Fairfield Hills Hospital, Newtown, CT
Fairfield Hills Hospital is an abandoned psychiatric hospital located in Newtown, CT. Many who visit the property enjoy walking along the scenic walkways, or paying a visit to the NewSylum Brewing Company. But what most don't know about the hospital is that it’s gained the reputation for being one of the most haunted locations in the entire state.
Although now shut down, Fairfield Hills operated from 1931 until 1995, receiving over 4,000 patients at its prime. The hospital originally opened and admitted its first patients on June 1, 1933, after overcrowding occurred at the other two state hospitals. Fairfield Hills had a total of 16 buildings, some of which are now the home of the NewSylum Brewing Company, the town’s board of Education, The Reed Intermediate School, and the new community center.Â
Fairfield Hills utilized many treatments while it was functioning, some of which being hydrotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, frontal lobotomy, and insulin shock therapy… The hospital is said to have been the first hospital to perform a lobotomy in the United States.
In 1941 alone, there were 86 deaths at Fairfield Hills Hospital. Some of which were patients passing of old age, others from illness, but some were lost to suicide, accidents, and other darker causes. Patients were said to have been strangled, beaten, and tied down when they were to act up, hence the painful energy that circles around the grounds.
After Governor John Rowland closed Fairfield Hills down in 1955, it has been a prime ghost hunting and graffiti spot amongst tourists and teenagers. An article by Eugene Driscoll, posted on The New Times on September 28th, 2004 said: “On Sept. 17, a 21-year-old Newtown resident along with two teens were stopped by police at about 10:30 p.m. The trio said they were "ghost hunting," police said.” And how right they were to do so… Many visitors to the buildings report hearing disembodied voices, and have reported seeing people dressed in white that are believed to have been apparitions of the former employees and patients of the hospital. An ex-employee on Damned Connecticut explains the horrors of the hospital. “The hair on my body would stand right up, and the sense of other[s] being hurt and suffering would overwhelm me.” He also mentioned that in the hospital, he would have sleepwalking episodes, claiming he’s never slept walked a day in his life other than during his time at Fairfield Hills. Other hospital workers also claimed that you never felt alone in Fairfield Hills, as you could almost almost hear footsteps trailing behind you. “They had the exact cadence of a person walking in what sounded like heavy boots,” says another commenter on damnedct.