Most Haunted Places in America: Northern State Mental Hospital
The Northern State Mental Hospital near Seattle, Washington no longer houses the mentally insane. It is now the home of the Cascade Job Corp. But for the last century, this eerie location has been the rumored, and evidently true, residence of countless ghosts, apparitions and unsettled spirits who continue to haunt the grounds.
The Northern State Hospital was built just outside of Seattle, 4 miles north of Sedro Woolley, Washington. There were two other mental institutions in the state at that time, but the people of Sedro Woolley, still recovering from the economic crash of 1893, decided that the town needed another source of industrial income if they wanted to remain on the map. Thus, in 1909, 600 acres of land was purchased as the foundation of the Northern State Mental Hospital, with the arrangement that this institution would be for the sole use of non-dangerous, but mentally unstable, individuals.
The first 200 patients were moved in between December of 1912 and January of the following year. The mental institution became well known for its humane practices; a notable occurrence since most mental hospitals of that time were reputed for their intolerably ill treatment of the patients. The facility continued to grown and expand to double it’s original acreage, giving the dwellers an opportunity to learn vocational skills – farm, greenhouse, dairy, printing and other markets that proved self-sustaining for the hospital.
The very first murder known to have occurred at Northern State Hospital occurred in February of 1922. At that time, the hospital was headed by Dr. James Winfield Doughty. He remained in charge until 1950, (short of a 3 year stint in the 30′s from which he was re-appointed), when Dr. Charles H. Jones was appointed to the position.
Dr. Jones already had an interesting reputation by this time. Around 1945, as WWII was coming to an end, the young surgeon performed a highly experimental, and largely disapproved of procedure, with the assistance of Dr. Walter Freeman. The procedure in question, if you haven’t guessed it already, was known as a “transorbital lobotomy”.
Dr. Jones and his radical new method of curing the mentally insane took over the Northern State Hospital on January 1, 1950. there were more than 2,000 patients residing at the institution, and many more being sent their way on a regular basis. According to a report from Dr. Jones, the hospital was taking in about 650 new patients per year, while discharging about 400, and another 200 either died or got transferred elsewhere.
It is not known exactly how many patients, or employees, died within the walls of Northern State Mental Hospital, but it is widely believed that there are at least 1,000 bodies buried in unmarked graves behind the gymnasium building of the institution.
The most common reports of haunting refer to a ghost known as “Fred”, who seems to be the prankster type, enjoys tossing objects about, such as sheet pans that have flown across the room unassisted. The nurses dorm area has received numerous complaints of an extremely frigid, reoccurring cold spot, even in the dead heat of summer.
The dorm is also reported to be the home of the apparition of a little girl with a red ball. Claims also state that there is an older, male ghost who is eternally searching for the little girl. More disturbing accounts speak of a body hanging in the window of the old nurses station.
The Northern State Mental Hospital has an enormous root-work of underground tunnels, also reported to be heavily haunted.
Related posts:
- The Spirits at Peoria State Hospital
- The Paranormal at Metropolitan State Hospital
- The Haunted Tunnels of Anoka State Hospital
- The Haunted Elgin State Mental Hospital
- Haunted Places: The Puget Sound Mental Hospital
76 comments ↓
i visited a supposed “haunted mental asylum” in sedro woolley..this doesnt seem to be the one i visited..i was just wondering if there is any history about the one that i did visit..its on the out skirts of east sedro woolley..as i remember its just off the long main road in sedro woolley..its by a supposed “indian barial ground”..i have to admit it was very scary going to this place…its all white exterior building color and the fact that it was old and dirty on the outside gave it a very eerie feeling..it was kinda creepy too because when me and my friends got right up next to the building..we started to hear wolfs howl..that definetely scared us..causing us to end our “ghost hunt” short..so please could you tell me more about this place i visited or give me a website to look up..thank you soo much..vanessa ruiz
I will try and find out some information for you. There were 3 hospitals in the area if I remember correctly from research, can not find the names but will keep looking.
I went to this Job Corp for a year and heard stories. At first I was nervous then after awhile I was like cool! My friends and I would walk next to the asylum and we would get bad feelings and would also see things. one night we snuck off the campus to go to the unmarked graveyard and we got hella scared that night. We were being followed by someone or something. Ever since, I would tell the new inputs to watch out cause of the little girl with the red ball may appear in your room. It was a ghost story I was told as a new input
The hospital just east of Sedro Woolley Is Northern State Hospital. The Indian Reservation ” Upper Skagit” is close by, there is only the one and only “mental hospital” in the area i’ve been up there twice, there is a middle school on the property as well . It is erie , and i would never ever want to go there!!!! but yeah you were in the right place Vanessa
This year there is a haunted house hapening at nortern state, for the first time in years thet are allowing pepole to enter the grounds. I have already been interesting occurences, more than just the actors doing there thing.. I am attending it tonight so let THE SPOOKIENESS BEGIN……
The Northern State Mental Hospital is located in Sedro Woolley. A team of paranormal investigators I was associated with investigated it in 2006. It is definately haunted, we all had tons of personal experiences from slamming doors, lots of evps captured, I saw a apparition on the second floor of a man watching us from down one of the hallways. He stood in front of one of the locked off doors until I got about halfway down the hallway and he disappeared in front of my eyes. A investigator that was there captured a really good ghost photo in the tunnels below the hospital, it is just a amazingly haunted place. It is a place you definately have to experience for yourself. We are going to the haunted house that is being held there this year, can’t wait to get back in that building. Oh yea, I saw that little girl myself while we were on the tour of the grounds before we investigated. This story is real.
Happy Halloween
First of all, Northern State isn’t exactly “right outside” Seattle. In fact, it’s more … almost two hours away from Seattle.
Secondly, the place is quite haunted. It has been documented in countless of investigations into the area. Many of the students who go there attend the Skagit Valley College, a community college in the region, and they all have their own little ghost stories to tell.
Although the building is on Job Corps property and such, the slaughter house that they used is away from the building, and a few people I know used to sneak into it, and experienced the same eerie feeling in the slaughter house as they did in the hospital itself.
It’s awesome that locals have this haunted location near us, that gets a lot of buzz.
Ugh. This place was not “humane!!!!!!!!!!” My great-aunt was an intern nurse there, and quit after two weeks the conditions are so bad!!!!!! She hasn’t been a nurse since.
My friend and I went out there last night and they were competely sold out. We were told that tickets go on sale (no-pre sales) at 5:30pm but people start lining up at 2:30, arghhhh…
We were curious though, what the haunted house was like, what building it was in, and were you able to roam around the grounds? Thanks!
Growing up just down the road from Northern State makes for lots of interesting storys of odd things happening. Friends and I have spent many nights exploring the grounds and cemetary and believe me they are haunted. The cremetorium is one spooky place where we have sighted “a man” and even the headstones disappear when you go looking for them. Another paranormal hot spot in the area is Devils Tower in Concret. It is the site of the old concret mill on Lake Shannon and has been the site of many paranormal occurances over the years. We have sighted an adult male, two women and a crying child up there. Use care when going up there. Not all of them play nice. The man in black is found in the long coridor leading to the concert silo and my roommate almost fell down the hole at the top trying to catch him.
I am dying to get into Northern State {
(no pun intended). My wife and myself have spent many a day at the farm portion of the hospital but have not been able to get onto the Job Corp. campus to explore the grounds. We have been fascinated with this place for a long time and have debated getting hold of Dick Falis whom is a historian for the hospital to try to gain entry to the grounds. If ANYONE has a contact or two or more to gain legal entry please leave a follow up here, it would be greatly appreciated. The plan was to get inside and take photos as we think this place would be most excellent place to do a large black and white series of picture for our home. I sure hope someone can help. As for the haunted house, is it only on the weekends or during the week too? Times?
Brenda,
The old concrete plant at Lk. Shannon is friggin awesome. We too spend much time up there exploring and target shooting at the pit just behind “Devils Tower”. We have got some amazing pictures up there in the tower, that place is HUGE inside. I love the top floor atop the elevator shaft.. And the view of the lake is beautiful.
I agree Eric. Devils tower is a very beautiful place and I have a number of photos from the tower. If I knew how to post pics on here I would show some of them. Sorry but I don’t have any “legal” way of gaining entry to northern state, just the ways we found growing up.
Hey Guys and Gals,
If you want to share pictures you can send them to ghostwriterATghosteyesDOTcom. I will set up a gallery to display them. If you do email them please include a name (if you want) so I can give credit to you.
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Here are a couple qickies of Devils Tower..
Ghost Writer,
Do you just want pictures of Northern State or would you like pictures of Devils Tower also??
Any pictures you guys want to share if great. I will post them in a gallery and publish them in a post.
Just remember to send me your name or name of your group if you want the credit for the picture.
The ones above are great!
This place is so freakin scary! i went there and I was amazed by how many times i was about to pass out. i will never forget the girl with the red ball….. if u go there u will get weird feelings like someone is watching you. u also get chills that seem to go right past u as if someone or something just walked past you. it is so scary. now i am scared to be alone anywhere.
Peanut,
I would like to know what part of the campus that you checked out… Do you know how to gain entry to this facility? Dick Falis that I mentioned in an above post (the historian) is really up there in age. I heard the name Ed, I should stop by there on my way home from work and inquire about a grand tour, whether it would be permisable is another story.
Northern State is definitely eerie; but I felt more at that haunted antique store in Woolley. Since there are two antique shops (at least there were, haven’t been there in while) and I always forget which is the haunted one, I relied on my instincts. I picked out the haunted one right off. The clerk working there confirmed those instincts. There was a closed door leading upstairs from which came numerous noises of someone milling about on the stairs behind the door. The sounds then worked their way up and I could hear someone on the second floor. The clerk told me that there was no one else there and he didn’t here a thing. No way I could work there. The feeling I got was that the entity didn’t like it’s home was a shop and hated all the corporal activity. It felt closed off from the shop area, like part of it’s home had been stolen. Not a particularly evil entity, but definitely angry and wanting to be left alone.
Northern State had so much going on that I couldn’t focus…just a blur of activity.
I have heard there is a jail of some sort there as well as the Job Cor. I wanted to go to the haunted house just so I could get inside this place. Now I will be able to go, as I got a job inside.
My Uncle worked at Northern State for 30 years this month! It IS haunted! He was going to give me a private tour whenever I wanted. He WOULD have been the perfect guide. Unfortunately we suffered a horrible loss in our family and my Uncle was taken from us 2 days ago. He loved his job. I know he has found peace.
I work as an instructor for Job Corps at Northern State campus. I helped to salvage props for the haunted hospital from the Denny building. Myself and another staff member went up to the attic to look around and there was a folding chair in front of a round window… we went to the other end of the attic and when we returned the chair was moved. We were the only ones up there. It is a beautiful campus and a wonderful place to work. During lunch I walk the ground every day.
Somebody hook me up!!!! I just want to get in for photos. Send security in with me if that is what is needed.
I wanted to say that this place is freak en crazy! My mom works at the job corp center and she also worked the haunted hospital. Well over Halloween weekend my mom asked me to come up and help and work in the haunted hospital of course I said yes. (It was held in the basement of the old chapel) not in the hospital itself. But it was across the walkway from Denny hall (where ghost hunters filmed) So my mom asked If i could get a tour of Denny hall for coming up and helping out and being stabbed all night they said yes and I got a tour of it. It blew my mind out! I spent about 45mins in it both nights the first night i didn’t have my camera but the second night (halloween night) I video taped my walk through. I tried to see stuff or hear stuff on the video but i don’t have the right kind of equipment but i sure felt weired in some spots and had cold spots even tho they have the heat on. I wish I was in there longer, but the time I was in I was freaked out
Mostly harmless, is there any way you can get me in? Daytime is fine, just want to do pictures…
I recently went in to take some pictures after my Uncles funeral. We went into the Denny Building, the Chapel and the Nurses quarters. I think I caught some orbs in the Denny building. There were a lot of cold and warm spots, but the heat was on in different areas and on the different levels. It was a really cool experience and I wish my Uncle could have shown us around.
I was up at northern state hospital in 05 working on my next book.
I had been in a lot of places even Amitty Ville did not come close to this place.
I was there as TAPS came in. and I had inded goten sick with in the place.
It was in 1945 that Dr. James Winfield and Dr. Walter Freeman had used the patients fore that of a highly experimenttal pocedure called the transorbital lobotomy. and yes there is over 1,000 bodies buried in unmarked graves.
I have spent 6 years doing the history on places like this . and this is by far the most haunted place I have ever come upon.
I was born in Sedro Woolley in 1961. My father and mother both worked at Northern State, my father in Maintenance and my mother was a nurse. We moved to NC when the facility closed (or downsized)around 1973. My father is still living and knew every inch of the place and still speaks of it frequently. I recall a couple of times during the summer breaks when I was out of school, my father would take me to work with him just to sort of hang out. I got to know a couple of patients there and remember how they used to tell me of the dead souls that roamed the place and how frightened they were. It scared the crap out of me and made me feel sorry for them at the same time. Returned to Woolley for the first time in 35 years in 2008 and drove up to the hospital…a young man at the gate, ask me nicely to leave.
I would love to tour the place one more time…day or night.
does anyone have a copy of the map of the northern state mental hospital
I attened job corp for a year and a half and I heard the roomers but never really care much or thought much about it till one night I returned to my one man bay and desided to I lie in my bed and call it a night, just closed my eyes and the next thing I know I hear a mans voice wisper the name Beth into my ear I felt the breath on my ear I quickly looked to my left and saw nothing. I never understood why that happened because my name is not Beth but I continued to stay in that room until thing got worse and left my one man bay for a five. Ill never forget my time there with all the strange feelings and things I heard and seen.
I have been to this location for a disaster training (in June of 2005 … this was before TAPS and so I felt someone justified when they were also unable to disprove the possibility of paranormal)and it is absolutely the most frightening place I have ever been in my life. I am a 4th generation sensitive and have had dozens and dozens of experiences in my life, however, at 23 years old I found myself packing up and leaving in the middle of my 2nd night there. I would love to share stories if anyone out there has some to swap?? ~Nikki
Oh … I feel this is worth sharing as well … at the time I was there it was illegal to go off of the Job Corps grounds, i.e. you were not allowed to approach any of the actual buildings as they were state property. This was a disaster training for me, and I just adore Washington state so I had 3 full rolls of 35mm film. When I got there and realized what I had gotten myself into I immediately went to work getting pics and the group of us had convinced a Job Corp resident to “take us around”. When I came home the lady at Walgreens told me I had given her 2 rolls of unused film?! I asked for the negatives and she said there were none, there were no exposures … that I simply hadn’t used the film. The single roll that did develop was of the barns and grounds off campus … none of the photos from the buildings ever developed for me. But I have the memories and a few from a friends digital. If “they” don’t want you to have pictures … you won’t get pictures.
If anyone wants to share pictures, stories, EVP’s or whatever and have them published here please email them. It can be anonymous but will give credit also if you leave name and group (if you are with any).
Send to ghostwriterATghosteyesDOTcom. West coast trips are once a year for us so may be a while before I see this place.
Im from Sedro Woolley, born and raised my family like many others from here have parents who worked at the Northern State Hospital.The patients were not treated well not at all. Just keep that in mind for thoughs of you who plan on visiting the hopsital.Let them know you mean no harm.
I am currently a student enrolled at Cascades Job Corps Center, formely known as “Northern State Mental Hospital”. The first night i spent here the older students told me many stories about the girl with the red ball, the old man looking for her, a nurse that hung herself, and even people jumping out of the third floor window of the dorm known now as “White Water”. I have never seen or got any weird feelings in any of the dorms, and before did not believe in ghosts. One of my friends and i went around one night taking pics to see if anything showed up and for a long time did’nt seem like we would find anything until we got into the shower rooms….there were SO many orbs it was like they were having a party and they were all gathered around my buddy’s head. My other two stories took place in what is now the dining hall. Another buddy and i were washing dishes in the back when all of a sudden a knife, which was completely enclosed in a cup, somehow flew out and went through my friends leather boot! ( we were the only ones around ). Another story includes in the the kitchen while talking, a 10 lb. pan was picked up and thrown into the wall on the opposite side. The scariest part is not only did we watch it happen with no one there but the kitchen staff member we were talking to at the time was completely calm and simply replied “happens all the time”. other than that i have heard stories about how the dorm i reside in known as “Mount Rainier” is an all guy dorm because whenever a women happened to stay in there they would wake up with violent scratches on they’re back ( i have seen pictures ). They may not tell you but all the staff members have stories and keep files of the history, newspaper articles, residents, and suicides. The more leniant ones have shown me their files. CJCC students are not allowed to leave the grounds besides certain days as long as your going to town….but some people sneak off. What i am most interested in is the buildings right off of the immediate center…SOMEHOW i know that these buildings were an old part of the hospital and seem to be used for wikka rituals due to the pentagram paintings on the walls….this place is extremely haunted in my opinion and the people here have many secrets. if you would loke further info feel free to contact me at Jsbaldwin90@yahoo.com
Is it possible to tour or investigate the grounds? Who would be the contact? I am a member of an investigative team in California and would love the opportunity to visit such an interesting place.
I worked at NSH while on a work crew from Monroe prison n that place is haunted, i dont care what anyone say’s one of the c/o’s was pushed down one of the stairs there n just the look on his face was hella crazy. i recently drove by there on 4-2-10 n took my girl n mom there just to let them see the place. i even worked at that cementary which at the time just was a field of grass with NO headstones period, talk about crazy. look don’t be fooled just take your a– up there n find out for yourself, you’ll see.
My mother spent three years in Northern State Hospital after I was born in 1960. She passed away in 1986, and she would never speak of Northern State. She refused to go to Sedro Wooley, always citing it as a dreadful place.
I asked my father (passed 1981) why mom would never go there, and he told me stories that he had witnessed ond or my mother told him.
One story that comes to mind is how the good doctors would not use anesthetics for the lobotomies, and the screaming that would esnue from the patients was horrific.
Stories of the bodies of the patients that didn’t survive the lobotomies being left in the hallways, uncovered for days at a time, some with their faces literally removed and left in a rag until the “gardeners” would come back from weekends or holidays to remove them. Left in the open for patients and staff to see.
The tunnels were where the staff would move from building to building, at times taking the dead from one location to the next in order to hide them from family so the good doctors would not be incriminated.
The extent of the crimes will never be known. No one cared about the insane.
Want a good story? Try to find out why the first building you pass on the left as you approach the security office is empty, no power going to it, but the porch light is always on.
hey i was a student there for about two weeks but left…my first night there was horrible..in the bathroom the doors would closed by themselves,it was scary..i was in white water dorm but never heard of the stories in that doorm so if u guys know any please tell me my msn is jasmin10-eliza@hotmail.com take care and good luck if u r in that place..
I attended Cascade Job Corps back in…1999 for roughly 8 months as a student. I was housed in “Evergreen” dorm. At that time Job Corps used four dorms, one “White water” being a boy and girl dorm. At this time there where no reports online about this place being haunted. All that was known was spread through word of mouth for most part. I remember hearing about the girl with the red ball. I also remember people associating her with Evergreen dorm? I also heard the report of a student in I believe “Ranier” dorm who was attacked nightly by an unknown force. Then the story of two girls who walked into their shower room to see a hanging by rope tied to one of the shower heads, only to return moments later with the Residential Advisor to find nothing out of the ordinary. Now sure some stories are false im sure, but you spend 8 months living in one of these dorms and I am positive you will see something out of the ordinary.
My personal stories after my 8 month stay:
In Evergreen dorm you have the layout of a “T” hallway. Both first and second floor are nearly identacle. There is a lounge area on both 1st and 2nd floor with a big screen tv and couches which resembles almost a theatre style room. Obviously this is where students come to watch some of their favorite TV programming in their off time. Me and many students on countless occasions would be gathered around in the lounge watching WWE Wrestling when out of the corner of your eye you would see a black shadow walk by. Now when not just you, but half the room looks over to see what it was that walked by, you know you are not “just seeing things.” This has happend countless times but no one ever spoke up about it. Not untill the day we had a student leave abruptly with an eerie story of why. Turns out he was in that same 2nd floor lounge with two other students when he saw a shadown pass by the right enterance into the room. When he glanced over he had said it seemed as if this blackness passed through the cut out opening in the wall and rushed him. The two who where in the room with him confirmed this.
I feel like I am writing too much, but one more quick occasion was when we where having a “fun day” so to say. My dorm Evergreen was empty since everyone was outside playing on the rented equiptment and virtual reality deal they rented.. Anyways I came in my dorm to get something out of my bedroom and to use the bathroom. Well I felt uneasy from the get go. My first thought was that it was just that uncomfortable quiet feeling that was getting under me. As I passed down the lower part of the “T” hallway and made a right turn, I walked down to the end and opened the door leading to the bathroom. As I opened the door I noticed something and turned my head. There where the intersections where the “T” meets, a black shadown was peering from out of the corner at me. I seriously had a good 2 seconds before it peered back behind the corner. I can say like any other occasion, it looks like a shadow, it is transparent, and you can easily tell it is not casting off a wall, this shadow is independant on it’s own. I can’t even believe I did this, but I went into the bathroom and took a leak after that. I will tell you I was at that point scared out of my mind and wasnt hanging out for long lol. I would love to go back and see the underground tunnels if they ever allow it.
I was a student at cjcc for 1 year between 2008 and 2009 and alot of the things im reading on here sound like its just posted to scare new inputs coming in. there were things that happend to me but not like pans flying and knifes and stuff. what happend to me was that in input bay i heard someone whispering about there arm and i thought it was one of my roomates and they were all asleep and none of them talk in there sleep at all. trust me i have insomnia so i dont realy sleep. the other thing that happend which was scary to me was me and my roomate, about a month before i left job corps, were up late and just talking in our room when we heard someone crying hystericly in the hallway. me and her both went out to see who it was and what was going on and when we got close to the crying it just stopped. and we checked every place in the dorm and no one was there. so we went back to our room. about 10 minutes later we both heard it again and the same thing happend except while we were looking throughout the hallways the phone rang at about 230 am and it was a guy asking for a girl who we both have never heard of before. and since me and her had been there for the same time we both knew everyone there. i dont remember the name since its been a year that this happend but it wasnt an unusual name just a name that we both didnt recognize of anyone on campus. the weirdest part was the next morning there was a group of girls who had came to me and my roomate because we used to be the floor leaders and told us they heard the crying to and the same thing happend to them right down to the phone call. alot of people had heard it that night and gone out at diffrent times and everything that happend to us happend to them, and we had not told anyone yet because we had just woken up and we didnt tell anyone when it happend since it was so early in the morning and we didnt want to wake anyone up. nothing much else had happend to me while i was there besides the usual taping on the shoulder and sudden chills occasionaly but i was never really creeped out by it
how do you get inside someone has got too know a way around with out being in job corps al6954mk@yahoo.com
Quick question about Devil’s Tower, how do you get there? I can’t find an address or directions anywhere. I want to visit that location as well as Northern State, but I don’t know my way around Concrete at all. Thanks!
Hello Raelene, I am Robert Myers. I was going to help you about all I know where the Wyoming-Devil’s Tower national monument is. Devil’s tower is a monolithic igneous intrusion or volcanic neck located in the Black Hills near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County,northeastern Wyoming.
Real interested in knowing if there are any more spirits than the main few reported.
Just concluded an investigation there recently and Not All the occurences we experienced totally matched up to being children or old men. One of our investigators got his neck caressed by a warm female hand in about the same area he had his coat tugged near the big old tree. {I call it the “Sinistree”} Still reviewing evidence, but there’s something definitely To that place.
ok my grandpa john works at job corps and he said its not haunted but i have been doing research for 5 months and i seem to think its haunted
i use to be at northern stare hospital when it was called portal i was in the main building and one of the cottages back i did not have any problems with ghosts when i was there i was upset when i heard the program closed down If anyone would like to contact me they can e-mail me at chena1115@yahoo.com
I was in CJCC in 1994. Within minuts of getting there you hear the stories. I was in Whitehall. So far the stories that have been reported are true. I did my own research on the place and found some very interesting stuff. For the true historians I suggest you get an arial shot from back in the day. You will find that the original buildings were placed in the shape of a pentagram. Also there is a big ‘fire pit’ in the center of the CJCC grounds, if you take a picture of it and turn it upside down you will find a rams head. My friends and I snuck about and found what I think used to be a nursery due to the baby hand prints on the wall.
I was in this place in 1997, there was a drug and alcahol program there named Safe Passage. Im not sure the name of the building I was in but I know its across from the screen printing bldg and next door to the biggest bldg on premises. I heard stories of ghost as soon as I arrived there. My experiance when I was there is one I will never forget.One night about 8 of us were in are dorms for bed and the door to the dorm opens, one of the other kids say outloud “We dont have your ball bitch”. The door slams twice and stays slightly open, very scary we all freeked out. There wasint anyone by the door. We used to have are groups upstairs in the same bldg and sometimes we would clean and rearange the room and when we return the next day it would be arranged different.We would also hear dancing and what sounded like a party upstairs on some nights. One night another kid and I were up lookin out the windows and a light in the next door bldg was blinking on and off. As far as we new the bldg next door was abandoned and had now power to it. I also heard the storie of the woman in the nurses station window and one of the conselors had seen it. Before I was there they used to give tours of the underground tunnels, there are many stories of these tunnels being very haunted. kevinpullins@gmail.com
I go to job corps there. where as i havent seen any of the ghosts, i have been brought to my knees and felt like ive been choked by something in white water dorm. the same dorm where the girl with the red ball resides. Im a new input and at first i just thought they were stories to scare us…but now..that ive been there for a few weeks i know that its true. come and visit us sometimes. -laughs-
Local to sedro woolley here. Ah yes northern state, the buildings are haunted that will never change. I have many stories to long for here. What is changing is they have become very strict about not going in the hospital buildings anymore. I remember sneaking in as a kid and being loud as all get out and not getting caught. Last time we went we were very sneaky and quite, yet nearly got caught. The ghost hunters episode didnt help. Most people now only go in the dairy farm or slaughter house on the east side of hansen creek which is not even the haunted hospital.
I was wondering if they still sell tickets for the haunted tour? If and where that might be? I’ve heard its a ridiculous line to wait in, but worth it? Does anyone at the job corps area have any info?
No more tours, none this year. It will talk about this on the Sedro wolley chamber of c. site.
I did feel very strong energy at the outbuildings on the site. I will go back to see what happens. Wish me luck!
I attended Job Corps from 07-08 and I never witnessed any ghosts or any objects moving without assistance. I heard about friends taking pictures and seeing things in them but I never personally saw the pictures. I stayed in White Water dorm and always felt like something unsettling there. I’d stay awake late at night doing laundry and was terrified to do anything. Although, the HS in the back is where I had a personal encounter. I was leaving the upstairs bathroom, and if you’ve attended JC before, you’ll know that there’s nothing to the right of the bathrooms besides locked doors for staff…anyways…I was coming out of the bathroom and turned to the left to head back to my classroom and I heard it very clear and seemed right by my ear “HI” in a raspy voice and then just fade out…I turned my head so fast in the direction and saw nothing. I quickly walked fast to my classroom and never liked going to the bathroom alone after that.
I attended Job corp from Oct. of 2001 threw Jan. of 2003 Halloween of 2001 being my very first full day on campus it was supposed to be a very kreepy unsettling day as I was alone for the first time in my life and had never been away from my home friends or family befor, However it wasn’t kreepy at all. My first night with in the input bay all the knew girls theyre got together and held an inpromptu prayer group and bible study. This seemed to have an effect on my time at the campus as things of the supernatural kind did occure as I found out later.
It wasn’t until I left the confert of the imput bay in White water dorm that I had what could be with out a shadow of a doubt a supernatural experince. Every doorm on the base floor had with in its main entrances a side door that led to the tunnel networks underneath the grounds, left over from the time it was a mental hospital. My first night with in the dorms being halloween everyone was decorating the dorms for the haunted house dorm compition and the students gained entry into the tunnel networks bringing out origonal cots and restraints that had been left by hospital staff. old rusty medical supplys and scalpals and things of that nature had been brought up by students in order to decorate for the haunted house dorm compition. I later found out this is also one of the places students go to get high.
When I moved into evergreen dorm after my two weeks in the input bay I was greated with about thirty girls in the main hall of the second floor of the dorm where they sat in a circle practicing which craft and engaging in a saonce of some kind. They had heard the ghost storys and legends of the place and was determined to meet the young girl with the red ball. I went on my way ignoring as much as I could, but strange things started happening theyre and as an eye witness who liveed threw it for almost two years I can tell you the place is indeed truely haunted.
After establishing residency on the females level of the second floor of evergreen dorm I moved from several roooms to anouther settling for a while in at one of the rooms just at the top of 2nd floor entrance. It was theyre when I moved into the room right before the 2nd floor exit that I had my first encounter. My roomate at the time was a dabbling wicken but you would never know it by her sandy blond hair or her larg sparkling hazel blue eyes. She was as skinny as a rail and even though she had grown up in the foster care system her whole life she was always dressed rather on the upscale side.
When I first met her she was dabbling with the spirits playing with her terro cards when I moved in to unpack into the bedroom dorm room. It wasn’t until after she left me alone to pack that I had one of my first encounters. bending over to fold what little close I had left I placed my items into the top drawer of the locker and was grabbed suddenly. I turned immediatly to look around and saw no one. It was as real as rain.
I kept looking around in intance disbelief and saw nothing about me other that the lockers and bunks that had been there when I came in. This is when I truely stated to believe in the tails that the students told eachouther to freak themselfs out. Truely though the storys of a girl with a red ball or of someone looking for the girl or of a body hanging in the nursing quarters arn’t true to my knowledge, no what I experienced was nothing like that at all. P.S. the story of the ghost cougar who comes on campus and haunts the surrounding foot hills of sedro woolley that I can garuntee are most defenitly true.
I was a former student of Cascades Job Corp Center and when I stayed their I often found myself sleep walking and going into rooms that I had no idea how to get into. All the rooms are opperated by a five butten combination system that opperated every door in all of the buildings. It was when I was sleep walking or when I first became aware of the sleep walking that it occured to me that I was opperating the push button combination system in my sleep with out me being even the slightest bit aware of it.
I had never slept walk before at all in my entire life all of my freinds and family can very much fonfirm this. I first became aware of my nightly travels during a night when all the fire alarms would keep going off. It was in my sleep that I made it down one of the halls and began to wake up and no matter how self aware I became in my waking sleep state it wasn’t until I made it threw the puch buttom combination lock system and laid back down in my bed that I broke from my trance.
( and that is excactly how I would describe it, a trance that I had no controle over.) It was funny because I coming back to my bed from whever I was I started to wake and yet it was like I had no controle over myself. My self awarness (concausness) my controle over my own sences, and controle over myslef wasn’t possible until my head hit the pillow of my bed and then spontaneously conciouse I was aware again, and awake.
I believe the sleep walking occured several times but I have no recolection of it except for that one time.
It was then when I woke and became aware of my sences again I woke my roomate up immediatly and screamed at them that the fire alarms were going off, and we all made a mad dash down the hall to the exits.
The sleep walking was something that I wasn’t aware of until then, but the nightly fire alarm systems malfunctions had been an onging disturbance oncampus that no one even in the shadiest circles ever took credit for or admitted to.
Later after thinking over my predicament it occurred to me that when the fire alarms went off I was always the first one of the building and didn’t know why. When the fire alarms went off I was always running making a mad dash for the nearest exit. when the fire alarms went off the staff would always make an announcement stating they would catch and punish the person or persons responsible for the fire alarms shananagins.
It never occured to me that It could have been me this whole time acting out in my sleep, But how did I opperate the door combinations to locked rooms in my sleep? How did I know How to get into rooms that I could have in no way been able to get into in my waking state? How was I able to navigate such a large building fully uncounciouse of my actions and not even be aware of it?
I may have been a teenager acting out for help or I could have been the unconcious possession of a possessing spirit. I am now 25 and till this day I don’t know what really happened to me during my time at Sedro Woolley Cascades Job Corp Center. The Former site of Northern State Hospital. The students theyre have a saying the hospital never closed the patients just
got younger.
I go to Cascades Job Corps Center. I have been in almost all of the buildings (escorted by security and with permission) and I can tell you from experience that every job corps in the country has a litte girl with a red ball. (That story is a hazing technique for new students.)And as far as the dorms are concerned, the building that housed schizophranics and eccentrics (modern ghost hunting points towards emotional and mental stress as a cause for haunting. Which is why I pointed out this building as the most likely to be haunted) is not even a dorm. It has now been converted into a high school building for students to earn their diploma.
And on a side note, I have been at this location studying for over a year, and had very few “unexplained” events. These buildings are coming up on 100 years old. It’s only logical that they make creepy sounds.
I write only to explain my experience.
I expect you to make up your own mind.
My mother was a patient there and i can tell you that when she was there very bad things happened and yes if hauntings are happening then it is because of the treatment of most patients…. for those who like to see ghosts and raise spirits why dont u be more concerned with why theese spirits are still haunting this place and there life stories…. one other point there was a round room at the main hospital. for u that dont know what it is its a operating room with a hole in the middle and when they operated or experimented on patients they through there body organs down this hole… for awhile the keepers gate had 100s of files of patients in it scattered ecerywhere in the guard shack… if anyone is interested you can contacy me at d.w.1970@hotmail.com i have stories that are true
Yes Curlew job corps in Washington state is haunted!
I was there from 1974 to 1976 and the time I was there, I saw many of
times lights shinning into the windows of the dorm and back then it
was an opened dorm with beds and lockers not that far apart with beds
one after the other. One night in 1975 I saw a black figure, it
looked more like a demon then a ghost to me, I felt the cold from this
black figure and I just laid there and watched him while he was
watching me, He was standing at the end of my bed he was in the
hallway.
One night a bunch of us guys, because that’s all that was there back
in these days was guys, we were going out at night to go tubing up
the road going to the TV antenna and we were tubing braking lots of
rules of the job corps that night doing this too. This happened also
in 1975. Anyway we saw lights coming out of the sky and down all
around us. I got scarred and run down the hill and I saw another
black figure near the cattle guard.
So I run back up the hill and everyone was scarred half to death from
the lights going on still so we all got to together and walked down
the hill and on the snow covered road out.
We got away with the tubing off of Curlew job corps. But what a night
that was!
A black guy was working near me and we were cleaning paint brushes
and he saw a white ghost jump behind a tree and he wasn’t the kind of
guy to make up stories, so I believed him. Back in these days there
were lots of stories of the place being haunted, some people never saw
anything others like myself saw a lot or heard a lot, I was in dorm
4. Which is now called old dorm 4.
Take care,
Walter
My great uncle was a patient & i really want to learn about northern state hospital
i go to job corps right now and i have been here for over a year and i have never heard or seen any of this stuff. but i am very interested with all of the things people say they have experienced.
I was a student at Cascade Job Corps and speaking from personal experience when I enrolled as a student I did not believe in ghosts and spirits. I have had several experiences which have made me a believer. I will not go into details because i have hade to many experiences to count. I have done the research on the property and can confirm that the premises are haunted and the little girl with the red ball really does exist. I also have information on the patients as well. If anyone is interested in learning more feel free to contact me at: Catherinecarey69@yahoo.com.
OK…..I GRADUATED FROM CJCC IN 2003..I DID NOT HAVE ANY INCOUNTER WITH AND GHOST OR SPIRIT, BUT FRIENDS OF MINE SAID THEY SEEN THE LITTLE GURL WITH THE RED BALL THO….I STAYED IN WHITE WATER DORM….I WILL SAY THAT THE BIBLE SAYS ITS NO SUCH THING AS GHOST….SATAN CAN MAKE YOU THINK YOUR TALKING OR SEEING A GHOST, BUT IT IS ACTUALLY THE DEVIL PLAYING WITH YOUR MIND!!!!! WHEN SOMEONE DIES THEY DO NOT HAVE A WALKING SPIRIT!!! THA SPIRIT IS AT REST UNTIL KINGDOM COME !!!
I go to job corps here and every morning I wake up with brooses all over my body. I’ve been here a month so far… I see the father of the little girl in the evergreen dorm room… I currently have a handprint of the little girl on my leg… my friend has a picture on the nurse in the challanger dorm… I have been to the barns and I see countless ghosts…. my friend woke up he was in the challanger dorm 2 see a little boy sitting ontop of his locker, he got up and the little boy said get out while you still can. The boy slipped away through the vents and the next thing we heard was screaming in the other room… there is nothing we can do about these ghosts so if anyone has any ideas on what to do please message back…
I went to job corps 11-13-1985 i have never believed or seen anything until one afternoon in the smith dorm i was in two of the three dorms another member and i talked in the bay and i believe there were 8 bunks in the room one of the lockers were open from another job corps member as i was talking with one of the members in the bay i noticed some noise coming from the locker and the hangers were moving back and forth without hesitation we both ran out of the room and couldn’t believe they were moving it went on for about thirty seconds or so we knew it wasn’t right but to justify it we looked behind the locker just incase someone was playing a trick nothing of the sort nobody but us there. There wasn’t any earthquakes nothing out of the ordinary but the plane fact i had a witness we both saw it it happened. When i arrived at job corps of course curious about he site and its history we were told not to go into he tunnels which were built for a fall out if anything nuclear happened we found an entrance in one of the building and noted some of the area was crumbled and very old and not safe but like our curiosity was there so we went on and each dorm was linked to another we found ourselves somewhere in the church my friend found a book and it was a journal of the hospital duties and functions of the day and what they did from there activities to the doctors daily events what a cool book my friend had it i am glad we didn’t get caught because we would have been kicked out i enjoyed my stay at job corps went to gradutate and was very active part of the job corps alumni association there 1985 seems so long ago but its a blink. I always thought it would be a good movie for steven king lol. Yes and i always here about the nurse hanging in the building next to security and the fireplace where it says “where old friends meet” it had a star above it when i was there and used to be a face carved or set into the fireplace.
and excuse my grammer late night tired lol
I am a graduate of that job corps and I have been in the old hospital when I was working with the state maintenance and I can tell you that even though I did not see anything (it was the middle of the day) there is something there. I couldn’t help but feel like I was being watched and followed around, and not in a good way. I did see a spirit during my time there. It was a girl about my age (16-18) in a white dress. I saw her many times.
I actually live at this campus for Job Corps. It’s creepy at times, but otherwise fine. There are a few hauntings now and then, but most of them are minor.
this sucks i live in england i and i dont know about anything here but all this spooky stuff happens in america
I used to work at a drug rehab center located on the Northern State Property. I worked nights…..I have many stories and a few personal experiences as well of things happening there. Human outlines in wondows of buildings that are closed to people. Doors slamming shut, strange noises. But the worst was being in a hallway one night while I was getting a soda….the building was heated and comfortable. I got to the pop machine and the hallway went freezing cold. I only worked there for about 2 months after that. Needless to say…..I never went and got a soda there again. And the cemetary there, located by the old dairy grounds….only have a few markers but it is said it is a mass grave. But I am not sure.
It’s no surprise that these sites are hot spots for hauntings – if you consider that amount of pain & suffering that went on – while these places were operating. Lots of compelling audio & video evidence – not to mention the eye witness accounts.
Okay, so this is stupid! I have read, I don’t know how many times about the little girl with the red ball! I went to job corps and I resided in the dorm in between evergreen and white water (dont remember its name). We have all heard the story of the little girl but It was rumored the she resided in my dorm… but then again others said evergreen. I guess it just depended on who wanted her to reside in their dorm! To be truthful no one really knows where she resides and if people are telling the truth about their experiences with her then she resides everywhere on that campus. Makes sense considering that she is a ghost and isn’t confined to one area! I myself am sensitive to the paranormal and never really had, any crazy experiences to tell. I have heard plenty of them but never seen it for myself. I believe the reason why is because, there are so many people and so many things going on that it doesn’t really manifest itself as much in the dorms BUT I do think that the property is haunted, especially in the abandoned buildings and underground tunnels! There are a lot of people that died there anywhere between, suicides to retarted doctors. It was not a humane place! A lot of the people that were in that insane asylum probably weren’t even crazy! Remember the time frame that they were in business. Back then they didn’t even know about proper sterilization and sanitation! In the abandoned buildings there is still blood stains in their sinks and on their floors. Many people died from surgeries gone wrong, there are even stories of nurses who hung themselves at the nurses station. Probably because they felt so guilty for how the patients were treated!
P.S. If Harvey R. is still the TEAP Counselor tell him Rachael says hi
yeah right this place is as haunted as a sock
drawer.
Hi
I am interested in speaking with #8 Sharlie whose great aunt worked there. My father (now deceased)was a patient there. Perhaps it was during the period of time he resided there 1957-1959-ish. Thanks,
Elizabeth
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