RHH's photos with the keyword: insane

This photo was taken in the old cannery on the 400 acre agricultural part of the hospital grounds. The cannery provided employment for the residents of the hospital and processed the fruit (especially strawberries) and vegetables that were grown on the farm, as much as 1.5 million pounds annually according to one of the signs. The four buildings that are part of the Cannery are now some of the most ruined and derelict buildings on the site. with roofs falling in, windows gone and old benches and machinery sagging and fallen. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

These are some of the barns at Northern State Hospital, dairy barns, I believe, and part of a complex of barns and buildings that also included stables and a poultry-raising operation. The barns are seen here from the fields below where many of the crops were raised and over a tangle of brambles and weeds. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This is one of the old cannery buildings in the agricultural area of Northern State Hospital, formerly a state-of-the-art facility for the mentally ill. It is falling in on itself and is probably even a bit dangerous though we went in side and took pictures. The previous picture was taken inside this building. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

Taken in one of the old cannery buildings on Northern State Hospital's 400 acre agricultural land, now a public park. This room appears to have been used for storage but is typical of the buildings on the site, roof falling in and in complete disrepair. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This detail shot from the chapel at Northern State Hospital shows that even those buildings that have received some upkeep or are still in use, are also in need of repair. Here too the details of the Spanish Revival architecture are evident. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This is the interior of the barn shown in the photo, below - even worse from the inside than from the outside. It appears to have housed equipment and machinery for the dairy (in one of the rooms there is a large boiler). ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This photo was taken in the hospital area before we were told to leave. Though some of the buildings there are in decent shape and still in use, others are not, as is evident in this shot. I do not know, however, what was in this building when the hospital was still open. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This is the chapel at Northern State Hospital. We could not tell if it was still in use, bit it appeared to be in fairly good repair. It is a good example of the Spanish Revival style in which the hospital and administration buildings were designed and is in the non-agricultural part of the hospital. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This is another shot from the agricultural area of Northern State Hospital, the part of the grounds that is now a public park. As I noted in an earlier post, the cannery provided employment for the residents and income for the hospital and used the fruits and vegetables which were grown on the farm. These are the most dilapidated buildings on the grounds as is evident here. What exactly the equipment was used for I do not know, but it is rather ironic that the fallen fruit from an old apple tree outside now litters the floor of the cannery and goes unused. I don't ordinarily post in black and white or monochrome, and because the sunny day accented some of the subtle coloring, I didn't, but most of these pictures are actually better in monochrome which seems to emphasis the sad condition of these buildings and seems to make them more stark and grim. I am, for that reason, tempted to repost the whole set in monochrome, but we shall see. I have a lot of other pictures from last summer that I would like to post also before spring and summer and another hiking season arrive. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This is one of the farm's outbuildings at Northern State Hospital. It appears to have been used as a shelter for cattle or for hay and falling down and overrun with brambles. This photo also gives a sense of how large this area is. The main hospital grounds are beyond the trees at the far side of the open area beyond this building. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This old boiler (there are several of them) was in one of the old dairy buildings at Northern State Hospital. These are some of the only pieces of equipment still remaining on the site, almost everything else having been removed or stolen. I believe that these were coal fired and that there was a railroad spur to the hospital that brought in the coal and other necessities. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

Another detail shot showing the Spanish Revival architecture of Northern State Hospital, very beautiful but very unusual for this area. This is one of the front corners of the chapel building and the top of one of the stained glass windows can be seen as well. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This was on the land north of the farm buildings and between them and some of the outbuildings to the north. Like so much else on the grounds of Northern State Hospital it is broken and overrun with weeds. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

Another indication that the even those buildings that are used and maintained to some extent are in need of help. These are the steps at what I assume to be the side entrance to the chapel at Northern State Hospital. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...

This is the same building shown in the previous photo but now from the inside. It was a bit scary to be inside since the whole thing look like it will fall down at any moment. Liked the patterns the light made in the roof and on the floor and took the chance to get this shot. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/01/northern-st...