Century Manor

*Disclosure: If you do not like creepy posts, I’d skip this one. Some of the information and images may be disturbing*

My husband had sent me a video of this location at the beginning of the month. He knows how much I love learning about haunted/historical locations, and this is a hometown location for him. He didn’t even know it existed though! It was a surprise for both of us.

The 529 acre property originally held the Barton Building, built in 1875 and followed an expansion to incorporate East Building (now known as Century Manor) which was constructed in 1884 and Orchard House constructed in 1888, with small buildings added throughout the years including the Inverness. The Hamilton Asylum for the Insane (later renamed Ontario Hospital, then the Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital) was opened in 1876. Century Manor had many different functions over those years; including a reception hospital, addictions & forensic psychiatry wing, a school for adolescents and briefly a museum. The hospital was originally intended for “inebriates”, however there was more need of beds for those who were mentally disturbed, which also including inmates.

It was predominantly self-sufficient; including a farm – cattle, chickens and pigs as well as fruits and vegetables, a bakery, butcher’s shop, greenhouse, root cellar, milk-processing house, tailor’s shop, sewing room, upholstery shop, fire hall, power house, a fleet of vehicles, skating and curling rinks, a bowling green, tennis courts and chapel. In 1890 it housed approximately 900 patients and employed approximately 120 people. By 1909 the facilities could hold 1,200 patients and staff. They even held The Asylum Ball which was an annual event that invited the elite of Hamilton’s society.

Sadly, like all Asylums of those times, it wasn’t always pleasant within the walls for both patients and staff. Deaths, suicide, murder, mysterious accidents, escape attempts and even a fire broke out within the asylum’s walls/grounds. But that wasn’t the only thing happening; what we now deem as questionable practices and cruel treatments, at those times considered scientific and acceptable. Electroshock therapy, hydrotherapy, lobotomies to name just a few. The living conditions were not ideal and sadly patient abuse was also common; not just among each other but the staff as well.

When opened, it seemed to have good intentions to help those in need; some of the better treatments included pleasant surroundings (being outside), a degree of non-stressful work and time for recovery. However, between over crowding, a large spectrum of different patients (from non-violent to violent, social status, ethnicity and class-based identifiers), abuse, cruel and questionable treatments, even the public would go on Sunday afternoons to have picnics on the hill to ridicule/watch the patients enjoying fresh air. This reflects more on the social and scientific conditions of the times.

Unfortunately, even with the dark, tragic but rich history of the asylum, Century Manor is the only remaining building, the others being demolished (Barton Building 1976 and Orchard Building 1971). Century Manor continued to be in operation as a Day Patient Facility until it finally closed it’s doors in 1995. The structure has been left dilapidated and derelict ever since.

This once beautiful building has since been boarded up, tunnel system filled and littered with ominous graffiti on it’s bricks. Century Manor, although decaying, is still a grand Victorian building to witness in person and remnants of it’s details are still peaking out of the beautiful paint peeled woodwork. The trees that are left around the area are magnificent and gnarled. A sign has been placed in several spots on the building, a warning for those attempting to enter unauthorized; stating it’s dangerous with Hazardous Materials, Authorized Personnel only and respirators and protective clothing required. Basically, it is not safe to be inside.

Still the story continues today with it’s many tales of ghostly encounters. I was even able to confirm this with a Security Guard on site. But that will be for Part 2 of this post….

Ciao!

***All credit goes to the following websites and the kind security guard I spoke with. There is so much information out there, if you would like to do your own research/investigating***

1. https://www.ontariogenealogy.com/hamiltoninsaneasylum.html
2. http://asylumprojects.org/index.php/Hamilton_Psychiatric_Hospital
3. https://www.centurymanorpreservation.com/history
4. https://freaktography.com/abandoned-century-manor/
5. https://mysteriesofcanada.com/canada/shocking-horror-stories-from-canadas-creepiest-abandoned-asylums/