The Damned Story: What is it with the state of Connecticut and creepy old mental hospitals?
For decades, the abandoned Undercliff Sanatorium, a former state health facility, sat at the base of South Mountain, near Hubbard Park in Meriden. Even though it was shuttered, some claimed it was still in use—by the ghosts of former patients.
According to the Connecticut State Library, Undercliff was originally opened in 1910 as the Meriden Sanatorium and in 1918, became the first facility in the nation dedicated exclusively to treating children afflicted with tuberculosis. The name was changed to Undercliff Sanatorium in the early 1920s, and about two decades later, it began to accept adult patients. In 1954, the tuberculosis patients were transferred to other state facilities, with many children going to Seaside Sanatorium in Waterford.
Two years later, the property became part of the state Department of Mental Health and was rechristened Undercliff Hospital; more buildings were added to the main hospital, including residences for staff, and soon thereafter, it started accepting patients with mental diseases from around the region. Undercliff served in this capacity until 1976, when on May 28, the last patient was discharged and the staff was transferred to other facilities across Connecticut. It has essentially remained empty since, although a few buildings on the property are used by various state agencies, including the Department of Developmental Services.
Like many mental health facilities, even though many people were treated well and cured here, there were still dark stories attached to the property, including tales of abuse and horror, although no actual evidence of any such activity was ever been uncovered. Considering that Undercliff served for decades as a refuge for those afflicted with turberculosis and other serious diseases, no doubt that more than a few people died on the property.
Consequently, there were been numerous reports of hauntings. Some alleged to have heard the voices of children, both laughing and crying, while others claimed to have seen the shadows and spirit of children in the windows of the empty buildings. Those who ventured inside the buildings supposedly heard the footsteps of patients running from orderlies as well as the screams of the mentally ill undergoing treatment.
A few purported sightings involved the ghost of one patient who was supposedly attacked and murdered by fellow residents (again, unsubstantiated); the story went that you could see the phantom of the lost soul wandering the grounds at night. EVPs and other otherworldly manifestations were also reported to have been captured by those investigating the facility.
As it is state property, it was off limits to the general public, although it didn’t prevent adventurers from trying to investigate the place on their own. Numerous pictures and videos of Undercliff taken by amateur explorers and the curious still can be found across the internet. In July 2010, three local teenagers (and aspiring ghost hunters) made headlines when one of them was injured after jumping from a cliff near the property while being chased by police for trespassing.
Further adding to the creepy mystique of Undercliff was that it was rumored to be tied to notorious serial killer Hadden Clark. In April 2000, Clark, who evidently had lived in Meriden with his grandfather back in the late 1970s and early 80s, was taken from his prison in Maryland and brought by authorities to Connecticut to show them where he had possibly buried one of his victims, but no body was ever found. Although never stated officially exactly where the search was made, it was speculated to have been on the grounds of Undercliff.
Which totally makes sense. Where else would a cross-dressing cannibal psychopath bury the remains of his victims then in the shadow of an abandoned and supposedly haunted insane asylum?
Eventually, all the buildings connected with Undercliff were demolished and the grounds cleared. However, the stories remain, reminders of a dark past.
Our Damned Experience: We never got to visit Undercliff, and now that it’s gone, the opportunity is gone.
If You Go: You can’t, you know, until someone builds a functioning time machine.
Undercliff Sanatorium was located on Undercliff Road in Meriden. Again. The former site is owned by state, and no trespassing signs are posted. Those caught trespassing will be arrested and fined.
123 comments
Nice to see you finally got around to Undercliff. It looks like an incredible building and it’s a shame to see it rot away like the fate of so many other hospitals in CT. It’d be a fun place to check out though, to see what still remains. I have seen numerous pictures online of this hospital, and I believe there are rooms that are still filled with patient records to this day. If you could get permission to venture inside, I’m sure it would be very rewarding
Pictures
Where are these pictures you speak of? I was a patient there as a run away with a drug problem. I remember this place better than my own home.
I was also a runaway with a
I was also a runaway with a drug problem. I was a patient at ADRU from 73-74. Maybe we can contact each other? It has been a long time and contact would be great.
I’ve driven through the property just to check it out. Would love to see inside the buildings. One building should be chosen for ghost tours. 🙂
i ventured into the main building this past summer with my friends. it’s very interesting inside. there’s tons of files and documents scattered all over the floor. i don’t remember exactly how many stories there are, but the place is HUGE. we kept getting lost. there WAS an old original chair there that was used for medical procedures, i forgot what they’re called. but someone stole that since then. i didn’t see any mysterious shadows or hear anything creepy, but it is overall a creepy place to be, just knowing the history. my favorite room in the main building is the theater. it’s beautiful. or beautiful decay i must say. you can tell it was once GORGEOUS, but the vines moving along the floor and intertwined in the seats make it even more intriguing and pretty. if i remember correctly, there’s also a tree growing on the stage somehow. but yeah, it’s definitely risky going there. i don’t recommend it. the cops patrol the place like crazy and i heard some state cops are actually stationed in one of the still active buildings across from the main one. they see a flashlight in one of the windows, and you’re done. a number of my friends have had to run from the police for being caught there. plus it’s normally hard to get into. one of the doors was busted open when we went over the summer, but they constantly board up any openings like crazy. the standard route of getting in/out of the building is climbing onto the lower roof that leads up to the second floor, then climbing through one of the broken windows.
The houses leading up to the sanitarium are still used by the state. Just two years ago I took care of someone who lived at 7 Undercliffe. It’s definitely creepy there at night and the state still houses people with mental illness and mental retardation in the surrounding houses. I’ve never seen police in that area but if you do decide to go there, be careful because the staff and care givers who work in the surrounding houses may call the cops. I wish I could see the inside sometime, but I never had the opportunity.
I ventured into under cliff successfully about 9 years ago, and besides the scattered papers and one lonely computer monitor, it was pretty empty. But by far the creepiest part was the discovery of a large steel door at the end of a corridor in the basement. Impenetrable to would be investigators. Although many attempts had been made I saw no evidence of anyone being able to get in. Curious I looked up pictures online, and concluded that whatever the door protects, it is an area that requires a large chimney, although the boiler room which has its own chimney is open and empty. This room is rumored to house a morgue / creametorium. I could by totally wrong, but I cannot find building plans so therefore I can just speculate. in conclusion creepy? Yes. Haunted? Perhaps. But I saw no evidence.
Hello,
I’ve been nowhere near that structure, just watched two videos having a common detail: the abandoned, vandalized sections were supplied with electricity surely up to aug 2011; it shouldn’t be a problem to divert the service to the still operating areas and exclude the closed ones, so I wonder…
What the hell is wrong with you? You’re telling people not to go and then you post the directions. Ray Bendici, you’re an ass.
I was just up there on Tuesday, March 15, 2012 and although the main buildings are abandoned and I didn’t see any police, there were people working on the building to the right of the main one and three cars parked in front of the main building.
There were also employees at the in use buildings at the beginning of the road giving us dirty looks when we drove past them.
It doesn’t look very accessible unless you go at night.
Christina, the address and directions arent kept a secret and anyone with an ounce of thought can find them by doing a simple google search so Ray B. posting them here does nothing but confirm the grass is greenand sky is blue to those who are too lazy to go look it up on the net.
Even at night there are employees in the small buildings in front of the main one. When I drove by, the entire time I looked around someone was staring at me from a screen door. If you’re going to try to get inside I suggest parking on the main road (not on undercliff’s road) and walking up. Meaning you’d have to do it during the day and be pretty sneaky, if you don’t know the layout of the land by heart (since if you want to do it at night, flashlight beams would be easily seen by employees).
anyone hear of night vision!?
i went there with four other friends and all we did was park right next to the bulding. This is the second time we went there in two weeks and we never had an issue with cops. I dont know what the big deal is with parking in target and walk up through the woods. Just park where it says kitchen dropoff
hes right about parking, i know im a fisherman
I went with Kory and Tyler we just drove up the main road in the middle of the day.. you don’t need to hike through the woods with night vision from the Target parking lot.. Just drive there. And we heard ghosts in the basement banging on lockers, and we found checks. lots of checks. and board games, and tyler cut his thumb open. fun stuff maaaaaaaaaaan. fun stuff. And I got to touch some booty
The inside is filled with mold and blank papers and the graffetti of young adults trashing the place…. I went 2 days ago. Its very easy to get inside the buildings.
Ive been in there between 8 & 10 times. Walked thru the woods, the only things to worry about are the hourly circling around the propperty by two guards an if you somehow manage to get caught to run faster than a rubber bullet. Cause they will shoot at you, but it is really hard to get caught. Oh and I heard that the propperty is under new management and there remodeling the place. I have no clue what they are turning it into but I’ve always wanted to know why they closed it down it’s last time and you the third floor look singed.
I was just up there a few weeks ago two times. You can drive right up to the main building but both times there where at least a dozen cars and trucks there doing work on the building and people everywhere…
i have been there 4 times last summer awesome place inside, shame they flooded the basement where the morg was but the rest was all open and great exploring
Hi,
I am going on a 2 week long trip all around Connecticut to visit abandoned and mysterious locations. I am doing this for research on historical events and locations. I will be taking photos along with other research devices. If anyone could help me obtain permission or point me in the right direction to this place I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
You can contact me at m.nick1982@hotmail.com
Building is now gone. Completely fenced off with rent a cop on duty. Pity.
Sorry. Wrongbuilding. Undercliff is still there, although it is State owned property with a resident state tropper on duty. Fines given by state police usually require a court appearance. I had a girl friend that worked there twenty + years ago. It was even creepy back then. But… the building I was referring to is an old mental hospital off of the Berlin tpke. in Newington, Ct. The Cedarcrest. If you want to see the ruins of half of a building, find the Cedar hill cemetary and go all the way to the back left corner (the place is huge and very historic). Climb the fence and walk the dirt road about a half mile. You’ll come to a fence and the building is being slowly torn down. The guard doesn’t really watch that end of the property. If you enter from the road enterance, she’ll start walking up to your car and make you turn around asap. Although we didn’t try talking to her about the property, a friendly approach might get you a littlt closer.We didn’t try. We climbed the fence for the thrill seekers in us. Awesome property, though.
I would go in the buildings with a mask on because the buildings have asbestos in there. Great place to check out inside would be…. All of them 🙂
Went there tonight, brought an EVP and ouija board got nothing but itchy eyes and dirty in the three hours we were there. Not really spooky but a cool old building.
I went there one night back in college with a bunch of guys and girls driving up from New Haven. This was back in 1988 or 89. Obviously we were drinking and the place was pretty creeping looking on a late October night right before Halloween. It was totally abandoned and back then I don’t think anyone thought to guard the place. We were trying to scare ourselves and I do remember the empty halls and rooms with things like wheelchairs and medical looking equipment and scatter toys and stuff being pretty creepy. No ghosts or anything but creepy just the same.
Just wanted to mention a couple of things from this. First off, I have worked at Undercliff, though not in the old hospital. I worked for the Department of Developmental Services, which uses the facilities at the bottom of the hill, close to the entrance to the grounds. I also, living in the town just south of Meriden, have heard all of the stories and have ventured up to the hospital with a few friends, though I did not dare get out of the car. It was night time, and I am almost as afraid of the facility as I am afraid of the dark. It should also be noted that I was brought there against my will, as I was sitting in the back seat of my friend’s car, and he put the child locks on the back doors so I could not bolt the second I realized where we were going.
Another thing that happened on the grounds, which this article forgot to mention, was an incident that happened back in the 1970’s with the resident state trooper at the time. The resident state trooper drove up to a shed on the grounds, which I have also seen, and blew his brains out. If anyone was looking for the shed, it is somewhere off to the right of the main road. Basically, come onto the grounds via the main entrance and take the first right available to you and It is somewhere in that general vicinity, though I cannot pinpoint exactly where it is.
I was an occupational therapy aide at Undercliff l960-l962. It was a beautiful building with lots of light and open wards. There was an atmosphere of “community” among the patients and staff. Dedicated professionals treated patients with psychotherapy, psychotropic drugs, and I heard insulin therapy was used but there was no electroshock therapy used to my knowledge. The goal was always that the patient re-enter society.
While the residents of Undercliff suffered mental illnesses, it was not an Insane Asylum. The prewar nurses’ residence where I lived was creepiest place in the hospital complex.
Ubdercliff Hospital
I remember Undercliff very well! My grandmother worked there in the late 50s until it was shut down. She was a psyiciatric nurse and worked in the hospital in the ADL room.(activity of daily living) She was my father’s mother and she lived there on the grounds in the large building to the right of the hospital building. It was called the nurses home. My father would bring me and my sisters there quit often to visit and to spend weekends. The nurses home was large and had plenty of rooms empty so we would each have our own room to sleep in. Downstairs was the huge kitchen and a large playroom with a piano in there which my grandmother would often play. She would make us some awesome breakfast down there in that huge kitchen. I can still remember the names of the people who worked there. The cook, the telephone operator, some of the nurses and even the groundskeeper! I have many many fond and happy memories of being there. The ADL room was a large opn room with lots of sunlight coming. There were two roads to get to the top of Ubdercliff. As you drive in, off of Chaimberlin Highway you would take your very first right and that would lead you right to the nurses home where, like I said, nurses would live on the grounds. If you took the the road to the left of that right, it would take you right to the hospital. Both roads met each other so no matter which road you would take it would lead you to either place. I have so many memories, good memories of Undercliff and my grandmother. I could go on forever but I will conclude here. I just want to say that at one time, Undercliff was a beautiful place with beautiful grounds. Even the buildings down the hill were my grandmother also worked, were very well taken care of. My grandmother and Ubdercliff will always be a special part of my life! UNDERCLIFF
I was a resident (patient) at “Dartec House”, a residential drug treatment facility on the Undercliff grounds in the early 1970’s. Dartec was in a two-story wood-frame building on level field about halfway up the hill between the Chamberlain Highway entrance and the big sanatarium at the top of the hill. We were across the street from a two story brick building, which is still there. At that time an adolescent drug treatment (for maybe 20 residents) was housed in the brick building. A changing group of maybe 30 young adults (20 to 25 years old) lived at Dartec.
It’s gone now – I last went back in the late 1980’s- just a flat lawn where the building was, where I spent fourteen months of my early 20’s.
The main thing I remember about the big hospital was a daily ‘van run’ which a resident and counselor would make each day, to pick up steam-table trays of food, from the hospital’s main kitchen. (The lady who ran the kitchen was like the women who run high school cafeterias anywhere.) We brought these trays back to the adolescents’ building where they, and we, ate in a small dining hall.
Another time we went up the hill to see a play which I think a volunteer group put on for the patients. The mental patients seemed to get reasonably good care. By that era, mental patients were treated with meds, and at worst, were just spaced out.
I’m sorry to tell you that there were no ghosts- not even the ghosts of our own pasts which brought us there. The drug program kept us very busy doing chores (one group even installed an above-ground swimming pool-also gone now). We had very little free time and at bedtime, were so tired we fell asleep fast – if there were odd noises or strange visions, I slept through them.
I try periodically to find out what happened to the people that shared that experience with me. A lot of them died too young – if not in their twenties, in their forties or fifties. What the counselors told us was true – though it didn’t feel always feel like it, we were fighting for our lives.
I was there too….
Hello John, I was a patient at ADRU from March 1973-March 1974. I was on that pool project also. it would be great if we could make contact.
My fiance, his brother and i drove up their at night and we were approached by a friendly cop, and we honestly told him what we were doing their and he said just turn around you cannotbe here its dangerous and you dont want the others to see your vehicle,the other troopers arent as nice. We turned around went during the day time in a different occasion i thougt i seen something on one of the videos but we were so busy looking out for cops it was not possible to concentrate. I am willing to go to and get some kind of permission to enter the premisses as a i have a blank record meaning never ever arrested nor anything else so at the time we are working on this and if i do manage to enter with peace ima get the best out of it
Just a note Para…investigator. This building is owned by the state of CT and trust me when I say that you will NEVER get permission to get inside the building. About 6 months ago Jeff Belanger(senior writer of the travel channel show Ghost Adventures) and I met with the state reps for meridan trying to get the Ghost Adventures Crew permission to investigate the facility. They said absolutely under no circumstances will they allow anyone in the buildings. If you want to get in there it’s gonna have to be illegally and I know for a fact that the state cops and local cops monitor this area every couple hours. Just be careful if you go!
As a Student in a local H.S. back in 74, we as in a Health Class went on a field trip to Visit Undercliff, I believe to explore Health Issues. To this day, I continue to wonder why a Mental Health facility would be a place for a field trip. I remember visiting a couple of areas, one being a day hall where all persons of residence hung out, along with a pool area. The persons didn’t appear happy nor sad, just sollen. I became sick with fear and sadness and needed to leave the facility. I remember leaving the building and getting on the bus where I stayed until the trip ended and we left to go back to the school. Later, I learned I was a sensitive and felt all the feelings of either the persons residing there or the spirits around us.. I will never forget that visit nor had the desire to return. Now, that I’m older and wiser, I would love to go and investigate with a team to see what would turn up.
I worked there about a decade ago…and i can tell you that I and others saw shadow figures, heard things moving around…like furniture upstairs, when nothing was moved..I saw a young girl in the kitchen, which is located in the basement area…and heard a mans voice clearly tell me “NO!!” when i went to open a downstairs door to the courtyard…it is haunted. One staff quit after seeing “something” in the basement.
The old barn that burned down, right down the street, on the corner was haunted as well…
I went there today, although I didn’t get out of the car. There were multiple “State Property No Trespassing” signs but no actual police on location patrolling the area. I was able to drive around the entire campus without a problem. Since buildings on the campus as in use there are state workers there but it didn’t seem like they were about to call the police. I would love to go back and actually walk around, does anyone have any suggestions on where to park?
I would love to go as well Christine~
@Melissa have you been before? It looks like it wouldn’t be difficult to get into my only concern was where to park. I’m open for suggestions!
I went there today, jan 7th 2013. I’ve been there many times and not much has changed. I just wonder why the building is still there if its ” not being used “. Why put huge barbed wire fences around certain buidlings and employ security to watch the property? Why not demolish the building????? Weird.
it’s not really that weird.
it’s not really that weird. it takes MILLIONS of dollars to demolish one building like the ones at undercliff. the fences are to keep out trespassers- it’s a HUGE liability if someone gets hurt.
@Ryan that’s what I was thinking! What do they have to hide and what are they saving? Did you go inside?
The fence was placed when the facility was used to house troubled teens in the late nineties. It surrounded the premises to prevent escape.
I’ve been there about 5 times the past 3 years, the best place to park is at Target. One time when we went a door was wide open in the main building and we got a chance to really explore everything, it was petty awesome and freaky at the same time.
There is actually a better place to park that is much more discrete than Target. Target parking lot has camera’s everywhere and you actually have to walk right up the road to the buildings. If you go to Hubbard Park and you park on the corner of Hubbard Park Drive and Reservoir Ave right under the highway. You walk up Reservoir Ave for a short distance and there is a path on the right (you can’t miss it) that brings you through the woods and right to the back of the main building. Noone bothers your car at the park and you will NOT be seen getting to the main building. Let me know if anyone decides to go because I want to go to. And PLEASE don’t post here when you are going because I know for a fact they monitor these sights to see when people are going. Email me if you want info or if you want to go. marcel.aube@aol.com
Hello everyone,
I’m fascinated by the stories of these old hospitals, and especially the stories of those who worked or resided there for a period of time. I notice that many of the commenters on this blog who have been able to infiltrate these buildings discover that there’s a lot of “stuff” left behind, including wheelchairs, beds, toys, chairs–and medical records. It amazes me that, in this day and age of patient privacy protection laws, there seems to have been no effort by the state to remove those records. It also seems kinda sad to think of all the medical equipment (not outdated stuff, of course) left behind that could have been put to use in other facilities. Putting on my “taxpayer” hat, I’m also amazed that the state spends money to have police constantly patrolling these abandoned sites. I understand it’s a safety/liability issue to keep trespassers out, but it seems it would be a lot cheaper to tear them down than to pay for YEARS of police patrols. And it would be kind of hard to sell a building filled with asbestos. Wouldn’t it just be cheaper to tear them down. Anyway, keep up the good work, everyone – this is a great blog!
Got some great photos of Undercliff last weekend. Anyone want to see them feel free to email me at marcel.aube@aol.com and I will send you a link. It’s an AMAZING place for sure. So much history. So much pain and suffering. The stories that these walls could tell!
pics
Hi, my husband And I HAVE BEEN HERE 4 times. On our last visit we did catch some audio. Im very interested in sharing our findings
has the whole place been
has the whole place been demolished or are there still buildings that are abandoned on the property? just curious if it is still worth a visit or if it’s all gone.
I’ve heard this is a really difficult place toget into. Help?
It’s monitored pretty regularly Urbex but it’s doable. Let me know if you are interested in going because I am gonna go back. I’ve found the best place to park and the best way in. marcel.aube@aol.com
@Chrissy
I think part of the reason for the police patrols are that some of the buildings around the main one are still being used. I think it would be unnerving for staff and patients to constantly hear breakins and parties right in their backyard, or even have someone accidentally break into their occupied building. Plus you’ve got to remember crackheads like to break into abandoned buildings to steal the copper. It’s in Meriden, which has SOME crime but it’s not like hartford, new haven, etc where the cops are always busy with things to actually do other than harass teens, young adults, and write traffic tickets. It’s not like the town hired x number of officers to sit at Undercliff, they allocated officers that would have jobs patrolling anyways. I’d rather have them sitting at Undercliff than out trying to bust my balls over tinted windows or sending kids to jail for petty drug and vandalism crimes and turning delinquents into hardened criminals. But, if it bothers you that much (and as a fellow taxpayer it bothers me, too – but tickets and harassment bother me more) write to the Governor. But I think it was a Meriden town/Police Dept decision to keep it patrolled and not actually a state decision. Then again, there’s the old Meriden hospital that’s not patrolled or guarded at all (except by the occasional sleeping bum) that you can park right next to and check out, so who knows.
Really, if the State was smart/efficient/etc they’d take a hint at all the interest in it, clean the building itself up a little just to make it safe, and open it up as a museum.
I just wanted to let you guys know that A Group of People on facebook have launched a Undercliff Website, and are trying to have it contain a lot of info for everyone,
here’s the link: http://undercliff.weebly.com/ I just found this site yesterday
I went about 5 years ago with some friends. We couldn’t get in at the time- everything that had been an opening appeared to have been boarded up very recently. No weak spots at the time at all really! We did a pretty lengthy explore of the back and one side of the building and could see some things inside. It was even just neat bumming around on the outside.
Either way, super easy access for those who want it, at least some years back, was to go to the Target parking lot and go up over the ridge. Undercliff is on the other side, so you just have to do a little hiking to get there. You come out on the back / side of the building and avoid pretty much all the crap you’d face going down the main road.
I’m totally in if someone manages to ever put together a group to head in. This place is about 10 min from me, and I have driven through. Also watched the video’s on youtube of the kids that managed their way in, lol.
Stay clear of this area. I can go on and on about what’s going on with these buildings and the state workers but I won’t waist our time. Most of the property is still being used, the guards are there because the state doesn’t want any one getting hurt or any shit heads breaking windows and starting fires that can disrupt the active office space. The place is a waist of time and you can find much better sites through out the state. Again… it’s not worth the court date.
Went up here last week with a couple friends. We got caught & the only reason we didn’t get a ticket is because I told the officer that my mom is a retired state lieutenant. Creepy place but be careful, the state police headquarters is literally right up the street. If you do try to get in, walk up in the dark with no flashlights. You have less of a chance getting caught. Also, don’t carry knives, crowbars, bats, or anything used for breaking in. They can charge you for vandelism
Also, be careful because the basement is flooded. Even though the hurricane knocked out the security system & most of the power, there can still be live wires under the water. Don’t take the risk
Just for the record…..Undercliff does not have power to the building. Also, The basement being flooded is a huge mystery to me because they are the ones that flooded it on purpose. I wonder what is down there that they don’t want us to see? Anyway, I would recommend going the back route like I posted earlier. You will NEVER get caught going in that way!
Apparently there is a morgue and crematorium down there. Not sure though. We used the back route, but still got caught trying to enter by a state officer patrolling the area.
Walk across the street and up the hill from 7/11. Through the woods & under a hole in the fence makes it borderline impossible to get caught. Unless the police happen to be patrolling that night
so we should plan a field trip!
Does anyone know of any easy way to get in? Any open windows/doors? Trying to plan for my next visit
I just recently went to Undercliff about two days ago in fact and it’s pretty much boarded up, we had to climb walls and through a window on to a radiator to get in. It isn’t the first time i have been inside and it defiantly gives off the creepy vibe, but I agree the coolest part is the theater room. There was also alot of cars parked up there when i went up but it was people working in the building next door. We took the hike up there through the woods. It’s worth it to an extent, it’s slowly getting more and more dilapidated but thats expected from a building that is just sitting there abandoned.
Trisha, do you remember where you entered from?
I have personally been here a few times with other friends. There is a secret way to get in on the second floor but i shouldnt get too much into detail. BUT it has a mold problem in the building… i had to wear a cloth over my mouth because i couldnt stand the smell. If you are going to visit this place, its on you if you get arrested and fined. Stay safe and be smart on what you do. Although its off limits, its an awsome place to visit. The lower you go in the building, the more scary.! Go at night if your not scared. 😀
I worked at the hospital as a sub electrical contractor several years ago, and I spend several weeks in a few of the buildings on this site, sometime alone, and yes, I have heard, and see things that make you think twice about! I don’t have to many rears in life, but on this job, I walk around wiht one big heavy ss pipe!
Yes Sarah, I entered through the second floor window by climbing up a wall over some old cellar doors.
@Sarah March 18th, 2013 9:54 am
“Apparently there is a morgue and crematorium down there. Not sure though.”
[*] There is no crematorium. The body bags were picked up from the morgue, by funeral homes, using ordinary station wagons, at around one in the morning. If I remember correctly there were 16 (4×4) cold storage units in one wall and an autopsy table in the center of the room with a sink on one wall. A double-door opened directly to the back court opposite to the theatre’s wall.
[*] The kitchen receiving door was a little way to the left (exiting) the morgue room. Although there is no direct connecting door to the kitchen this proximity has had some people believing that the morgue was a ‘refrigerator’ room for the kitchen. Imagine though, eight foot deep two foot wide metal sliding drawers storing ‘food’?
[*] The food was sent from the basement kitchen via dumb waiter up to the dining room, which was sort of a penthouse at the top of the building.
[*] The building was up for sale to a Hospital group but the sale died when the cost of retrofitting a sprinkler system was determined to be prohibitive. This also the reason the property was taken out of service. A similar fate killed the Meriden Hospital on Cook Street.
[*] The facilities theatre was fitted with a professional fireproof projection room as well as a standard stage, which was in use by a local theatre group until required repairs exceeded available funds.
[*] The roofs of the wards were open for use as observation/sun decks to the Tubercular patients. They were locked when the mental patients were moved in.
[*] The sub-basement (now flooded?) contained two large oil boilers for heating and an emergency power generator and the buildings main power panel. “Sorry, nothing else to see here, folks.”
[*] The small shed (were the cop offed) was the Pump House for the complexes water supply. It pumped the water up to the Water Tower behind the Main building. Without which there is no water pressure on the hill. The fire department had to be notified whenever the power went out so they could bring the Engine companies should there be a fire.
[*] The concern (fences) was not to keep patients in, but to keep visitors (and contraband)out. The patients were all considered non-violent. Some were self-committed. Patients who were acting up were tied to his/her bed and left in the hall way. Later when the children were there a ‘quiet room’ was established. It was over the ‘out-patients entry’.
That’s what I can remember at the moment from when I was a Night-Watchman there in the 70s.
Thanks for all the information @Mik !
@R the main building is in no condition to be renovated and reused be cause of the. Damage inside and the basement is flooded with water
I would love 2 visit an old asylum but I live in England and we don’t have any that have not been renovated but at least I can watch on the internet but its not the same
I live a mile from Target, I can see it from my house as I live on a mountain pretty much, someone else agree that the entire town of meriden seems haunted, I no that’s crazy to say but all kinds of creepy cemetarys, Undercliffe, the hospital on cook ave, also said to be a corner of a train tracks where multiple people have commited suicide, we need to get Ghost adventures here!
I live a mile from Target, I can see it from my house as I live on a mountain pretty much, someone else agree that the entire town of meriden seems haunted, I no that’s crazy to say but all kinds of creepy cemetarys, Undercliffe, the hospital on cook ave, also said to be a corner of a train tracks where multiple people have commited suicide, we need to get Ghost adventures here!
We are heading there this weekend if anyone is around and would like to join us. we will be checking out a few sites for UE if anyone is interested email sabc978@gmail.com
@R – Are you referring to the hospital on Cook Ave.? I took a look around that place last winter and it looked like all i’d need to get inside is a 12m wrench. anyone been in there??
Anyone been recently… It looks really cool. I have been to the insane asylum buildings on uconn’s property in storrs. Those were really awsome to see. they have at least 7 buildings over there. I would like to go up for a night I’ve been facinated by these old abandonded hospitals seeing as I have worked maintenance at alot of now existing ones. A maintnenace guy is who you want to hear from they could tell you everything about a building.
Just drove up there with three friends last night… Although we
Saw a few parked cars, there were no police on site and it was not likely that we would be caught.. We drove on the main road so that te main building was on our right.. None of us did any research, so we didnt know the lay of the land.. We got skeeved out because we thought we were approaching a dead end with just the pitch black woods on our left and the building on our right, when in reality, the road loops around the entire building. We turned around and got out of there quickly because we were being pussies.. Honestly though, the whole place just gives off an eerie vibe and we (the driver and i) weren’t in any mood to get out of the car..
I went out there Tuesday nite with a few people and we went through it top to bottom!!! It was creepy at times but I didnt hear feel or see anything that was out of the ordinary!!! But some of the other people swore just the opposite happened on there watch!! So I don’t know what’s going on up there but it was a once in a lifetime adventure for me and my friends!!!
Me and my friends went here a few nights ago. it was honestly the creepiest thing ive ever experienced. we made our way throught the woods up to the Sanatorium. once we got there, we went right to the back to get up to the small roof and make our way in. me and two off my friends got up to the roof and found a window we could get into. me and my friend went up the ladder and peeked in to find an hallway, which upon putting our heads in, reeked of cancer. there were obsbetos signs posted so we decided not to go in. it was downpuroring the night we went. although we didnt go inside, we all agree we heard screaming and laughing coming form inside the building and even saw figures in the windows. my friends decided to take some souviners home. one frined took the “north” and “east” signs that were hanging above the door. he says everytime he walks by them, he gets a painfull chill. this place is extremely creepy, but make for a good adventure. my friends and i will be returning to check out the inside soon. my advice to anyone who goes up there: 1: go in a large group. we had 9-11 kids with us. 2: dont go unarmed. there are homeless people in the sanatorium. 3:BRING FLASHLIGHTS. the inside is very dark. 4:bring a facemask. the last thing you want is to get cancer. 5:be smart. dont fool around or play stupid tricks on your friends. the place is sketchy enough.
you’ve got to be kidding me
you’ve got to be kidding me right? are you seriously telling people to not only go with a huge group of people (very stupid) but to go ARMED?! you realize that if you get caught with a crow bar, knife, wrench, etc, that is a a completely separate offense from just trespassing, right? 1-there are no homeless people in there, 2- you’re not going to get cancer from being exposed to asbestos (not obsbetos) one time. jesus christ.
Alright, just driving up this road gives you the creeps. It is located in a very remote location, seriously below a cliff. It provides a perfect little storm of fear and loathing. As I drove past my first time around, I noticed how there is a bunch of old childrens stuff left by the end of the road in a hopes to somehow rid the location of its strange past, but again another eerie feeling. They guy who posted above me as well is right though, this place is eerie, and I don’t suggest going without ventilated masks. This place is lead painted, asbestos ridden, and definitely on it’s last leg.
The state had been discussing revamping and updating many of these older places – with economic hopes, however it has become a huge nuisance for local police and even some state police. From time to time though you will find surveyors and contractors scoping out the land. The biggest issue though is the location is a low-lying land, so moisture and weather conditions tend to have a big impact on the structural integrity of the buildings.
I wish someone would revive this land, and I suggest that you beware when entering the premises, it is definitely watched, because the last thing anyone wants is a lawsuit. If you do BY CHANCE get onto the property, I’d definitely suggest you make it quick. That place is not healthy by any stretch, its not safe (location wise and area wise) there are a lot of homeless and dwellers who roam the area.
A few months back I went with a few contractors, as a part of private investment venture, and we spotted out the land, from above and around, then once getting permission entered certain locations on the campus. Seriously, there are metal and scraps which are jagged and dangerous all over. Walls and ceilings look like they are close to caving in. At the time they had like 20 ft fences surrounding certain parts. I was intriguied to be seeing the site considering though.
I hope in time the state and town can find some beneficial use to it, for now it’s such a waste though
I used to live about 2 min away from this site. I have been there 30 or 40 times because the place was legendary for being haunted. There was a very old house / treatment facility there that local satanic cults would visit and perform rituals at. Eventually… an individual I knew personally, burned the building down because he thought it would be fun. There are still many buildings up there and this place is not abandoned. There are cars up there all the time and what strikes me as odd is there is a door that leads in to a concrete structure which seems to burrow in to the cliff side. I have always wondered if there was some sort of underground facility there. You can take note of a serious array of antenna there if you venture up to castle Craig and focus the spyglasses they have on that area. I think there is more to that site than people realize.
Hey guys me again. So me and my friends went to check this place out again like I said we would. We got inside and let me tell you. Creepy shit happened. Once we got in, we made our way to try and find the theater in the asylum but ended up in a room that was used to watch patients. We sat down and listened and started hearing noises. Doors closing, footsteps etc. it was honestly the creepiest and most exciting thing ever. Like I said, if you go WEAR FACEMASKS!! Smells like cancer in there. Found a book on the rules and guidelines of electroshock therapy. Pretty creepy stuff
so i finally figured out what this building might be useed for. Me and my friends found a simunition bullet, like the ones the state police would use. it makes sense now as everything is destryoed in the building. plus i honestly think that when me and my friends went two nights ago, the noises we heard were most likely the state police trying to scare us and teach us a lesson, rather than arresting us. it makes sense becasue cops have been know to hide in the woods around the building to scope people out. they probably followed us in becasue we heard something moving through the woods. the pace is definitly still creepy and im not even sure if the cops do scare people, but it makesa lot of sense now that i think about it.
Im a photographer & REALLY want to do a quick shoot here! Anyone know if there is a way to get permission? I REALLLLLLY want to get in there with a cpl of my models!
@Curious theres no way to get permission to get in there. the Department of Developmental Services ownes the property and they say its not safe to go in due to the osbestos and just how rundown the place is. honestly just sneak up there sometime during the day and youll be fine. the worst they can do is ticket you. but ive been there 3 times. youll be fine
So I have read/skimmed through a good portion of these comments but haven’t seen anyone say they have been caught trespassing on this property… I’m looking into possible fines or “trouble” that may come our way if my paranormal group enters and just so happens to get caught. I found on the ct.gov possible fines but what kind of trespassing would this qualify as?
does anyone know how to get to the theater or where its located in the building?? ive been there twice but couldnt seem to find it
To Marcel, I could not find the path that u said was on resevoir rd and led up to undercliff. Was it on the opposite side of the actual resevoir, near the filteration unit ? I really want to check it out with out going to Target or undercliff rd. Thanx………..
My name is julia and I watch a lot ghost adventuers..I m so into things like this..it very interesting and im curious..I wish they would open the grounds and the property for the public..it would be amasing… me as a person I have this gift that I sometimes see spirits in my house and imnot scard..but I would love to go.
That is such a stupid and dangerous choice to go into a rat infested, asbestos condemned facility. You can get seriously hurt and asbestos can do serious damage to your health A ceiling can fall down on you and often times, drug addicts hang out in those places. The state doesn’t want to held liable, that’s why there’s no trespassing. I use to live in CT and had plenty of places like that such as Long Lane, Fairfield Hills, Elmcrest,Curtis Home for children High Meadows and Undercliff all shut down due to budget and CT doesn’t have the money to bulldoze them so they just sit their rotting away. It’s what makes CT what it is….spooky and mysterious
Sad to say but they are starting to tear these bldgs down this month.
Taylor, where did you hear that they are tearing the building down?
Are they really going to tear down the buildings @ Undercliff ?
Just took a hike and they have started tearing down one of the main buildings. Such a shame.
Sorry to disappoint all of you adventurers’ but all of Undercliffs buildings are under construction. I took a ride there today & there is all kind of equipment & red tape around the different bldgs. Maybe something good will come out of it………..Has anybody been to the meriden hospital on Cook Ave?
I am working in the building now an i would be lying if i said that i did not hear or see anything but i guess it all in my head not sure really because i don’t believe in ghost an it a old building so it going to make noise an you can tell that kids play in there at night not sure if it kids of flesh an bones or just kids that never left either way it pretty COOL scary but COOL i would never go there at night even if you paid me LOL
I forgot one thing THEY WILL ARREST ON SITE DONT NOT GO THERE I REPEAT DONT GO THERE
I went there about a month ago, there’s people working but we slipped through unnoticed. We walked, if you drive it’s obvious and people might notify the police. All the rooms are cleared out and best part of the building has been demolished, you can’t even drive around it. It’s still a cool empty building but not really worth the trouble. There’s just random “420 blaze it” style graffiti on the some of the walls and some documents. Watch out for asbestos, it’s a very old building.
I’ve personally been to Undercliff multiple times in my youth back in the 80s when kids were just as into “cool and weird” places, back when you could still go to Dudley Town and back when crap wasn’t so overly regulated you can’t have fun, and sure you heard a lot of sounds stuff slamming, but we always credited the wind, considering we had to peel back the plywood to get in and it created a wind current, never saw anything and nothing ever was to terribly frightening, but there was a lot of old cool stuff like the old wooden wheelchairs with the leather cuffs and some gurneys, a lot of grafitti from other kids that would just put up cult looking paint and slogans, and real padded rooms
In one of these comments somebody says that the fences were meant to keep people out and stop people from smuggling stuff into the facility. In my opinion if that was the case the fences would’ve been angled in an outward direction at the top (to stop people from climbing over from the outside) instead of an inward direction (to stop people from climbing over from the inside). The fences at Undercliff were meant to keep people in. And there is definately at least one building that goes into the side of the cliff.
I went to Undercliff to day and was stopped by security within 1 min. 🙁 I was so disappointed and really wanted to see it. 🙁
I’m not sure why most sites list Undercliff as closed in the 70’s because it was open well into the 1980’s as the Altobello Center.
I was a inpatient “guest” there around 1986.
I was initially housed in the large,main building.
Looking at the building,the girls wing was on the right,boys wing was on the left.
The center only used a few floors,the main floor,the second floor and parts of the basement.
Later,I was allowed to move to the less restrictive cottage down the hill.
Yes,there is a morgue of sorts in the basement,but was obviously no longer in use.
For some reason,a staff member brought several of us,showed us the area and the body lockers.
There are tunnels beneath the buildings that were used to transport us.
While I am somebody of a “sensitive” nature and frequently pick up on things,I never ONCE heard,saw or felt anything of a paranormal nature.
As far as any conspiracy theories as to why it’s fenced in/off,forbidden and off limits is because the place is LOADED with asbestos.
If you really want to go, hike in from hubbard cop. If the troopers screw with you, tell them you got lost hiking. If they still issue a summons just fight it. No intent. You will walk. There are absolutely no signs from the park saying not to go. Check google earth for the path. I would go fall or spring bc its loaded with prickers and poison ivy and the path is not well used… if your dumb enough to enter the buildings your risking getting seriously injured and arrested but thats on you. The place is def creepy. Ive read on line that the state dept of mental retardation or whatever they call it in 2014 houses high risk mentally disabled (retarted) sex offenders in the buildings closer to target. I dont no how true that is. Its not a place I would go alone to to say the least.
edithmapi
Cela peut sans doute être gênant quand un libido a diminué. Pire pourquoi pas, lorsque les hommes vieillissent, les plans d’oxyde nitrique déposent. Quand on le négoce, érections n’obtiendrez point aussi ardus qu’ils utilisent afin de. cliquez ici Agrandissement de sexe organique nécessite certains produits sans-façons qui sont spécifiquement conçus avec des secrets à base du plantes et se trouvent être sur la grande partie sûrs à se servir de. Parmi les articles d’agrandissement organique du sexe est la pilule MaxoSize, lequel contient uniquement agrandir le pénis de la recette à hydroxyde du plantes.
being torn down (or reconstructed, not sure)
several friends and i just tried to go into the building and upon approaching it, it seems they are tearing it down. there is construction going on everywhere. and half of what used to be the building is gone- in other words, replaced by huge mounds of rubble and dirt. we still tried to go into what was still standing, but now it is a HUGE hazard as there is asbestos in the air everywhere. the inside walls are coated in plastic with signs plastered all over warning of the asbestos. and it being just recently torn down, the asbestos hazard is even more realistic. while shining our flashlights, we could see the dust particles everywhere.
im so upset that they tore half of it down already, part of it being the amazing theater and basement and water tower. im not sure what theyre doing or why, but fact of the matter is, there is no getting in there anymore. it is dangerous. 🙁 and upsetting.
I went there today to explore
I went there today to explore and sadly it’s in the process of demolition. Half of the main building has been torn down and the other abandoned buildings are marked for demolition
I was locked up there back in
I was locked up there back in the mid 80’s. I was there for about a year most night I couldn’t sleep I felt something there with me. After I was discharged from there it felt like something left that place with me. At time I can feel that place calling to me. Stay as far from that place as you can don’t go there. I’m 42 now and I can still remember and feel the presence of something with me till this day.
I was locked up there back in
I was locked up there back in the mid 80’s. I was there for about a year most night I couldn’t sleep I felt something there with me. After I was discharged from there it felt like something left that place with me. At time I can feel that place calling to me. Stay as far from that place as you can don’t go there. I’m 42 now and I can still remember and feel the presence of something with me till this day.
in response to the guy locked up there in the 80’s
I know exactly what your talking about! After my wife and I explored this place like I said a lot of paranormal things happened but the most creepy was after we left I had dreams about this place for almost a week as if the spirits were calling me back!! I finally told my wife about the dreams and she said she was having the same dreams!
Undercliff
I have personally been there in the building that no longer exists. There are things that I or the other people I was with can explain. I did get weard fellings when I was in the celler whEre there were “cells” like being at a prison forthe kids/adults. I would not have people go there for it would be a waste of everyones time. The building I and outhers went to has been since torwn down and the other buildings are occupied.
undercliff
couple years back a friend and i went during the day.we drove around the building and got out and explored.no security was there.noone bothered us.we took a few pictures.walked around more.we noticed lots of black birds surrounding one building.they were not crows or ravens.also there was a door it was ajarred.both of us were pulling on the door.it opened outward.all our pulling did no good.it did not budge.we were unable to open the door.we left developed the pictures and there were orbs in the 2nd flr window.
Undercliff Sanatorium
Demolition has taken down the main hospital May 2014.
Undercliff
Been here too and it’s creepy. Loud bangs, a dead blue jay unnoticed touring the same area for ten minutes. A single light bulb on in one room visible to all of us viewing a room from the grounds when there isn’t any power on the entire facility. It was 80 degrees outside. I stuck my hand in through a broken window and removed it quickly because it was frozen abnormally within seconds . We went to the paged in area where patients were supposedly brought through and rang the what we though wouldn’t work buzzer. To our surprise , it buzzed a very haunting low buzz. Very Erie. We experienced for now apparent reason birds being frightened out of a tree behind us after us standing there for about ten minutes . There was a field behind us we never ventured to. The front of the building was covered with ladybugs and very weird looking black upside down spiders. Ya I not a big fan of . at all! There are pictures we took. Unexplained pictures I will try to share .
Under cliff
Btw I visited about 5 years ago
Undercliff
I was born in Meriden, 1949. Growing up we often went to Hubbard Park and went up to Castle Craig. I always head stories about that place during family holiday and birthday parties. My Aunt was a patient there as a child. She had huge depressed places all over her legs. She was one of the children sent to Seaside. Another family member was sent to Middletown Sanatorium with a Nervous breakdown. I remember the family thinking she was not that bad because they only sent the real bad ones to Undercliff. This was about 1956. It is a shame that all these old buildings are going to rot. The homeless could be housed perhaps or maybe even a place for religious encounters. Oh well, time moves on.
When I was in High School, my
When I was in High School, my boyfriend, his best friend, and myself went snooping around. We went in through the basement door in back and had to climb over old mattresses. We made our way around and it was just so spooky. This was in 1991 or so. It looked like every thing was just left as is and abandoned. We found stockpiles of very old, moldy, paper goods, random tiny wheelchairs strewn around, some dolls, and of course, lots of vandalism on the walls. When we explored upstairs, we found a pool table in great condition except the felt. My boyfriend contacted the city and said he “heard” there was a pool table there, and could he purchase it. Well, they said yes. He got it for $50.00 and it took 2 days to dismantle it and get it into his parents home (during the day this time!). It is still there, and I know because I married my boyfriend, and our sons always play pool while they’re at Grandma’s. I didn’t get the feeling of the place being haunted as much as just a complete sadness about the place. Definitely would not want to go back.
My grandmother knew a lady
My grandmother knew a lady who jumped out of the window to her death here. I decided to explore it with friends in early Spring 2012. The weirdest part to me were the documents we found inside dating back to 2003…
no longer standing! 🙁
My Wife and I have been to undercliff numerous times. Undercliff was definitely haunted. There were foot steps, voices whispering and screaming. My Wife like layed down on the lobotomy table and was held down. We have a lot of story’s About this place. It’s a very special place to us. I asked my wife to be my girlfriend on top of the roof there. Now we are very sad and disappointed to say that it no longer stands. The state has demolished the building. 🙁
Undercliff
Some of these stories may be true, but my uncle Maurice Roynane was the head XRAY Tech at the Undercliff in the late 40’s early 50’s. And the hospital at the time had TB patients there. I know that later there were some mental patients but don’t remember anything about children or abuse of any kind. My Uncle and Aunt lived on Bradley Avenue right behind the Undercliff.
Unfortunately Undercliff was
Unfortunately Undercliff was demolished in 2013
it was actually demolished in
it was actually demolished in april/may of 2014.
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