Willard Asylum's suitcases
By AmberLynn
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
United States
February 5, 2016 4:24am CST
This is another find from listverse.com.
Willard's Asylum (or State Psychiatric Hospital as it were) was an operational facility until 1995 when it was shutdown.
The workers who were in charge of shutting the site down found many suitcases from former (and deceased) patients. Many of these suitcases were from patients long since deceased. It seems they just stored their items.
Perhaps many were from patients whose family had either died or no longer cared for the patient within. I can imagine this happening as the rules of past socieites were strict and often strange. Many people who are now considered normal, albeit eccentric, would have been institutionalized at the drop of a hat.
Lawrence Mocha was the grave digger for around 50 years for the facility. He lived on grounds and buried at the very least 1,500 people. He too was eventually buried there.
The gravemarkers were all numbered, and the State of New York has forbade any research into the occupants of grave.
They state that this is for the privacy of those buried within. Do you believe that these people should remain nameless?
If the suitcases (I am sure long since discarded) were somehow able to be returned to the relatives of the patients, would this give you reason to want to find out the identities of those buried?
What are your thoughts on it?
6 people like this
4 responses
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
5 Feb 16
That does not sound right or fair that they should remain unnamed.
Who knows what horrors they endured in those places?

@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
6 Feb 16
@ScribbledAdNauseum Indeed. And today in this world, they are being killed when their family calls for help..so very sad and unjust.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
6 Feb 16
@TiarasOceanView Now you have me thinking you are talking about hospice?
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
6 Feb 16
Or how many innocent people were institutionalized because society couldn't accept their eccentricities.
1 person likes this

@celticeagle (189819)
• Boise, Idaho
5 Feb 16
No, I don't believe that they should remain nameless. I have heard of several asylums and detention centers for young people that had some weird ideas on how they were run. Several scandals down through the years.

@celticeagle (189819)
• Boise, Idaho
6 Feb 16
@ScribbledAdNauseum ....Your first paragraph made me think of the movie "Haviey". Have you seen it? Jimmy Stewart at his best. Funny and so insightful.
And lets not get into lobotomies.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
6 Feb 16
@celticeagle No I've not heard of the movie. Not really much for movies anymore.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
6 Feb 16
It is really sad when patients become only numbers. Of course even back in the late 1800's to early 1900's people were considered insane for the craziest reasons. It seemed that anyone that wanted to get rid of a family member could come up with a cuckold story and instituionalize them for life.
There is no telling how many innocent people were experimented on. I am sure you've heard of treatment or "Female Hysteria" well apparently this was a practice used in asylums as well. Poor women that were violated because "acting out" was simply not accepted.
1 person likes this

@JESSY3236 (22237)
• United States
5 Feb 16
I wonder if they kept records with names and numbers. That's terrible for the families if they didn't.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
6 Feb 16
I imagine they had some sort of way to know what person went with what number. I imagine the number's on the graves were their case file number.
@JudyEv (381837)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Feb 16
It just makes me think that the authorities are trying to hide something.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
5 Feb 16
This might be true but honestly the practices of early society asylum's are well known. What would a name to a number really prove?
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
5 Feb 16
@Platespinner If they really are doing it to prevent secrets getting out? I guess it could be to prevent law suits on behalf of the families. However, most of the un sanctioned practices would have been performed years ago. Any family that would still care could be deceased themselves.
1 person likes this





