Utica Lunatic Asylum

Daisy on Tue, 15th Apr 2008 12:05 pm 

That architecture is truly impressive. It’s too bad that it has fallen into disrepair. I read your earlier post, and the “Utica Crib” gave me chills. Do you think the building could be a little bit haunted?

Mrs. Mecomber on Tue, 15th Apr 2008 12:10 pm 

Believe it or not, many of the afflicted people who used the Utica Crib preferred it. They said it kept them from harming themselves and others, and so they felt safer. Pretty heart-wrenching, isn’t it?

Yes, the asylum is haunted. All of Utica is. Haunted with the specter of better days- once prosperous, but more importantly, once virtuous. It’s not too late for Utica, though. She could rise out the ashes like the phoenix, if she took to heart what George Washington once said, “Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord!”

The Road to Rome at New York Traveler.net on Fri, 9th May 2008 1:42 pm 

[...] ruins. One of the grandest “ancient ruin” is the Utica Psychiatric Hospital of which I wrote, but that, like many of America’s old buildings, turned into a drug rehab and alcohol center [...]

dawn adams on Sat, 31st May 2008 1:03 pm 

my name is dawn and in 1966 i was at a school on marcy state hospital growns { called Crane hill school}
i have been looking for information on past historie for my book, please get back to me on this Matter
thank u dawn

Lou G. on Wed, 25th Jun 2008 10:35 pm 

That is haunted no doubt! Those are some neat pictures, imagine visiting a place like that at night!

I can’t believe they used such an intricate architecture to build a mental hospital… that thing should be a museum or something.

Cool post!

C.Wimsatt on Thu, 24th Jul 2008 4:56 pm 

I am doing my family tree and came across the 1860 census which listed a man carrying my family name of Peter J. Bryant. We was listed as a resident of the Asylum. I don’t know if that is my great, great, great, grandfather but how interesting is that.

Wow!

Ted on Tue, 26th Aug 2008 10:47 pm 

hello Dawn I was also at crane hill at that time, I know a little of its history, but not alot on the net is around… will try to help if I can

john morrison on Sun, 1st Feb 2009 12:17 am 

im looking for some follow servivers of crane hill school i spent 7 years in that place see more commets on desalation .com.i sill live in syrcuse ny.after that chituation i worked at pass and seymour ing for 23 years im now on ssd.

Ted on Sun, 1st Feb 2009 7:02 pm 

hello John I am a survivor of crane hill…what can I help you with??

john morrison on Mon, 2nd Feb 2009 5:51 pm 

hi ted im looking reconnect whith some old friends from crane hill i can be contacted by texting me at 315-663-6220 or my email jpipeline1 on aol.com im looking to find john gray. there are more coments on desolation-rochester.com web site it primarily shows about the rochester psychiatric center but it has more infermation about on the marcy asylum there are more comets from me about my exspireance at crane hill school of the marcy asylum

Marcus Aurelius on Mon, 9th Mar 2009 9:47 pm 

can you get inside the building/is there a way in? me and my girlfriend want to ghost hunt in there and i don’t wanna waste my time going there if we can’t get inside

dawn thomas on Wed, 6th May 2009 5:26 pm 

the one thing that is the sadness is that i lived at Marcy as a child, and when the state rebuilt. nothing was saved or recorded, it is almost like crane hill never was. i am looking for maybe staff other children, anyone that has pitchers, crane hill was my home, most of the time, i have memorys and nothing to back them up. or is the state hinden something, thanks dawn thomas the year 1966 to 1970

daniel maselli on Fri, 29th May 2009 12:30 pm 

i was a patient at Crane Hill School in the mid 1960′s – would like to correspond with anyone who was also a patient during that period..my last name is now MULVIHILL (i was later adopted)
however at the time i resided at Crane Hill School I was Daniel
Maselli….please get in touch with me at danielmulvihill@aol.com
thank you.

Nancy Oakes on Sun, 30th Aug 2009 7:47 pm 

My first job was at the Utica State Hospital back in 1972. I worked within the geriatric center. Most all the patients there were there due to syphlis, gonarea, and/or other diseases that back in their day there was no treatment for. And yes, most were insane. Back when I worked there I was told of the dungeons below. They used to have them open to the public for tours, but then it became too dangerous so they had to close them down. I was told that they still had the balls and chains that were built into the walls to restrain the people with. Wished I could’ve taken the tour when it was open but I never heard of it until my employment days there. The buildings..were amazing. Scary, and we weren’t allowed to walk the halls alone at all. Because the patients weren’t safe to be around. We had HUGE keys to carry that unlocked the bedroom doors. One HUGE Skeleton key unlocked each bedroom doorn.
I think it’s ashame that Utica can’t fix the place up and keep it preserved. It was the most awesome bulding(s) around !

Joanne on Wed, 30th Dec 2009 11:35 am 

lOOKING FOR BIRTH FAMILY
I was born 8/3/60 @ marcy psych cntr. according to the hospital code on my birth certificate. I was told my mother was 16 y/o. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Joanne

Phil on Fri, 26th Feb 2010 2:43 pm 

We actually conducted an investigation on the campus a little while back. We heard many of the stories and decided to take our contacts up on the suggestion. Here you can find some of our paranormal investigation photos and ghostly photos of the Utica Asylum http://www.nyshadowchasers.com/evidenceOC.html

Joanne on Fri, 26th Feb 2010 8:10 pm 

I was born there on 8/3/1960 to a 16 year old mother. In search of any information… please help if you can!
JOANNEVOORHEES@YAHOO.COM

Thanks,
Joanne

David on Tue, 6th Jul 2010 6:26 pm 

My mother was at Crane Hill school/Marcy state 1963-1966 and 1969-1970. Her name was Susan Mckee. I would really love more information/photos etc. Anyone who remembers her or anything about the environment can email me at poptones99@yahoo.com. Thank you.

David on Tue, 6th Jul 2010 7:22 pm 

Also, she was in Ward 83 of Marcy, and she was around 8 years of age at her first stay 1963-1966 and 13 or so during 1969-1970. She was born in Nov. 1955. Many medical records from marcy are available from Mohawk Valley Psychiatric center. I found hers through there for her entire stay at Marcy. What was Marcy/Crane Hill like in those days? poptones99@yahoo.com

Michael Bosak on Wed, 13th Oct 2010 12:06 pm 

On another note — the idea for a museum is for a “History of the TREATMENT of Mental Illness” — much of which was developed and proliferated here at “Old Main” in Utica — the Utica Crib and shackles to lobotomies and other gruesome things, to the development of today’s psychotropic drugs — I think it would draw thousands from around the world. Not likely soon with the State in a state of finacial meltdown, unless money could be infused from a private donor.

DAN on Wed, 13th Oct 2010 1:28 pm 

I was at Crane Hill School in the 60′s…anyone wishing to
correspond….please contact me at danielmulvihill@aol.com..
my last name at the time was MASELLI….i was later adopted and had my last name changed.

Michael Bosak on Wed, 20th Oct 2010 2:22 pm 

No one here seems to realize that The Landmarks Society of Greater Utica has been HUGELY responsible for Old Main still standing and (somewhat) occupied today. Landmarks concern began when the state decided to close it in 1978; ten years later, Landmarks pressured the state into reapiring the massive limestone front steps and reroofing the building. In 1999, when the state was looking to sell the propoperty through the Empire State Development Corporation, Landmarks again stepped up to the plate and formered the offshoot Old Main Redevelopment Advisory Committee. The work of this committee and its memebrs brought the building back under NY State control, fostered the 1 million dollar plus renovation and restoration of the ground floor, and paved the way for the Records Retention Center. Landmarks also had Utica Monday Nite tours of the ground floor of the building with the coorperation and help of the Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center Utica Campus administration — the most recent of these was this past June 7th where over 800 people showed up! The idea for a Museum dedicated to the History of the Treatment of Mental Illness still has much merit, and needs to be pursued. I think that this could generate broad scale interest from around the globe. Old Main (The Utica Lunatic Asylum) was the first such public institution in New York State, and one of thre first in the nation. Many of the treatments throughout the ages were developed here, including the field of Occupational Therapy. Properly done and properly promoted, this useum could be a huge boon to the burgeoning Heritage Tourism industry that Utica must take advantage of.

Frank on Sat, 23rd Oct 2010 9:12 pm 

I stayed at Cranehill for a few months.It was not a nice experience.It had a padded room.If you were a discipline problem they gave you a shot to put you asleep and put you in this padded room.There was a doctor there that scarred me by scraping a knife on my stomach.The staff would make the kids fight just to get their jollies.Anyone that stayed there please contact me

Donna Kulla on Mon, 25th Oct 2010 10:11 am 

Back in 1952-57, I went to kernan School across from the asylum; I never really knew what type of hospital it was. I always admired it design. It always reminded me of Rome. When studying Latin,the archtecture impressed me the most. On another subject; I’m glad to see you’re based in Remsen. You probably know where Star Hill Road is. There is a house there.I can’t aproxamite how far up. From what I knew people by the name of Masters owned it. At one time my family owned it. This house has history behind and is definately has activity.

THMLT on Wed, 3rd Nov 2010 10:49 pm 

I was born and raised in west utica right near the psychiatric center. I lived on Warren st. across from Kernan school and attended an after school program that the Boys and Girls club opened up in one of the buildings on the property. We would hear and see a lot of strange things so much so that the staff wouldn’t let us go anywhere alone. we would have to go in pairs to ensure our safety. It wasn’t always safe, or at least it didnt seem that way. it was creepy. My mom told me stories of when she was a kid and would pass the hospital to go to school and hear the screaming and crying of the patients. She attended a few of the tours and then the tours were stopped because of the danger to the visitors, i dont remember if she said it was the patients or the conditions of the building. she told me a story that someone had told her of a patient who got pregnant by another patient and then when she had the baby, in the dungeon, it was still born and they just sprayed it with the hose into the sewage drain. Not sure how true it is, but it really added to the scare factor of the place! some creepy stuff went on there. It may be twisted, but it fascinates me. I can only imagine the memories that this amazing building holds. I would love to do a paranormal investigation of the place. Who’s with me?!!!

dawn thomas on Thu, 23rd Dec 2010 9:53 am 

i am still looking for inforemation about crane hill school photos if any staff that worked there in 1966 to 1970 when i left my name was dawn thomas

john morrison on Fri, 28th Jan 2011 4:18 pm 

In the 1960s and before there where 3 notoris mental institutions in the utica rome area. they where UTICA STATE HOSPITAL and MARCY STATE HOSPITAL and
ROME STATE SCHOOL. together they had a HISTORY of
MISERY. and. if you look on a map at there location they form a triangle. its our version of the devils
triangle. where people used to disappear. and in utica MAYHEM is spelled. M A R C Y . and when they say
quality care. they really mean quality scare

john morrison on Fri, 28th Jan 2011 5:07 pm 

this may sound kind of sick. I’m fasenated with old asylum buildings
even marcy had some interesting buildings. my faverits where
A building. and C and D buildings. they had huge porches on them
with white pillers. i like kirkbride style asylum buildings
none of our institutions use that design in central new york

john morrison on Fri, 28th Jan 2011 5:29 pm 

when i was a kid in MARCY i knew the term HOSPITAL wasnt its oridginal title. i knew that there was a more
midevil title and that is ASYLUM. so when i refer to a state hospital or mental health facility. i always CALL it an ASYLUM

john morrison on Fri, 28th Jan 2011 7:32 pm 

one of my faverit parts of the asylum was its power house and steam tunnel system most asylum campus,s tunnels under them

john morrison on Tue, 8th Feb 2011 8:53 pm 

in case anybody is wondering how CRANE HILL SCHOOL got its name. it was the crane family who donated land to the state to build the MARCY ASYLUM
word has it that it was picked from a head stone in
a nearby cemetery. boy how creepy is that. even the
name CRANE HILL sounds kind of creepy.
cause CRANE HILL was the cemetery for the living
a house of paine and misery.these of us that
survived its rath. will never forget.

john morrison on Tue, 8th Feb 2011 9:40 pm 

CRANE HILL SCHOOLs replacment is known as PINEFIELD of mohawk valley PSYHATRIC CENTER. it should be
called PAINEFIELD. it has air conditioning.it has to
cause its windows don’t open. todays asylums are
more genaric then the old ones where
in SYRACUSE the hutchings asylum looks like a box
the new childrens unit has a 25ft high fence that
looks like the rapture exibit in JURASSIC PARK
so we like to call it ASYLUM PARK

ted on Wed, 9th Feb 2011 12:13 pm 

jhon, I know what you mean by the tunnels, I remember when they transferred meto the main oart of the hospital, they put me in a place for teenagers called westover. westover did not have its own dining room, so we used another building.. in order to get to that building we had to go thru this series of tunnels to get to that buildings dining room…

john morrison on Wed, 9th Feb 2011 6:25 pm 

ted this is john. you probily ganed acess true eather E building or C building. cause westover did not have a tunnel. its steam lines ware direct berid they came from the basement rec room of C building and in to westover in a room near the stairway. you can call or text me at 315-663-6220 i can remember that place
like it was yesterday. i was disappointed that CRANE HILL had a seperite tunnel not connected to the main tunnel system that ran thru the rest of the campus

john morrison on Wed, 9th Feb 2011 6:50 pm 

it would have been awsom. if we had acess to the main system. by the way the tunnels you had acess to ware general passage tunnels between E
F and G buildings and west kitchen. the rest of the campus had smaller tunnels that where always locked up and off linits. to even to the attendents. these outher tunnels
were utility tunnels only. every building had one

john morrison on Wed, 9th Feb 2011 7:12 pm 

and also. you may have noticed that westover was a nicer looking building. that’s because it was not oridgaly an imate building. it was an employees building at first.it had no barred windows and the stairway had no safety grates. it looked more like a small hotel. hay as in HOTEL CALIFURNIA

john morrison on Wed, 9th Feb 2011 7:58 pm 

most of new yorks asylums were built in the 1900s only. 5 or 6 of them were built in the 1800s utica was the first in 1843 and willard the second in 1869
marcy was built in 1923 as an add on to utica asylum
later it became a separate asylum of its own. but the
largest was built on long island. pilgrime was at one
time the biggest in the world. for all you kirkbride building fans new york had 2 institutions. buffilow and
hudson river. a kirkbride building is awsom almost
castle like. see the one in buffilow and check out the one in danvers mass. the bay windows and towers

john morrison on Wed, 9th Feb 2011 8:44 pm 

in syracuse we also had an old asylum. but it wast a
state hospital. it was. called syracuse state school
it was the first institution for the retarted.it was built in 1854.in 1971 it was replaced with the new syracuse devalipmental center witch is now closed
the site is on 800 s wilbur av syracuse near the zoo
the old institution wasn’t a masive building.
it was more like a couple of vary large houses linked
togather.the new institution was mouch larger

john morrison on Wed, 9th Feb 2011 9:10 pm 

i remenber one night in CRANE HILL SCHOOL there was a thunder storm and the lights went out
it was like. THE HOUSE ON HUNTED HILL. there is nouthing like being in an ASYLUM in a
thunder storm. its kind of creepy.going down the
long dark corrider and the lighting flashing all
around. here every day is helloween. folks this was no movie set. this was real. a real nightmere. one that you can never forget

john morrison on Wed, 9th Feb 2011 9:21 pm 

i have a. good name for the old utica lunatic asylum building. THE TEMPLE OF DOOM. it kind of looks likes a temple

john morrison on Wed, 9th Feb 2011 10:05 pm 

for some reason there is no history on CRANE HILL SC HOOL. like it never mattered. outher institutions have some kind of history.but to us who lived it does matter
good or bad it does matter.in some cases it saved some kids from going down an even wurse path.even some of the bad things that happen there. there were good things that happened there too. the teachers there were vary good to us kids. and there work
should nrot be forgotting. i have tried to help rise a couple of kids that mite have benifited from souch a place as CRANE HILL SCHOOL

john morrison on Sun, 13th Feb 2011 2:27 am 

marcy state hospitals most inposing building was its
medical surgical building. built some time in the 1950s
it doubled the asylums total capacity. it had two twine
6 story towers linked with a 3 story section. its windows ware upside down venilater style.it was the most morbid and coldest building on the campus
it was known as B building. it was our twin towers
of terra. the utica asylum has an identical structure
it is known as the brighem building. both buildings
have. sub basements and a vary cold feel to them
now B building is known as CENTRAL NEW YORK PSYHATRICE CENTER a maximin security foransic psyhatric hospital not to be confused with its
former predisaser MARCY STATE HOSPITAL witch
was a civil mental hospital that closed in 1991

john morrison on Sun, 27th Feb 2011 1:54 am 

yes it would be a good idea to turn the old utica asylum into a museum. but also use the old marcy farm colony building on river rd near the old marcy campus as a memoriol museum to remember marcy
cause most people from SYRACUSE went there. when i was a kid. everybody used to say.
YOUR GONNA DRIVE ME TO MARCY. was a commen
expression. not knowing that i would make that fateful
trip myself at age 9 and doing 7 years there to age 16
but after that experience i worked 30 years as a
FACTORY WORKER. in the 60s and 70s it was mouch easyer for institutionalised victims to reintagrate
into society then it is today. with the job shortages
and educational requirements of today plus the
economic disaster thats going on now. its now
mission impossible. so if or when you go down
mentaly or emotionaly for an extended peraid
of time you are deamed a liabilaty with a credibilaty
issue. it takes more energy time and money to
create a full recovery. even if you don’t have to live in an ASYLUM or a group home. life can be pretty bleek
your running on the edge. you can’t afford the
good things in life anymore. you have been raligated
to a life of poverty and government dependance. its a
bitter pill to swallow after 30 plus years of soverinty
there is a lot of logistics to a full and meaningful
recovery. they include not only mental health issues but also physical and financial issues.cause life is more
then just being alive. it is to be enjoyed. when you become compermised its almost better to be dead
then to live a compermises life

Laurie Smith on Sun, 20th Mar 2011 10:47 am 

Looking for info on a Marion VanTassel That was a resident of Marcy State Hospital, That passed away while there between the years of 1967 and 1969,I remember as a teen, taking a phone call from the hospital for my grandmother, that her sister had passed away, and I would like to learn more about her. THANK YOU.

Darlene on Sun, 22nd May 2011 11:47 pm 

I did a student internship at Crane Hill about 1975 and it was a terrible place. I was present at a diagnostic conferance where the head psychiatrist stated that they were going to diagnose a child as psychotic for the simple sake of saving their funding — and at that time this diagnosis ( which was wrong ) would doom said child to a life in the institution until she was 18 — – I questioned this openly — and was told that the state had send a mandate that no child could be admitted unless they were psychotic — and therefore any child that came in should be so labeled — to save funding and money — what a travesty. I witnessed autistic children black boxed, miss informed labeling of children, and many other abuses — and as to Utica Psychiatric — this place was a hell hole and as far as i am concerned should be bulldozed into the ground and forgotten — for all those who think this is some kind of ghost hunt bonanza — you should get a life and realize the suffering that existed there — I knew a man there who had been a star on broadway who had half his brain taken out making him an idiot — this is not a fun discussion or fun places — these are the places where hell is spawned.

darlene — survivor

Cynthia on Fri, 27th May 2011 9:19 pm 

Hello-

I’d like to do some research on the early history of Old Main, particularly the decade or two after it was built. If anyone has any hints on where to find information, please post here, or let me know. Thank you!

-Cynthia

Michael Bosak on Tue, 31st May 2011 6:37 am 

Contact the Landmarks Society of Gretaer Utica at 315 732-7376 or email info@uticalandmarks.org.

Skott on Tue, 14th Jun 2011 12:51 pm 

I too was a patient at Crane Hill from 66 – 68 and have foggy memories as I was only 5-7 years old. I do remember the violence and sexual abuse quite vividly and blamed my parents for sending me there for years! Still have a bit of a grudge.

Dawn Thomas on Wed, 20th Jul 2011 12:13 am 

My Name is dawn Thomas i was at crane hill from 1966 to 1970, i remember to much of this place it is like it has been said you never for get I also remember the teachers Mrs Spears and Mrs Matthews.
i remember working with wood in the wood shop. but i remember going places like house caveing boonville fair, and i hated tham dam green bus’s everyone knewn where we were from and going outside and haven winter carnelvals and sliding down that big hill I hit the fence for got to jump off the sled the fence that was a road on the other side, and the chorse we did moping the day room the long halls moping them please if anyone who may have been on a girls ward 83 please get a hold of me and staff to if any are alive thank you Dawn Thomas

Lew Hunter on Tue, 30th Aug 2011 3:55 pm 

I was only 10 years old when I was admitted to Marcy from 1958 thru 1962. I remember being given “shock treatments” – they hurt like hell. I remember being given a drug called thorizine to make me sleep -doses started at 50 mg and increased up to 800 mgs. Slept longer and longer with each dose. Other drugs were used over the yeards but I don’t remember the names.

I remember playing in the basement of “A” Bldg where the four pof us boys would tear the insulation (aspestos) from the pipes and using it as swords for fighting with each. Anyone remember the long ramps between floors?

Does anyone remember a husband/wife team called QUACKENBUSH who worked with the children?

Ted on Sun, 13th Nov 2011 9:19 am 

hi john I think I remember you, were’nt you the kid who took apart anything electronic? you might remember me I was the kid who kept running away, as soon as I got an honor card, I would take off..they thought I was crazy so they transferred me out of crane hill over to B building. did the same thing there too..I think I hold the record for running away from there…32 times

David on Fri, 9th Dec 2011 9:55 am 

Thank you for allowing us to leave comments here. I left some posts awhile back about my mother, Susan Ann Mckee, who was on ward 80 at Crane Hill/Marcy. She was there from ’63-’66 and again ’69-’70 (at 6 and 13 years of age approx). I have her medical records from Crane Hill, and these classmate names came up: Jody…MaryV….”Bernie”…Marilyn…Aleta…Nancy G…Pamela…and Alice. Just in case anyone might recall them. I also have doctor and social worker names. I also have an article written for a psychiatric journal that also contains a drawing of the floor plans for crane hill. The 9 page article can be purchased online, and it is called “Crane Hill School:A Children’s Service Within a State Hospital.” It is written by three M.D.’s:Barwise/Bigelow/Esau. Again, I contacted Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center for her records. Her primary doctors were Tuason and Christie, with Skamas, Sackler and Dissen weighing in. She was always known to play records/dance to a phonograph of Beatles albums, and she was always sucking her fingers. She also liked the TV show Stoney Burke. She had attended Town of Webb school. If anyone might remember her, let me know. I want to see all who were in Crane Hill get some recognition. With a different family and school environment, she would have done great…and this is not wishful thinking on my part. I know, based on her records. Her family put her there. Thank you for reading. dwmondo@gmail.com

Nickie on Wed, 14th Dec 2011 9:44 pm 

My parents both went to this hospital back in 1985 (one for depression and the other for anger management) and fell in love. There is a set of stairs with a hiding spot my parents would sneak off to so they could be alone. I was born shortly after my mother got out. I would love to see this place, because it was the only place where my parents loved each other.

dave on Sun, 29th Jan 2012 3:52 am 

I was in B building and westover from 1969 to 1972. any readers fromt hat time?

I appreciate comments! Please leave yours here.