The Abandoned Forest Haven Asylum In Maryland Was Closed After A Lawsuit Claiming Mistreatment
By Jackie Ann|Published October 02, 2023
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Jackie Ann
Author
Louisiana native and LSU Alum (Geaux Tigers!), Jackie has lived in Louisiana for over three decades and currently lives in New Orleans. She's been writing for OnlyInYourState since 2016 and can often be found with a coffee at her side, dreaming of her next adventure.
Abandoned places have captured the curiosity of urban explorers for decades. There’s something that just draws us in, don’t you think? Maryland has plenty of abandoned places with fascinating histories, but few can compare to the chilling history behind the Forest Haven Asylum. If these walls could talk, they’d tell you the horrors that went down during the 66 years this place was operational.
Content Warning: the Forest Haven Asylum’s history is dark, and this piece details some of the abuse that happened here.
Highlighting the beautifully eerie work of Cleveland-based photographer Johnny Joo, discover more fascinating abandoned locations across America in our Vacant Series. These unique man-made structures have been left abandoned and are slowly being reclaimed by nature.
Editor’s Note: Due to the nature of abandoned destinations, many of the places featured in this series are off-limits to visitors or have actually been demolished. We do not condone trespassing and other illegal activity but rather encourage readers to enjoy learning about these fascinating destinations.
Forest Haven was a state school and hospital for people with mental disabilities.
Located in Laurel, Maryland, Forest Haven was operated by the District of Columbia and opened for business in 1925. Originally, Forest Haven opened under the name “The District Training School for the Mentally Retarded.” It wasn’t until 1963 that the facility changed its name to Forest Haven.
When it first opened, there was nothing else like it.
The 200-acre campus had 22 buildings and housed more than 1,000 patients. Initially, the idea was to equip the residents with life skills so that they could return to society and be a part of the community. Residents would learn how to care for the land, which included farm animals, as well as receive education. On paper, it seemed like a great opportunity to help those in need of round-the-clock care. But in practice, things did not go as planned.
Budget cuts were the first of many obstacles, and the residents suffered. But even though budget cuts and staffing shortages were on the rise, Forest Haven continued to accept more and more patients. Without having the funds to care for these patients, and the lack of repairs to the buildings, residents of Forest Haven were left to wander around empty padded rooms, often wearing nothing more than an adult diaper.
At one point, there were more than 100 jobs that needed filling. There were only two social workers for more than 1,000 patients. Forest Haven even employed a physician with a suspended medical license to practice on the residents.
Former residents told authorities they were beaten with bats, whipped, and had their teeth knocked out. Reports of physical abuse and sexual abuse were called into the authorities, and by the late 1970s, the lawsuits began.
The first lawsuit came in 1976 by the families of the residents, and the Department of Justice ended with many residents relocating to other group homes, but Forest Haven was still allowed to operate.
Forest Haven was given ample instructions on how to properly care for, feed, and treat these individuals, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. The residents didn’t have a voice and weren’t seen as equal members of society. A few family members stepped up, but the horrors continued for many years. In 1981, a staff member was charged with stealing more than $40,000 from the bank accounts of Forest Haven residents. But it didn’t end there.
Aspiration pneumonia was the cause of death for many residents at Forest Haven, and the Justice Department took note.
Aspiration pneumonia can be caused by improper feeding procedures, like eating while lying down. Often, many residents were chained to beds, cribs, and even toilets. Many of the residents were buried in a mass grave on the grounds, and it would later be revealed that at least 389 people were buried at Forest Haven.
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Forest Haven faced many lawsuits, but it wasn’t until October 14, 1991, that it officially closed its doors.
