eventually housed a population that was larger than Medfield, a small agricultural community. By 1900, the town's population was over 3,000, half of which were hospital patients. The facility provided employment for over 600 Medfield residents and others from surrounding towns.

Vintage Exterior Views - Medfield Historical Society source

The Medfield farms were worked on by patients and served much of the food needs for all the state hospitals in eastern Massachusetts. Silos stored hundreds of tons of corn. Milk from the dairy herds supplied milk for residents at Medfield and many surrounding state institutions. There were over 3,000 hens; the cattle herd numbered over 1,000.

Former Men's Infirmary

A farmhouse added near the barn in 1901 served as living quarters for the head farmer and his family plus 14 farm hands and 30 patients. The farm played an important role in the lives of the patients and the economy of the hospital until farming was stopped in the late 1960s. 

In 1902, an additional $80,000 was appropriated for a second ward for excited female patients, and $2,000 towards the purchase of 40 acres for the construction of additional buildings for 600 patients. A nurses residence for 75 nurses, a male attendants’ home, a hospital for tubercular patients, a ward for 100 excited male patients, and a new powerhouse were also added.

Former employe cottages

Several wood-framed cottages were built in 1906 for employees. By year end, there were 1,500 patients.

The hospital was renamed Medfield State Asylum in 1909 to reflect changes in the treatment of the mentally ill. Five years later (1914) it was changed to the current Medfield State Hospital name which allowed it to care for patients with all types of mental illness, not just chronic mental illness. It was believed the word hospital conveyed a more hopeful outcome than the word asylum. 

At its height, the complex numbered 58 buildings on 425 acres, with a capacity for 2,200 patients. It raised its own livestock and produce, and generated its own heat, light and power. 

During the 1930s-1940s the hospital continued to be overcrowded with the population climbing to over 2,300 patients. In 1938, electro-shock treatment began to be used for the first time at the hospital.The outbreak of WW II and men enlisting, left a significant staff shortage. Higher-functioning patients performed laundry, housekeeping, food service, grounds care, farming, and other duties. A nurses training school was discontinued in 1943. By 1945, facilities at Medfield were failing and a state report noted many improvements were needed.

How It Ended

By the 1950s, new medications changed the care of the mentally ill, allowing the discharge of more patients. Replacing long-term psychiatric hospitals with community mental health services expanded in the 1960s after Congress passed a law requiring that mental health patients in the U.S. be housed or hospitalized in the least restrictive environment. By the mid-1970s, most of Medfield's patients were moved to community-based halfway houses. 

By 2001, Medfield had just 150 inpatients, with 29 out of 54 buildings still in use. With an annual maintenance budget of under $1 million, buildings were failing, earlier some were condemned. In 2002, faced with mounting expenses and an underused campus, the state of Massachusetts announced the closing of Medfield State Hospital and shuttered all buildings.

The Aftermath

The Medfield State Hospital campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the State Register for local and national historical significance in architecture, health and medicine and social history in 1993. 

Architectural rendering of Lee Chapel as Medfield Arts Center (online)

In 2014, the town of Medfield purchased Medfield State Hospital from the state for more than $3 million with a goal to repurpose it for community use, a plan still in the works. 

Another online report is the 2018 Medfield State Hospital (MSH) Strategic Reuse Master Plan which includes historic rehabilitation/reuse of 28 buildings for housing, commercial space, and recreation, including the conversion of Lee Chapel to an arts center. New construction would include housing and an inn with meeting and gathering spaces.

We didn't see any evidence of work in process during our visit. Instead, it felt like walking the back lot of a film studio. It's a perfect location for any production that requires an aging complex. 

In fact, it has been used as filming locations for at least two motion pictures, notably Shutter Island and The Box, neither of which we have seen. Reportedly, the 2019 film, Knives Out  too. But, we recently rewatched the film and didn't recognize any of the facility in it.

In summary, our walk around the grounds of this defunct hospital campus lead me to learn about and share its very unique and unsettling history. It's unlikely that we will ever revisit the site. How much longer free public access will remain is uncertain. If you ever plan to visit, here's the address: 

Medfield State Hospital, 45 Hospital Rd, Medfield, MA

grounds open 6 am to 6 pm, public access, buildings boarded up, entry prohibited