April 5th, 2023: Spooky! I explore the grounds of an old insane asylum in Norman, Oklahoma and then explain some of the history. Needless to say, the aura of this space is quite haunting. Lobotomies, electric shock, and more (which are now out of favor) were routine practices at this institution. This property feels like an island of ghostliness in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city. It was a little jarring to learn of the history of this location after having walked the grounds... the cages especially!

"Griffin Memorial Hospital was originally started as High Gate College, a girls' school established by the United Methodist Church, South in 1890, one year after the settlement of Norman. With competition from the University of Oklahoma, High Gate College closed its doors in early 1895 and was soon bought by the Oklahoma Sanitarium Company. In 1915, the State of Oklahoma bought the Oklahoma Sanitarium Company and renamed the institution Central State Hospital. In 1953, the hospital was renamed Griffin Memorial Hospital. Under the supervision of Dr. David Griffin, the hospital grew to over 30 buildings and three farms in its first 40 years. With a change in institutional care in the 1960s, the state built a Community Health Care Center on the hospital grounds."

https://oklahoma.gov/odmhsas/about/od...

#roamingbenji #abandoned #asylum #oklahoma #history #haunted #ruins