The Anoka State Hospital is located in Anoka, Minnesota, which is also known as the Halloween capital of the world.
There are many frightful haunts at the former Anoka State Hospital, also known as the Anoka State Asylum, which was in operation for a century.
Numerous elements contribute to the asylum’s hauntings. There is plenty of water activity for spirits to draw from, and it is situated near to the Rum River.
Additionally, the Anoka State Hospital used experimental treatments—yes, lobotomies—to cure “incurables.”
The labyrinth of underground tunnels connecting a dozen houses and service buildings is the cherry on top.
To find out more about the Anoka Asylum and its haunting, keep reading!
Anoka State Hospital & Asylum’s Past
In the spring of 1900, the first patients arrived at the Anoka State Hospital, which had been constructed in the late 1800s.
About 100 male patients who were deemed “chronic incurables” made up the initial group of patients from St. Peter.
The patients were just moved here to spend the remainder of their lives in peace; they were not to receive any medical care.
The first mental hospital to house patients in “cottages” rather than a hospital-style facility, the living conditions were initially excellent.
A network of subterranean tunnels connected the cottages, which could accommodate up to 50 patients each.
The majority of the patients received excellent care and were permitted to go around the roughly 400 acres of gorgeously wooded grounds beside the Rum River.
115 women then entered the scene in 1905, naturally living in separate housing. The staff was able to care for the patients, and there was still space for everyone. Then everything changed.
The heyday of dedication was the 1920s. Family members could commit other family members for an extended amount of time and for almost any reason! The worst thing?
Only when a family member arrived to pick up the patient could they be released.
The Anoka State Hospital, often known as the Anoka State Asylum, had more than 1,000 patients by the 1920s. The staff was simply unable to keep up with the hospital’s overcrowding.
This indicated that the patients’ living conditions were appalling. Many were tied to beds without someone to change their dirty bedding, others were forced to fend for themselves, and many were put in straightjackets for days.
Even after the facility closed more than 20 years ago, people still claim seeing restraints on the grounds.
People attempted to flee by swimming in the neighboring river and via the tunnel system that connected all the buildings because the conditions were so dire.
Unfortunately, a lot of people died or committed suicide after their escapes, making them their last remaining search.
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Treatments for Lobotomies and Tuberculosis at Anoka State Hospital
What caused a stir was the time in the Anoka State Asylum from 1948 until 1967. The hospital was converted into a TB treatment facility for insane and mentally sick people.
However, the hospital was already overloaded. The conditions kept becoming worse since the staff was unable to keep up with this new group of patients.
Lobotomies were performed in the Anoka State Hospital in the 1950s. In ten years, they performed 100 lobotomies, not just one or two. That only includes those that have been reported.
There were other experimental treatments than lobotomies. Regular treatments included electroshock therapy and hydrotherapy.
Cemetery at Anoka State Hospital
They thought ahead and constructed the Anoka State Hospital Cemetery close to the hospital when they constructed the Anoka State Hospital.
The cemetery is located across the street from the Anoka High School, approximately a quarter of a mile from the main grounds.
About 400 patients are interred here. Do you recall the initial 100 patients who came from St. Peter? This is where 86 of those guys are interred.
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The cemetery has a troubled history. Patients were buried with just their numbers on a plaque while the asylum was still in operation. Individuals were unable to depart, unrecorded, and forgotten.
Thankfully, a group assembled and conducted research on the burials. To help the patients rest, the team was able to replace the patient number with a named headstone.
The cemetery is still open for visits; there are only plaques instead of headstones. I was only able to see the gate when I went in January because it had only snowed eight inches the day before! It’s generally best to go in the summer.
Anoka State Asylum Hauntings
First of all, I think it’s amazing that paranormal investigators have never looked into the asylum. No one has been permitted in to formally conduct an investigation thus far, and they require approval from the state and the city.
However, employees have shared many stories. Orbs were observed flying close to the cemetery and the surrounding woods prior to the cemetery being updated with the patients’ names.
Workers inside the cottages say they hear wild laughter in the hallways and feel cold on hot days.
Reports of faces in boarded-up building windows have also surfaced. Workers frequently complain that they feel like they are intruding.
And there are plenty of haunts in the adjacent Rum River. This river has a connection to the first person interred at the cemetery.
William Raesall, a 42-year-old German immigrant, broke out of the asylum five months after it was opened. He died after walking into the Rum River. We definitely cannot know for sure, but some articles claim that he committed suicide.
There are more patients whose lives ended in the Rum River besides Mr. Raesall. Many of the dozens of people who escaped from the asylum each year ended themselves in the river. Unfortunately, a large number of them perished in the Rum River’s raging torrent as well.
People claim to be able to see figures moving into the water and then vanishing into thin air, as well as hear screams coming from the river.
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Present Situation
The number of patients at Anoka State Hospital decreased from about 1300 to roughly 400 in the 1970s. And the numbers kept going down.
In 1999, the asylum closed. The city thought about how to renovate it and utilize the stunning architecture in the 2000s.
The Anoka State Hospital serves a variety of purposes now. A few of the cottages have been converted into homeless veteran housing.
A number of other cottages serve as therapy and human services offices, as well as adult and teen mental health clinics. There are still some houses under construction and several abandoned cottages.
The grounds are beautiful. The Rum River and woodlands encircle this lovely piece of land. An excellent place to come for antiques is the nearby downtown of Anoka.
Be considerate if you visit the asylum grounds. This is where people live and work. Do not enter the abandoned structures without permission as they are dangerous.
It will feel different the closer you get to the building, I promise. You can visit the ghosts outside the structures. The public has easy access to the cemetery.
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