Massachusetts carries more institutional history per square mile than almost any other American state — a Commonwealth that built enormous psychiatric campuses, prison farms, reform schools, and WWII military infrastructure across its compact geography, then watched them all close within a generation. The filming location for Shutter Island and Knives Out. A tuberculosis sanatorium hidden in the Berkshires. A Civil War-era prison island in Boston Harbor. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in Massachusetts, selected from our Abandoned Places Map USA — 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States.
Why Massachusetts Is a Hidden Gem for Abandoned Buildings & Urban Exploration
Massachusetts's urbex landscape is dominated by institutional architecture — the Commonwealth built some of the largest and most architecturally ambitious psychiatric hospitals in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, then closed them all as deinstitutionalization swept through the 1980s and 1990s. The result is a concentration of decaying red-brick campus buildings, underground tunnel networks, and overgrown former farms concentrated within 30 miles of Boston.
1. Medfield State Hospital – 1896 Cottage-Plan Asylum with 35+ Buildings Still Standing, Filming Location for Shutter Island and Knives Out (Known Location)
Opened in 1896 as America's first psychiatric institution built on the Cottage Plan — replacing the single massive Kirkbride building with dozens of smaller residential structures spread across landscaped grounds — Medfield State Hospital grew to 58 buildings on 1.4 square miles housing over 2,300 patients at its 1930s peak. The hospital ran its own farm, power plant, and cemetery before closing in 2003 after 107 years of operation. What makes Medfield unique among New England's abandoned asylums is that 35+ buildings still stand virtually intact on the campus, their red-brick facades and Victorian institutional architecture preserved in extraordinary condition. Martin Scorsese filmed Shutter Island here in 2009; Knives Out and The Box followed. The campus cemetery holds 841 graves — numbered rather than named until a local Eagle Scout project recovered their identities. One of the most atmospheric and most-documented urbex sites in Massachusetts.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Medfield State Hospital
2. Rutland Prison Camp – 1903 Massachusetts Reformatory Farm, Ruins Still Standing in the Woods of a State Park, Rutland (Known Location)
Established in 1903 as a prison farm in the hills of central Massachusetts, the Rutland Prison Camp operated for decades using inmate labor to work a 1,200-acre agricultural operation. The facility closed in the 1930s and the land was incorporated into Rutland State Park — but the stone and brick ruins of the farm buildings were left exactly where they stood in the forest. Today, stone foundations, collapsed brick walls, rusted farm machinery, and the distinctive chimney stack of the main building rise from the pine forest floor, accessible by trail through the state park. One of the most atmospheric and least-crowded abandoned places in Massachusetts — prison ruins hidden in a New England forest, known mainly to local hikers and the urbex community.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in the USA →
3. Belchertown State School – 1922 Institution for the Developmentally Disabled, Notorious for Abuse, 40+ Buildings Still Standing (Exclusively on Our Map)
Built in 1922 and operated until 1992, the Belchertown State School became one of the most notorious institutions for the developmentally disabled in Massachusetts — exposés in the 1970s documented severe overcrowding, malnutrition, and abuse so extreme that a landmark lawsuit reformed care standards across the entire state. At its closure, 40+ buildings remained standing on the campus, ranging from dormitory halls to the administration building and farm structures. The combination of institutional scale, documented history of abuse, and the intact state of the remaining buildings makes this one of the most historically significant abandoned places in Massachusetts. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
4. Abandoned Berkshire Textile Mill – 1850s Multi-Story Mill Complex with Original Machinery Still on the Floor, Pittsfield Area (Exclusively on Our Map)
An 1850s multi-story textile mill from the height of the Berkshire County woolen industry — original weaving machinery still partially on the production floor, the millrace channel alongside the building, and cast-iron structural columns rusting from floor to ceiling. Berkshire County's textile industry was once one of the most productive in New England; the mills that remain are among the most intact examples of mid-19th century American industrial architecture outside the Merrimack Valley. The combination of machinery, millrace, and mountain setting makes this one of the most visually distinctive abandoned places in western Massachusetts. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
5. Fort Andrews – 1904 Spanish-American War Military Fort with Gun Batteries and Barracks Still Standing, Peddocks Island, Boston Harbor (Exclusively on Our Map)
Built in 1904 on Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor as part of the Endicott-era coastal defense system, Fort Andrews served through both World Wars before being decommissioned in 1946 and used briefly as a Cold War installation. The island's wooden barracks, concrete gun emplacements, brick officer housing, and underground magazines are all still standing — slowly being consumed by the island's salt air and vegetation. Accessible only by ferry, Fort Andrews is one of the best abandoned places in Massachusetts for isolation, military history, and the extraordinary landscape of island abandonment. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
Safety Tips for Urban Exploration in Massachusetts
- Asbestos & lead: all pre-1980 institutional buildings in Massachusetts contain asbestos — always wear an FFP2 mask and never disturb insulation, tiles, or pipe lagging
- New England winters: freeze-thaw cycles are severe — always avoid upper floors after winter or prolonged rain as masonry and wooden floors can be dangerously weakened
- 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 Massachusetts
What is the most famous abandoned place in Massachusetts?
Medfield State Hospital — opened in 1896 as America's first cottage-plan psychiatric institution and closed in 2003. With 35+ brick buildings still standing on a 1.4-square-mile campus, it served as the filming location for Shutter Island (2010), Knives Out (2019), and The Box (2009). The on-site cemetery holds 841 graves recovered from anonymity by an Eagle Scout project.
What happened to Danvers State Hospital?
The Danvers State Hospital — the 1874 Kirkbride asylum that inspired H.P. Lovecraft's Arkham Sanitarium and the 2001 film Session 9 — was demolished in the mid-2000s and replaced with luxury condominiums. Only the central administration tower façade was preserved, incorporated into the Avalon Bay at Danvers residential development.
Are there abandoned military sites in Massachusetts?
Yes — Boston Harbor's islands contain multiple decommissioned Civil War, Spanish-American War, and WWII military installations. Fort Andrews on Peddocks Island, Fort Dawes on Deer Island, and several other harbor fort complexes retain significant standing structures accessible by ferry from Boston.
🎯 Summary
Massachusetts's abandoned buildings are dominated by the institutional ambition of the Commonwealth — asylums, prison farms, reform schools, and harbor forts built to extraordinary architectural standards, then left to decay when the philosophies that built them became obsolete. Each of these 5 abandoned places in Massachusetts captures a different chapter of a state that built its institutions to last and then abandoned them anyway.
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