Forest Haven was a

state school State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary educational institution, schools that educate all students without charge. They are ...

for children and adults with intellectual disability (ID) located in Laurel, Maryland and operated by the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. The site was opened in 1925 and closed on October 14, 1991, by order of a federal judge after years of alleged abuse, medical incompetence, and several deaths from aspiration pneumonia.

Overview

Forest Haven opened in 1925 as a farm-like institution geared towards educating its patients with useful life skills. It encompassed nearly 300 acres and contained 22 separate buildings, and at its height housed well over one thousand patients. Its decline began in the 1960s as funding was cut and the population grew to include persons with non-ID conditions such as

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

. In 1974, Forest Haven received at least 20 individuals from a nearby orphanage "Junior Village" which had closed. A lawsuit filed by families of patients at Forest Haven in 1976 and joined by the Department of Justice in 1978 resulted in the relocation of many residents to group homes, but the facility continued to operate, even allowing a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

with a suspended medical license to continue practicing there. Between 1989 and 1991, prior to the facility's closure, the Justice Department began to monitor deaths from aspiration pneumonia, a condition that can be caused by improper feeding procedures (e.g. feeding a patient who is lying down). There are also accounts of rampant physical, mental, and sexual abuse at the facility. Prior residents have reported being hit with "belts, switches, and baseball bats." Missing teeth and other dental problems are commonly reported. Many of the residents who died were buried in a mass grave, unmarked until a headstone – noting 389 individuals – was erected by some of the patients' families in 1987. Some of the graves have been uncovered by

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

. Today, the site is abandoned and is cared for by United States Park Police, but remains a popular attraction for urban explorers. Many hazardous items such as

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

have been removed, but much of the equipment, including desks, beds, toys, and medical records remain.

Timeline and history

References

External links

"Abandoned Home for the Abandoned: Forest Haven Asylum."
''Sometimes Interesting''. 12 Apr 2014
How We Made the #TheForestHavenStory Happen.
''Huffington Post''. 08 Dec 2015. {{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1925 Psychiatric hospitals in Maryland Buildings and structures in Laurel, Maryland 1925 establishments in Maryland 1991 disestablishments in Maryland Hospitals disestablished in 1991 Defunct hospitals in Maryland