What a cool spot to find. nestled along the coast in Waterford CT is a small state park with very little parking or signage at all. On the way in there’s a sign that reads “Residents and guests only” and it’s only once you get past the foliage that you see all of the park in its glory. Tall chain link fences surround several buildings, all of which show defunct but beautiful Tudor revival architecture. The largest of them openly facing the ocean to the south showing its original intention. Offering heliotropic treatment to children with tuberculosis.
It wasn’t long before new drugs made the sun-soaked treatment for this disease to become obsolete and the buildings’ purpose changed several times since 1934, from a home for the elderly, to a medical hospital and a home for the mentally disabled. The main building showed up on my GPS as the Seaside Sanitorium. Learn more about the park’s history here.
Put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 and then closed due to a lack of need the grounds are now a state park accessible to the public. The buildings are fenced and locked and the proximity to the park ranger buildings would suggest that you avoid trying your luck with urban exploration.
There are some stories I found about the death toll within the grounds being in the hundreds due to the nature of tuberculosis treatment in the early twentieth century and the resulting paranormal activity reported by staff and paranormal investigators. Things such as cold spots and the sound of children’s laughter, either audible or caught on digital voice recorders. The scariest thing I saw was people’s willingness to let their dogs run around the grounds without leashes. Nevertheless, the building has an imposing posture and gives off a matching energy. Check it out for yourself.
36 Shore Road
Waterford, Connecticut
For a more scenic park nearby check out Harkness Memorial Park.
