Haunted Places- Taunton State Hospital

Have you ever noticed that one of the most commonly haunted buildings tend to be asylums? This is particularly true for buildings that pre-date the 1980’s. There may be countless reasons for this. One popular theory is that persons suffering from mental illness may be less likely to crossover after death because they do not fully understand what has happened, or because they cannot let go of certain aspects of their lives. Another idea is that the increase of hauntings is due to the pain and suffering that accompanies mental illness. The third and most popular theory is that early mental hospitals used methods that were similar to torture and that these “treatments” created so much damage that the spirits of the deceased were unable to find peace after death.  Whatever the reasons may be, mental hospitals are frequently a hot bed of paranormal activity. 

Today’s featured haunting is no exception. The Taunton State Hospital was founded in 1854 in Taunton, MA. It was originally named the State Lunatic Hospital of Taunton Massachusetts. There are rumors about primitive conditioning experiments and lobotomies being executed in these walls. Other more outlandish accusations state that a few of the doctors were cult members who performed Satanic type rituals and tortuous based experiments on the patients. Of course these kinds of rumors due tend to circulate and it is difficult to find evidence that suggests anything outside of what was considered normal for psychiatric care of the time.  Trust me I have a degree in psychology, even the normal treatment options of the era were unpleasant and downright wrong in most cases. It is certainly possible that these activities lent a hand in the reported hauntings of today.

Although much of the dark history of Taunton State Hospital is speculation, one particular truth stands out. One patient had such a dark and evil past that it is widely believed that her spirit is responsible for the level of paranormal activity present today. Jane Toppan was a female serial killer who worked as a nurse in several major hospitals in Massachusetts in the late 1800’s. She delighted in giving patients high doses of string narcotics and watching as they died or entered comatose states. She admitted that this practice excited her sexually, which is a rare trait in female serial killers. It is not known if she engaged in necrophillic acts. It is known that she killed at least 31 people for the purpose of sexual arousal.  Once Ms. Toppan was arrested, she found herself as the patient rather than the nurse. She was committed to life in the Taunton State Hospital.

It is now believed that the ghost of Jane Toppan still resides at Taunton. People have reported hearing her voice, or the rustle of her skirt. Others claim that a dark shadow figure hovers around in her room and the common areas of the hospital floors. Others reports are from patients who stayed there years after Toppan’s death. They claimed that she would touch them as they slept, pull the bedclothes onto the floor and steal their personal items. Another rather creepy claim is that a shadow can be seen crawling up the walls of the old asylum. Whatever the truth is one thing is for sure, mental hospitals really do make great places for paranormal investigations.