Urban Exploration #6: Canada's Most Notorious Abandoned Insane Asylum

Century Manor, also known as the East House is what remains of the Hamilton Asylum for the insane. The Asylum opened it's doors in 1876, as a hospital for the accommodation and treatment of alcoholics. A few years after opening the Asylum expanded and became home for many people with psychiatric needs.

The Century Manor building was home for the criminally insane of the province. It was said the "worst of the worst" stayed here.

The hallways and rooms/cells that these inmates lived in have been empty for decades, but still remain in a state of decay.

Treatment for the criminally insane housed in this building included electro-shock therapy, lobotomies and many other methods that would be considered torture. One that stands out to me the most was called the salt rub stimulation technique. Nurses and doctors would rub the patients arms and legs with a cold cloth and salt. While morphine was heated with lamps then injected into the patient.

If that treatment/torture wasn't bad enough, the punishments were!

The Utica Crib.
Solitary confinement was considered to be cruel and unusual punishment in those days (until the 1980's but is now common practice) so they used this coffin like box, what I consider to be even more barbaric. The patients would be locked into the box (often lined with straw) for undisclosed amounts of time.

Below is an example of what the Utica crib looked like.
Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=Utica+Crib&client=firefox-b&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinqtm747_cAhVK34MKHWB2DvAQ_AUICigB&biw=1525&bih=730#imgrc=N-WDNHDSs692rM:

A variety of other punishments were used including what they called wet and dry packs. Basically wrapping an inmate with four or five heavy blankets (dry or wet) and fastening them in place with eight inch pins.

One can only imagine the horrors that these walls saw.

When the patients were allowed out in the sprawling yard for outdoor time and activities. Upper to middle class families of the time would come for afternoon picnics watching what they called the theater of the insane. Some would just watch them, some would tease and dare them to do things and others would just throw stuff at them.

The main hospital was demolished in 1975 and century manor has sat abandoned since that time. below are a few of the pictures I snapped while inside.

As with many old abandoned building of this kind, there are many ghost stories about it. Photographers, explorers, security guards and many others have reported paranormal experiences. Leading some to call it Canada's most haunted building or one of the most haunted in the country.

Over the years I have made many trips to century manor and spent countless hours inside. I have yet to experience anything inexpiable.

Below are video's of my first explore of the building, exploring another building (the former powerhouse for the grounds) and a tunnel under the buildings.

For many years the future of the building has been in limbo, but now talks and investments are being made. The building may end up as student housing for the nearby college. I don't know about any of you but I wouldn't want to be living in a building with such a sorted history!