Note:
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Welcome to The Abandoned
Forest Haven Asylum
Location: Baltimore, MD
Hi! I'm K Enagonio! If you're receiving this message from outer space, you might be an alien... If you're receiving this on Earth, that means you're a part of my mailing list or you found this post on the intergalactic web! If you like seeing cool shit, keep reading and sign up for that mailing list. If not, scroll down and unsubscribe, because you can't sit with us.
This is entry number of my urban exploration blog. Click here to go read the last ones! 11
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Fort Meade, Maryland
I have this horrible tendency to immediately research local abandoned places when I know I'm going to travel somewhere, which is about half of the year. I took a trip to Baltimore to see my family for the holidays and on my flight from Orange County to BWI I set out on the interwebs, yes, I bought wifi on the plane, because I'm a POS human who can't stop working for two seconds, but ANYWHOOO, I came across some absolutely amazing looking spots, but they were a bit too far to drive, since I was there for a family gathering. One in particular that stood out, that I desperately want to go to next time, was an 3.4 acre, hexagonal island in the middle of the Patapsco River, just south of Baltimore. It's only accessible by boat, and because its in the middle of a river I would have to have gone at night, and seeing as it was 33°F (.5°C), I thought better of it.
Read more about Fort Carroll Here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Carroll
After pinning that location on a custom map I'm creating for urban exploration (stay tuned for that), I continued my hunt for a bando to hit, and after about an hour of searching I came across a lovely site called Sometimes Interesting. Sometimes-Interesting, uncovers "the history of the abandoned, forgotten, and unexplained." There was a post about an abandoned insane asylum about 25 minutes from where I was staying and I hastily skimmed through the article to find any kind of location, of which, there was none. However, the author of the post attached her email and said that if anyone had any questions to hit her up, so I did! I sent a simple email introducing myself, where I was from, what I do, and what my goal was, and she quickly replied with a more than detailed email about how to get into the complex via different routes, which buildings are guarded, etc. I can't wait for her to see this post and read this part; Thank you sooo much for your assistance, Ash.
So, during my search for a location on Ash's post, I scrolled through the comments until I found a post from EHunterTV with a link to a youtube video from the location. From there I clicked that link, checked the video description, found EHunterTv's Instagram, and simply DM'ed him asking if he had a few hours to spare on the morning of Thanksgiving, because holidays are always the best days to explore. I mean who works on Thanksgiving? He had some time and he agreed to meet me at a Walmart and walk into the woods with me; a complete stranger.
The Property
Forest haven, like many abandoned asylums, started out as a progressive facility that treated children suffering from mental illness, handicaps, and other social dysfunctions, which I'm sure were perfectly normal actions.
The 230-acre campus has over thirty buildings, which housed hundreds of children, taught them communal farming skills to help them build an empowering sense of community. that was, at least, until the 1960's, when everything changed for the worse.
Left: New Development Center | Right: Abandoned Forest Haven Property
The Admin Building
Getting Past Security
Okay, talk about improvisation! we didn't know for sure if there would be security on the property or if ehunter's car would get towed, but we found a parking spot and climbed up the side of a mossy hill, across a deserted road, that was full of construction workers and police the day before, and into the woods. As i mentioned before, ash from sometimes interesting had sent me two seperate routes to get onto the property quietly, as to not disturb the newly built development center that lies about fifty yards from one of the abandoned buildings on the outer edge of the property.
after about an hour of hiking a few miles through the woods, and making so much noise thanks to the november leaves that were caking the ground, we arrived at a small road, walked across it and walked right into an opened abandoned insane asylum.
Watch this film I created at the asylum that day and let me know what you think in the comments below this post.
The Video
Let the Exploration Begin
I refuse to break and enter into any location for moral reasons, which I realise is ironic, but still. HAHA
This spot was extremely simple to get into, as there are no fences, or signs, but it's still technically...sketchy activity. We walked two miles into the woods to get to the property and man is it huge!
This place was one of the more spooky abandoned locations that I've been to. It was cold, dark, damp, and the air was thick, 100% with asbestos I'm sure. The photos below were all captured and edited by myself, and if you'd like a print of any of these, head to my PRINT store!
This was quite a sight to see. What was this wheelchair for?!
This place should be called the Forest HELL Asylum!
Check out this old school typewriter. You can see pieces of the keys still on it. Crazy!
The Spoils
It's always so fascinating to discover these desolate places that have just been left to be taken back by nature. This location had guards, but we only saw one and luckily weren't seen by him. We only had a few hours inside, but I feel quite happy with my spoils. Let me know what you think and follow me on instagram for daily content!
I always appreciate some good graffiti, but like..vandalism is a no no. HOWEVER, I love graffiti. :p
I couldn't take enough photos of the stairwells.
The Administration Building
This is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; the administration building. This building is the most difficult to get into, because it's surrounded by small roads that cars regularly patrol, and there are rumours of guards camped inside. BUT...Thanksgiving...no one wants to work on Thanksgiving, so we lucked out. Gotta use your head. But don't fall off of something and use your head to brace your fall, because that, my friend, is not good for you.
Forgive Yourself..or don't..
I'd give that a few minutes...
This is my favorite shot of the day. A busted up Pepsi machine. Definitely the coolest find ever, aside from the surgical classroom at this seventeen-story abandoned hospital in LA..
THE ESCAPE!
Walking out of this place felt strange. I didn't want to leave. There were hundreds of more acres to explore, but alas, Thanksgiving means we only had two hours to explore. That means, dear citizens of Maryland, when I come back, TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER...I mean..YOUR LEFT BEHIND ABANDONED SPOT!
*bando (n,): slang term for an abandoned location; an urban exploration trip
If you have a spot you'd like me to know about or are interested in hiring me, CONTACT ME!
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