Hello all! I just joined this board and would like to share my haunting experience with you all and ask for any psychic impressions or feedback that you might have.

My subject of interest centers around the South Mississippi State Hospital (A.K.A. Laurel Charity Hospital) that served the poor and indigent from around 1917 until it was shut-down and abandoned in the summer of 1989. I created a website to memorialize the hospital and try to figure out it's mysteries here http://laurelcharityhospital.cjb.net/[/URL] the place has incredible amounts of energy and draws me to it in the the most unbelieveable way.

This old abandoned hospital has haunted me from the time I first passed by it sitting on a hill on a dead-end street. I have had vision-like dreams of being inside the hospital going on for several years now..lately I have a guide-figure that takes me through the hosptial in my dreams and is like some sort of guardian. I have felt , while visiting the abandoned hosptital, that I was supposed to be telling a story, or many stories, or bringing something hidden into the light...or simply recieving some sort of message from the energies there..like they ALL wanted to tell their stories. It was quite overwhelming. But I still can't escape from the hold that the place has on me and I want to know why and what it is there that's still such a mystery and why I have such a connection there.

I would appreciate you guys checking out the photos on the website and feel free to share with me any psychic impressions that you may get from viewing the photos of the hospital. There is a great mystery there and I can't rest until I figure out what it is and what I can do to free the trapped energies there. Thanks.

Wow! You have a terrific web site. I love your pictures. There does seem to be a few anomolies in some of them. I saw some one standing in the window in one but it may have been a real person it was hard to tell. The feeling I get from the pics is one of sadness. That's probably because I hate to see such a building be destroyed. Is this the way you feel too? I also have had a hospital capture my imagination and interest like this one seems to do for you. My hospital was a mental institution, Clinton Valley Center in Pontiac Mi. built in 1878. I no longer live in Mi. and I was saddened when I found out it had been demolished. Whenever we drove by it I always wanted to go in. I do have a few pics of it if you want to see them.

I don't know why this place has such a hold on you, but with me I think that it's because I feel sorry that all the people that were there are forgotten when the building goes. I don't know, it's kinda hard to explain.

Renee

I'll have to check out your site but wanted to respond first. Have you tried recording any EVPs there? Maybe leave a recorder on overnight or walk through asking questions while recording. I think it would be very interesting.

I looked at all the older pictures, no problem, as soon as I looked at one picture (newer), I closed the page.
Either energy or looks alone but I felt it looked very eerie.

I can see why this draws you. When I look at the pictures, I am reminded of that horror movie "House on Haunted Hill" ( the new version) where a birthday bash was thrown in an old abandoned sanitarium where sinister things had taken place (in it's hayday).
Old abandoned hospital's have always given me the creeps, I don't know why, except maybe because much suffering and many deaths can be sensed when you walk in. That is also what I sense from looking at those photo's: much suffering and many deaths.

I don't recall if I saw anything that mentioned when it became abandoned or why?

I can definitely see why you are drawn to this place. I saw several anomolies in the photos, and got a feeling of intense sadness and loss. I would say that place was reeking with energies! I'm betting you could pick up some EVP's there. Very interesting, please keep us informed!

I feel that many of the hospital staff are still there..from the earliest days in the early 1900's on through the years..their lives were devoted to taking care of people in the hospital and they still do that...doctors, nurses, orderlies..all of them.

I also feel that, for all the good people there, there was also much wrongdoing that was hidden and never brought out. I believe that there was wrongful death. There is the spirit of a doctor at the hospital...an older man who is well-respected but is evil and cruel..he has done many terrible things but they were always covered-up. He got away with everything. There is the spirit of a young student nurse there and she lived in the nurses home..she was taken advantage of by the doctor and she became pregnant and kept it hidden under her loose dresses and cape. The doctor would have nothing to do with her when she told him she was pregnant. She became insane with fear of anyone finding out..especially her family. She delivered the baby herself and drowned it in the lake behind the hospital and disposed of it there. No one ever knew...but her spirit is still there mourning the baby and seeking vengence on the doctor who she feels is all to blame and drove her to kill her baby. The time period that I feel connected with this would be sometime in the 1920's or early 30's. Whether the girl died or killed herself shortly after is unclear, but I do think she met an untimely and very tragic death.

This is what was revealed to me through scrying and meditation on my impressions and feelings while at the hospital. There is much more than this, but this was my strongest and clearest impression.

I wasn't going to admit this earlier, but at the risk of sounding squirrely, (which is nothing new for me ), I did pick up a few distinct vibes. One was of an elderly man, scruffy appearance, similar to the spirit Nancy and Kell described in the "Tim saw something strange" post, walking along, shuffling down a hallway. I feel he lost his wife and was ill himself at the time, passing soon afterward. He was petted a little by the people at the hospital, a very sad, lonely soul.
I also got an impression of a young woman, a little plump, mid-length brown, lank hair, very distressed. I got the impression a child was taken from her, against her will. I wonder if this might tie in with the story you shared about the young nurse?
I don't usually come up with stuff like this, but this came in loud and clear, especially the young woman. I don't proclaim to be the least bit psychic, but sometimes things just hit me right between the eyes. Okay, in unison, "boy, is that Carrie a nut, or what!"

I'm really amazed at your vision of the young woman...the mid-length lank, brown hair..right on! To me, she is very "Plain Jane"..she was very introverted and quiet and had no real experience with men until this older man..this doctor..came along and basically seduced her, impregnanted her and then shunned her. She had absolutely no idea what to do. This man was sort of a "Pillar of the hospital"..he had a wife and family already and could do no wrong in the eyes of the community. He was basically "Bullet-proof", but his evil-doings are what keep him held at the hospital and unable to move on after his death.

In my vision..the girl was in a long dress with a white apron and a large white cap/scarf on her head..she was kneeling in a grassy field of tombstones and mourning..there was an infant in a blanket..and there was the face of a doctor in a surgical mask and cap. The three are tied together. The secret was kept always and they are still held inside the hospital in the trauma of the event, eventhough it was so long ago.

So no I don't think you are a nut at all! You saw so much of the same thing that I did...maybe this really is one of the messages from the spirits at the hospital. Thanks for sharing that!

In the old photographs most of them I got good feelings. Positive impressions of people working together for the good of everyone. Only in picture (9/14) did anything wrong come up. In that one I got the impression of something being not quite right. It's hard to pin down. Like something off but not quite really bad. Like a person with a really off sense of humor that causes hurt but not in a really evil sense.

The first few photos from 2001 look so familiar to me. I seem to remember the front stairs and railings and looking up at the building as I was going there as a young boy with my mother and another brother and sometimes a sister. I seem to remember being sick in some way. I was still able to move around well but I was going to the hospital for some treatment. The times were happy. But short lived. Like I died or something. I really don't know why I am seeing that.
That place seems so familiar from different views but not all of them.

The pictures of the razing feel like they are taking apart a great entity of sorts. Something that has been imbued with so much energy for taking care of people. Like a great mother.
Overall I get good feelings of many people working and caring. Not just the doctors and nurses but the rest of the staff too. Almost all of them cared alot about the people that came there. It doesn't strike me as scary or spooky.

Sorry, I didn't get anything for that bad doctor and that poor nurse.

Good job on the website Pretzelogic. I like you name too. Can you give a layout of the building and grounds?

Hi,

I was going to answer on this yesterday, but decided to give myself a day and look at the pics again, prior to reading everyone else's thoughts. Now, I've only looked at the old set of photos (twice) - and just a quick glance at the new ones. So, most of this will have to do with what I'm getting from the old pics.

First of all, I feel terrible sadness/lonliness throughout the entire hospital. This is the most austere of hospitals I think I've ever seen - not a decoration of any kind, anywhere. Not too cheery! But particularly the children's areas seem sad & lonely.
I get the feeling that some (crippled) may have practically lived there, without seeing parents/family much at all. I feel a young boy's (7ish) presence in pic 9/14 - something wrong with his legs - I'm thinking polio because I see leg braces. He's a sandy blonde with a heavy pea coat, dark in color - he's stading just in front of the white wheel, blocking it's view.

It seems like no one is ever around in these pics (only in the staged shots). No one. It's like they made a hospital, but no one came! In most of the pics, the rooms & halls have no one there... but maybe they staged it this way too!? I don't know, but it's bothersome!

Now, in 14/14.... twice I've been drawn to the same lady. The one just to the right of the man in the dark suit (front row). Who is she? I just read the rest of the posts here and I'm surprised to see the stories of the nurse who was impregnated, etc. Speaking of nurses, I thought their dorm looked more like a prison... or perhaps it was just a very strict place (i.e. a lot of church influence).

I also think that it's quite likely this hospital dealt with patients suffering from the Doomsday Flu c.1918-1919. Many, many people died from that pandemic - and unfortunately, many of the victims were young (normally) healthy people. This may account for some of the high energy you feel in this place.... from folks who died well before their time.

Kell

Hi KellKell! I also got a very strong feeling of many suffering and dying from Influenza, definately! People of all ages...especially the children and elderly who were most susceptable. Other diseases I feel there are malaria and polio.

In the children's ward I feel many children who are without their Mothers or any parents and the staff act as their families..they are basically brought to the hospital and dropped-off to be cared for. Many of the children suffer from chronic physical and sexual abuse, malnutrition (many are hospitalized due to pracitcal starvation)and have broken bones from the hands of family members. Back in these days, no one ever questioned these things and stayed out of "Family business", for the most part unless someone came forward and confessed. many children were back in the hospital all the time for the same kind of injuries. the children are scared and lonley...but the staff do their best to make them feel as good as they can. The pediatrics ward is the most tragic place of all. I also feel some Mothers who stayed at their child's bedside constantly and really cared but felt helpless.

The Charity was not a cheery place to be in. The state gave up no money whatsoever to make the place comfortable or spirit-lifting to the sick poor people who had to go there. It was advertised as a "No frills" hospital..no t.v. no private rooms, no nothing...but they professed to have good care. I talked to some of the nurses who worked there and they said they had basically NOTHING to work with, in the way of medical supplies. They had to be creative and put things together with what little they had. Doesn't sound like such good care to me. I do commend the staff for their dedication with nothing to work with but their own ability to MAKE whatever they needed from catheters to drains. Amazing really.

Who is the nurse there beside the man on the front row to the right? I don't know. But maybe she's one of the ones that we feel there? The man in the chair I definately feel strongly about.

You are right on the money about the nurses home...it was very strict. The nurses had curfews and a house mother who dealt out chores and such. No boys were allowed to come around. I do believe that it did have much religious influence from the baptist church...very conservative. The girls were treated like novice nuns in a cloister, in my opinion. they had no choice but to live in the dorm, as students..it was required. So your feelings were 100% correct..it was ULTRA STRICT and religious. My aunt stayed there when she was in her nurse's training.

There is just so much history to this place...so many things that went on inside those walls...and let's not forget the cemetary behind the hospital where the poor people were buried who died there and had no money for a funeral or a burial place. This graveyard is a potter's field that has been forgotten.

Wow, I guess I wasn't too far off on some thing! I wonder if there is any way you could figure out who the nurse on the right is. Hmmmm... It would be interesting to at least have part of her history.

BTW- Have you actually toured this place, or only in dreams?

Is the graveyard visible to outsiders, or is more hidden within the 'compound'. It would be great to visit!

Kell

The old pictures from the hospital we got from the library there in town from old newspaper clippings. I think the names of the nurses in the picture are included in the original clipping and I'll try to find my copy of it..so then I might know a name and have something to go on about that particular nurse.

I've never done an acutal physical tour of the inside of the hospital except in dreams. I've only been on the outside. Considering the state of the inside now...it's just way too dangerous to try and go in there.

About the graveyard...my feelings are that it is located behind the hospital..the area behind the shed in the pictures. I don't know how much evidence of it is left...like any kind of markers or whatever. I found out about it from the lady at the library..and then later read about it in a newspaper write-up. Evidently, some people are now looking for their deceased relatives who were buried there and don't have much info on them.

I feel that there is incredible energy in that graveyard...and that's alot of what we feel in that shed picture...it's what's located back behind there.

Hi-

I'm amazed by the photos you've captured and equally intrigued. I work at a state-run hospital and can tell you why abandoned hospitals have always intrigued me. Even in the best hopsitals (where all services are paid for and the hospital population isn't largely indigent) you will find people facing the biggest crises in their lives. Where there is tragedy and crisis there is energy. There are deaths (some avoidable, others inevitable) that happen in hospitals daily. In state run hospitals like mine, we see patients in critical shape as they've never been able to afford to seek medical help. I think this is where the intrigue comes in. The hospital is where people learn and face their fate ultimately. People come to us in the very end stage of cancer. These people never leave alive. In the richer hospitals, where patients get regular care, one might learn they have cancer, get it checked out, start treatment and go into remission. Not so in state run hospitals. What's the old saying, "Once you check in, you never check out". Where I live there are 2 abandoned hospitals. One (Doctor's Hospital) has been abandoned for years and sits nestled among once proud Victorian homes on the side of a hill in a nasty gang-infested neighborhood. I recall that it closed 20-25 years ago. I don't know who ultimately owns it, but no one has been there for years. The other hospital (Harborview) is a few blocks north of Downtown and is a large highrise (maybe 20 stories or more). There was talk of turning it into a homeless shelter but that fell through. I find both of the properties terribly interesting but they are guarded by security companies and not accessible. I knew a doctor that was able to go into Harborview a few years ago to get supplies he would donate overseas to villages he visited with no access to medical care and he said it was positvely eery. There is no electricity any longer so everything had to be done with the aid of a flashlight.

Juliebelle, that's an excellent explanation as to why hospitals, particularly the state run ones, seem to have so much energy. I guess I never really thought about the fact that most who go to the state run hospitals are already in pretty bad shape. So sad.

Prezelogic - See if the name Adele (sp) comes up. Adele, Adriene. Something of that nature. Keep us posted!

Kell

I also agree with the theory on state hospitals. Another interesting note...many of these state hospitals also had alcohol and drug detox wards for people who had reached the end of their ropes, so to speak. I found out that this particular hospital also had detox for people who had gotten out of control. Back in the day they just put these people in a room to "Dry out"...they didn't have the drugs they use now to ease the withdrawal and many died from what they call "DT's". Plus, a state hospital didn't believe in making anything easy for these people who didn't have a dime to spend on rehab and the whole thing was sort of a punishment. They had to suffer to "Get clean"...alot of them didn't live through it. This was just another thought on the energies of state hospitals.

And the name "Adele"...yes, it seems to ring a bell with me..except I would spell it "Adell". I can't put my finger on it, but when I saw that name, something attracted me to it. I wonder what this could mean? To me the pronuciation is kind of odd...I'm thinking "A-Dell" would be the way it would sound. It's a very old-timey name.

Yup.... no doubt the detox folks could very well be part of the energy.

On the name Adele, I'm thinking that's how it's normally spelled, but it IS pronounced like you said. At least to my knowledge and that's what I had in mind as well. Pronounced "ah-dell."

Kell