Report - Quaker State School, USA, November 2015

cgrizzy · Apr 24, 2018

This New England institution was established in 1848, with the purpose of housing and caring for "feeble-minded" children. By the mid-20th century, the campus had grown to encompass nearly 200 acres and over 70 buildings, housing 2500 people at its peak. As with many other state-run facilities, the institution was faced with massive overcrowding and substandard conditions, as well as reports of abuse, and was subject to a class-action lawsuit in the 1970's. It was also revealed that a number of children had been intentionally exposed to radioactive isotopes as part of a joint experiment with two local universities between 1946 and 1953. In the 1990's, the school transitioned to a center for adults, with a dwindling total population; in 2001, only ~300 patients resided within the complex. With the state looking to close the facility, and the remaining residents being transitioned into community services, the last residents left the school in 2014.

While a handful of buildings were quickly re-purposed or completely sealed up and maintained, the vast majority of the sprawling complex was merely left to sit and gather dust. Upon my visit two autumns ago, I made plans to go with a few other explorers, but was unsure what to expect from the place, as little online info existed, apart from the land being listed for sale. I joined up with a friend, and we made our way to the center of campus, only to learn that the other two members of the group had been stopped by police at the other end of the complex and told to leave. Now even more on edge, we spent the morning hours sneaking our way down one side of the campus. However, as we made our way further and further into the property, we were lucky enough to have no run-ins with cops or security.

I had been aware of the sheer size of this institution before arriving, but in person, it was quite captivating; after each building we explored, there was another just around the corner or down the hill, beckoning us in. Because of the staggered closure of the school, each one was a bit of a gamble: Some still had running power and functioning lights, and hardly looked abandoned, while others were shells close to collapsing. In one particular building, we heard other explorer's footsteps on the floor above us, and were greeted by a foot and a leg as one of them nearly fell right through! Thankfully all was well, and by the end of the day, we had checked out about 12 buildings, each in various states of decay.

To date, this is one of my favorite explores of all time. The variation, the huge number of artifacts left behind, and the general eeriness of the site all made for a fantastic experience. Even with active buildings nearby and the city skyline visible, we still felt oddly isolated; alone with this place, its colorful past, and its uncertain future.

Walking up to our first buildings, trying not to be seen...
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