Boston is America's most historically layered city — and its abandoned landscape reflects 400 years of institutions, fortifications, industries and infrastructure built at different scales and in different eras. A Civil War-era fort on a Boston Harbor island whose crumbling barracks overlook the city skyline. A 1930s psychiatric hospital in the MetroWest suburbs. A Depression-era zoo whose stone bear dens appeared in Sean Penn's Mystic River. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in Boston, selected from our Abandoned Places Map USA — 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States.
Why Boston Is a Hidden Gem for Abandoned Buildings & Urban Exploration
Boston's urbex landscape is defined by its harbor islands — Civil War forts, WWII installations and quarantine facilities scattered across the archipelago in Boston Harbor, accessible by ferry and largely left in atmospheric states of managed abandonment. The MetroWest suburbs carry a dense concentration of former psychiatric campuses, and the city itself retains industrial waterfront ruins from its 19th-century manufacturing peak.
1. Fort Andrews, Peddocks Island – WWI and WWII Military Barracks Decaying on a Boston Harbor Island, Accessible by Ferry (Known Location)
Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor was home to Fort Andrews — an active military installation from the 1890s through WWII, with infantry barracks, officers' quarters, a hospital and coastal artillery batteries built across its dunes and uplands. After decommissioning, the buildings were left in place while the island became part of the Boston Harbor Islands State Park. The result is one of the most atmospheric military ruin landscapes in New England — wooden barracks with collapsing roofs, overgrown parade grounds, the hospital building with period medical fixtures visible inside and the Boston skyline visible across the harbor from the gun batteries. Accessible by seasonal ferry from Long Wharf. One of the most photogenic abandoned places in Boston.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Peddocks Island
2. Franklin Park Bear Dens – 1912 WPA Stone Zoo Enclosures Abandoned Since 1958, Mystic River Filming Location, Roxbury (Known Location)
Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted as part of his Boston park system, Franklin Park Zoo opened in 1912 as a free open-plan zoological park drawing millions of visitors. By the 1930s it had fallen into disrepair; the bear dens — massive stone enclosures with iron bars, concrete wading pools and thick granite walls built by WPA workers — were among the last exhibits to close in 1958. For decades the dens stood largely forgotten in the Long Couch Woods section of Franklin Park. When Sean Penn filmed Mystic River in 2003 and used the abandoned bear dens as a location, the site gained national attention. The stone staircase leading to the dens, the iron bar enclosures and the wading pools are still accessible in the park. One of the most surprising abandoned places in Boston.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in the USA →
3. Metropolitan State Hospital – 1930 Psychiatric Campus Closed 1992, Ward Buildings in Advanced Decay, Waltham/Belmont Border (Exclusively on Our Map)
Opened in 1930 on the Waltham-Belmont border, Metropolitan State Hospital operated for 62 years before closing in 1992 as Massachusetts completed its deinstitutionalization program. The hospital achieved dark notoriety in 1978-1980 when a patient murdered two other patients and buried them on the grounds — a case that contributed to increased oversight of state psychiatric facilities. The campus retains multiple deteriorating ward buildings, the surrounding woodland landscape designed as therapeutic grounds and the institutional architecture of a 1930s state facility. One of the most atmospherically haunting abandoned places near Boston for psychiatric campus urbex. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
4. Fort Warren, Georges Island – 1847 Civil War Prison Fortress in Boston Harbor, Confederate Officers Imprisoned Here, Intact Granite Walls (Exclusively on Our Map)
Built between 1833 and 1861 on Georges Island in Boston Harbor, Fort Warren served as a prison for Confederate officers and political prisoners during the Civil War — including Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens. The pentagonal granite fortress with its massive earthwork ramparts, brick-vaulted casemates and the notorious dungeon cells is among the most intact Civil War-era coastal fortifications in New England. Now Boston Harbor Islands State Park, the interior is freely accessible by seasonal ferry — dark granite corridors, original artillery emplacements and the legend of the Lady in Black (a Confederate prisoner's wife executed in 1862) make this one of the most historically compelling abandoned places near Boston. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
5. Abandoned Boston Waterfront Power Station – Early 1900s Brick Generating Plant with Original Turbine Infrastructure, South Boston (Exclusively on Our Map)
An early 1900s brick power generating station in South Boston from the era when Boston's expanding electric streetcar and industrial network required dedicated waterfront generating capacity — the original turbine hall with overhead crane system still visible through the deteriorating roof sections and the massive brick chimney stack still standing above the Fort Point Channel waterfront. Boston's industrial South Boston waterfront is one of the most actively redeveloped zones in the city; this generating station is one of the last surviving examples of early 20th-century Boston industrial power infrastructure in its original abandoned state. One of the best abandoned places in Boston for early electrical era industrial photography. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
Safety Tips for Urban Exploration in Boston
- Island ferry seasons: Boston Harbor Islands ferry service runs seasonally — always confirm schedules before planning a visit to Peddocks, Georges or other harbor island sites
- New England weather: Boston's coastal exposure creates rapidly changing conditions — always check forecasts before island visits and bring rain gear year-round
- 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 Boston
What is the most famous abandoned place in Boston?
Franklin Park Bear Dens — massive WPA stone zoo enclosures abandoned since 1958, made famous nationally when Sean Penn used them as a filming location for Mystic River in 2003. The stone staircase, iron bar enclosures and concrete wading pools are freely accessible in the Long Couch Woods section of Franklin Park in Roxbury.
How do you visit the Boston Harbor Island forts?
The Boston Harbor Islands are accessible by seasonal ferry from Long Wharf in downtown Boston. Ferries typically run May through October. Fort Andrews on Peddocks Island and Fort Warren on Georges Island are the primary abandoned military sites; both are freely walkable once on the island. Check Boston Harbor Islands State Park for current ferry schedules and fees.
What is Metropolitan State Hospital known for?
A 1930 psychiatric hospital on the Waltham-Belmont border that closed in 1992. The hospital gained notoriety in 1978-1980 when a patient murdered two other patients and buried them on the campus grounds — a case that became known locally as the "Met State murders" and contributed to increased oversight of Massachusetts psychiatric facilities.
🎯 Summary
Boston's abandoned buildings range from Civil War prison fortresses on harbor islands to WPA zoo bear dens that appeared in Oscar-winning cinema and a 1930 psychiatric hospital with one of New England's darkest institutional histories. Each of these 5 abandoned places in Boston captures a different layer of America's oldest major city and the 400 years of institutions, fortifications and industries it built and left behind.
Abandoned Places Map USA
- ✓ 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States
- ✓ Exclusive locations not found anywhere else
- ✓ Instant access after purchase
- ✓ Free updates forever
19,99€
Explore All Locations →
