Maryland's abandoned landscape punches far above its size — a federally-owned asylum where children were buried without names along a river bank, a 1934 tuberculosis campus of 23 buildings in the Washington DC suburbs, a Chesapeake Bay island slowly disappearing into the water and an 1860s gold mine in the Potomac Valley. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in Maryland, selected from our Abandoned Places Map USA — 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States.
Why Maryland Is a Hidden Gem for Abandoned Buildings & Urban Exploration
Maryland's urbex landscape is shaped by its position between Washington DC and the Chesapeake Bay — federal institutions, industrial Chesapeake waterfront and the suburban growth that bypassed certain pockets entirely. The state contains some of the darkest institutional ruins on the East Coast alongside extraordinary coastal abandonment on the Bay's eroding islands.
1. Forest Haven Asylum – 1925 Institution for the Developmentally Disabled, Closed 1991 After Federal Lawsuit, 22 Buildings Still Standing, Laurel (Known Location)
Opened in 1925 as the District Training School for the developmentally disabled of Washington DC, Forest Haven in Laurel collapsed into systemic abuse by the 1960s — federal investigations documented physical and sexual assaults on residents, children dying from improperly inserted feeding tubes and anonymous burials along the banks of the Patuxent River. A landmark federal lawsuit forced closure in October 1991. Most of the 22 buildings still stand on a fenced, federally-owned site patrolled regularly — decaying brick ward buildings, the infirmary, staff housing and the burial field where residents were interred without names. One of the most disturbing and most historically significant abandoned places on the East Coast. Approaching the fence is possible; entering is actively enforced.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Forest Haven Asylum
2. Glenn Dale Hospital – 1934 Tuberculosis Sanatorium of 23 Buildings, 216 Acres, Rooftop Gardens Still Visible, Prince George's County (Known Location)
Built in 1934 to treat tuberculosis patients from the Washington DC area with fresh air, sunlight and rooftop therapy gardens, Glenn Dale Hospital was a complete self-contained campus of 23 buildings across 216 acres in Prince George's County. When antibiotics ended the TB epidemic in the 1950s, the wards emptied and the buildings were repurposed then progressively abandoned. The interconnected tunnel network, the rooftop garden frames, the distinctive 1930s institutional architecture and the sheer scale of 23 decaying buildings in a suburban setting make Glenn Dale one of the most compelling and most dangerous abandoned places in Maryland — severe structural instability, asbestos and active Prince George's County enforcement make careful perimeter research the appropriate approach.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in the USA →
3. Holland Island – 1888 Chesapeake Bay Farming Community, Last House Collapsed 2010, Ghost Shoreline Still Visible from the Water, Dorchester County (Exclusively on Our Map)
Settled in 1888 on a Chesapeake Bay island in Dorchester County, Holland Island once had 360 residents, 60 homes, a church, a school and a post office. Bay erosion began eating the western shore in the early 1900s; residents started moving their houses to the mainland but returned each summer. By 1918 the last permanent residents had left. The last surviving house — propped up for years by its owner who fought the erosion until he died — collapsed into the Bay in 2010. Today the ghost of Holland Island is visible only from the water: the tops of deteriorating pear trees, scattered bricks and the slightly higher ground where the houses once stood, the Bay consuming the rest. One of the most poignant and most unusual abandoned places in Maryland. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
4. Maryland Gold Mine – 1867 Civil War-Era Gold Mine with Shaft and Processing Ruins, Great Falls Potomac River Valley (Exclusively on Our Map)
Discovered by a Union soldier during the Civil War and developed from 1867 by the Maryland Mine Company, the Maryland Gold Mine in the Potomac River valley produced gold from a hard rock vein for several decades before the deposits became uneconomical. The mine shaft entrance, ore processing ruins and the distinctive outcrop geology of the gold-bearing quartz vein are still visible in the Great Falls area along the C&O Canal. One of the least-known and most historically unusual abandoned places in Maryland — a reminder that the East Coast's Gold Rush predates California by two centuries. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
5. Abandoned Springfield State Hospital – 1896 Kirkbride Psychiatric Campus, Remaining Buildings in Advanced Decay, Sykesville (Exclusively on Our Map)
Built in 1896 on the Kirkbride Plan in Sykesville, Springfield State Hospital operated for over a century before the campus was progressively consolidated. Several original Victorian ward buildings still stand in various states of abandonment alongside the portions of the campus that remain in use — red brick towers, ornate facades and the agricultural infrastructure of a late 19th-century self-sustaining psychiatric community. One of the best abandoned places in Maryland for Victorian institutional architecture in a rural Carroll County setting. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
Safety Tips for Urban Exploration in Maryland
- Federal enforcement: Forest Haven and Glenn Dale are actively patrolled — never attempt entry at either site; approach from public roads only
- Structural hazards: Glenn Dale Hospital has severe asbestos contamination and floor collapse risk — treat the perimeter as the safe limit
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and let someone know your location
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ – Abandoned Places in Maryland
What is the most famous abandoned place in Maryland?
Forest Haven Asylum in Laurel — a 1925 institution for the developmentally disabled where abuse, anonymous burials and federal lawsuit led to closure in 1991. Twenty-two buildings still stand on the fenced, federally-owned site, making it one of the most disturbing and most significant institutional ruins on the East Coast.
What is Glenn Dale Hospital?
A 1934 tuberculosis sanatorium in Prince George's County built with rooftop therapy gardens, interconnecting tunnels and 23 buildings across 216 acres. When antibiotics ended the TB epidemic the campus was progressively abandoned. Severe structural instability, asbestos contamination and active county enforcement make it dangerous to approach beyond the perimeter.
What happened to Holland Island?
A Chesapeake Bay farming community of 360 residents, Holland Island was consumed by Bay erosion from the early 1900s onward. The last house collapsed into the Bay in 2010. Today only pear tree tops, scattered bricks and slightly elevated ground mark where 60 homes once stood.
🎯 Summary
Maryland's abandoned buildings range from the most disturbing federal institutional ruin on the East Coast to a Chesapeake Bay island the water has almost completely consumed and a Civil War-era gold mine in the Potomac Valley. Each of these 5 abandoned places in Maryland captures a different layer of a state whose history of institutions, waterways and proximity to federal power left behind extraordinary things in unexpected places.
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