On August 6th, 2022, Ghostly Activities explored the massive cemetery of the old Western State Hospital for the Insane in Lakewood, Washington. See the photo gallery after the jump.

Western State Hospital Cemetery Entrance

Western State Hospital opened as a place to help the mentally ill in 1871, about 20 years before Washington became a state. It soon became a place to dump the unwanted members of society and women who showed too much indepence from their husbands.

The Graves

Overy 3200 people have been buried in the cemetery. 576 poor souls lie in 3 mass graves. The Grave Concerns Association now has a gravestone with their names listed. About twelve souls have been moved back to their family plots or other resting places.The last patient buried dates back to 1953.

The Former Farm

At Western State Hospital, patients learned about farming. They grew food to support the hospital.

Ghostly Activity At Western State Hospital

Witness have reported the following activity:

• Lanky shadow people stretching across the cemetery
• Screams from the graves
• The feeling of being watched
• Full-bodied apparitions
• Disembodied voices
• Malfunctioning electronics

The cemetery is open to the public. It’s next to the 2 dog parks at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood, Washington. It’s open from sunrise to sunset every day.

Feature image source: Western Washington Hospital for the Insane, Steilacoom, ca. 1913 Courtesy UW Special Collections (UW23920), retrieved from: https://www.historylink.org/File/20675

Last Updated on March 21, 2024 by Jacob Rice