Abandoned section of a Notorious New England Prison
If these old prison walls could talk what would they say? Would they tell you about the night when two inmates broke free and ran wild, killing three guards on duty and then setting fire to the “fourth-floor corridor of the south tower of the defective delinquent building”? Would they whisper stories of when the notorious Boston Strangler Albert DeSalvo was first incarcerated after his arrest and then just a year later escaping the massive complex? Would they tell you haunting tails of the sick and tormented people being “treated” for their aliments by doctors and new medications…Or would they whisper something more sinister, something much worse than wild inmates escaping and wreaking havoc…it may be hard to hear over the loudspeakers across the yard, still today calling its inmates to breakfast. But if you really listen you can hear it, the sound of innocent people being locked away with murderers and rapists. This Prison was not only infamous for holding some high-profile criminals but also for the extreme mistreatment of all its inmates including those suffering from mental health disabilities, abusing and exploiting those unfortunate enough to find themselves behind the iron-barred windows and suffocatingly small cells, many people locked away years beyond their sentencing. I have not been inspired to write and dive so deeply into the history of a location in a long time, however, the more I uncovered in my research the more horrified and morbidly curious I became. This will be my best attempt to summarize the insane history that is the now abandoned section of a famous Massachusetts Prison, that got its notoriety for all the wrong reasons..
According to the information available from the Ma.Gov and online resources Bridgewater prison for the criminally insane was established in 1855 as an almshouse. It was then used as a workhouse for inmates with short sentences who worked the surrounding farmland. The Prison was later rebuilt in the 1880s and again in 1974. This particular section I found myself exploring was a medium security facility housing male patients in two categories: civil commitments without criminal sentences, and on occasion, pre-trial detainees sent for competency and criminal responsibility evaluations by the court.” As seen in the the documentary Titicut Folies filmed in the 1960s: many prisoners were detained there indefinitely based on the doctor’s observation of mental health improvements, but as is pointed out by an inmate diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, how is one supposed to get well in such a hellish place? Marched around the hallways naked by cruel unfeeling guards. This same inmate describes how loud it was with others constantly yelling and radios blaring, the lack of activities, and the motivations of the staff for his continued incarnation. The population was a Mix of some very violent offenders as well as people with clear mental disabilities, foreigners, and society’s discarded humans. They were all kept in small cells some with only a thin mattress and pot, some with nothing at all, left to walk in circles and gaze out the barred windows. A reference to the extended detainment situation stated a patient named Charles was sentenced to this facility in 1910 for breaking and entering. The maximum time for this felony was two years, and he remained in prison until after 1967. That is 57 years in one of the worst places in New England to be confined. It also cites the reason so many were past their release date was because they did not have the legal skills or money available. We know the American justice system is not kind to those without the means to pay. It was found that in 1968, 30 inmates were committed illegally. The conditions of this state facility were called into question numerous times over the years. These tragic conditions were highlighted in the documentary noted above that was filmed at the prison in 1966 by director Frederick Wiseman, however under the guise of patient confidentiality it was banned until the 1990s, well after all the inmates had died. Watching this film was unsettling in so many ways but more so now that I have seen those cells and those hallways with my own eyes, something about being inside a place with so much pain, makes it hit harder than just watching a documentary or reading about it online, the claustrophobia remains even now that it’s halls are empty and decaying. I truly believe that if Titicut folies had been released immediately after shooting to the general public, many of these state-run facilities abusing people all over New England would have been under fire and perhaps shut down much earlier.
It was also within these walls in 1967 was a notorious prisoner known to the world as the Boston Strangler, Albert DeSalvo, was serving time for the murders of 11 people, however, on Feb 24th, 1967 Albert and two other inmates broke free and stole a car and attempted to hide out in nearby Chelsea, (he left a note on his bunk addressed to the super indent )they were all caught eventually, after a full-scale manhunt, three days after his escape alberts lawyer called police and turned him in. He would then be moved to Walpole to the more appropriate maximum security prison where he later recanted his confession. Albert was found stabbed to death in the infirmary of the prison in 1973, and there had been several disputes through the years as to whether or not he was responsible for all 11 murders.
In 1972, John Boone, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Corrections, closed the segregation unit at the State Hospital because it required maintenance. These 90-year-old cell blocks did not have any toiletsThe facilities were not suitable for the standard means of health and living.
Imagine being left in a cell with only a pot to piss in for years on end listening to screams of other inmates and jokes about gassing your cellmates last week by the guards, would you be able to get better in these conditions, or would you spiral further into madness until they dose you with so much tranquilizer you no longer know who you are? As was the case for nearly every man who underwent “treatment” here.
In 1968, over 250 cases of forgotten men at this prison were reviewed. Some inmates were incarcerated for over 25 years without being formally charged with a crime. It is not noted what happened to these men whether they were released or transferred to other prisons.
The following is a timeline of notable incidents over the years including…
1987 After eight patient deaths in a year, The New York Times did an exposé on Bridgewater State Hospital and its poor treatment of patients.
1999 Massachuttes correction legal services served and won a successful lawsuit against Bridgewater for an officer throwing acid in a patient's face
2007 A patient committed suicide by hanging himself in the showers while there on a 30-day court evaluation when BSH staff failed to prevent it.
2007, The Disability Law Center a human rights advocacy firm in Boston, sued Bridgewater State Hospital over illegally restraining a patient
2009 A patient was killed when improperly restrained. The man’s family was awarded $3 million in damages to settle a lawsuit. At that time Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick called for an investigation into the practices
2014 Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick formally reprimanded Administration officials regarding their attempts to cover up procedural mishaps, including the use of forced restraint, that precipitated the death of a patient in 2009. Then superintendent Karin Bergeron was exposed in internal e-mails as having attempted to cover up reports of the murdered patient's death after it was ruled a homicide
2014 A Civil lawsuit was settled out of court regarding a patient's declining health from abuse, namely, being excessively restrained and secluded. The particular patient had spent over 6000 hours in isolation, despite never having been convicted of a crime.
Some other verifiable patients besides the Boston strangler for those other morbid investigators like myself included
Perry Cossart Baird Jr. (1903-1959), a bipolar physician; was hospitalized at several locations, including bridgewater
Nathaniel Bar-Jonah (1957-2008), a child predator and possible cannibalistic serial killer; was sent for attempted murder
Neil Entwistle (born 1978), convicted of Killing his wife and daughter was held at this prison during his trial
Kenneth F. Harrison (1938-1989), serial killer; committed suicide in prison and died at another hospital
Howard Long (1905-1939), a murderer; sent for assaulting a boy
Victor Folke Nelson (1898-1939), a writer incarcerated for many crimes; sent for assaulting a neighbor while drunk
Jesse Pomeroy (1859-1932), murderer and torturer; died in prison
I could probably keep you here for days combing over all the quite literally insane history of this prison but eventually, these stories start to turn your stomach, unlike the horror movies inspired by these awful places, these were real people, real cases of crime, abuse, and neglect of some of societies most vulnerable for a hundred years. Those with disabilities and minor crimes were thrown in bed with murderers left to rot, hidden away, and forgotten about. In the end as hard as the state tried to hide these people, their stories, and their suffering, these walls still have stories to tell us. As humans with compassion for one another, It is our duty to learn about past misdeeds so that we may never return to such a dark time. Much of this Prison remains active today, “The medium security facility is located in a 30-acre plot of land in the Correctional Complex with the state hospital and the Massachusetts treatment center. As of January 6, 2020 there were 553 medium and 106 minimum inmates in general population beds.
Some notable inmates of the remaining prison include
Neil Entwistle- sentenced for the double murder of his baby daughter, Lillian Rose and wife, Rachel; he was transferred there on December 17, 2008
Michael M Mcdermott who murdered seven of his coworkers in the 2000 "Wakefield massacre"
Orion Krause - Murdered his mother, grandparents, and a caregiver.
Paul Shanley - Priest who was accused and found guilty of raping a male minor. Sentenced to 12 to 15 years.
Further information on these cases can be found online through numerous sources
If you would like to stomach the 1966 documentary where some of the still shots were sourced from I’ve linked it below ( you do need a library card to access it) as well as some of the photos I’ve been able to find through the 1940s-70s.
Please also note this abandoned section of the prison is hazardous and not open to the public, it is not recommended that you explore these grounds without permission.
Vintage Photos sourced from www.digitalcommonwealth.org.