Molly Stark Hospital
Mom and I took
off to grab some dog food and escape the farm for a few yesterday and decided
to go for a drive about. Similar to a walk about, but not as hard or long as Mom
has a walker and we could be days just getting to the store. I decided to head
out to Molly Stark hospital and see another of Stark Park’s facilities. Mom had
somewhat of a history with Molly Stark back in the days it was a tuberculosis
facility and she was threatened with being placed in there if she didn’t mind
the doctor who was treating her for childhood TB which at the time there was no
real cure except sunshine and rest it seemed. Mom told me that all she could do
at the time was sit out in the sunshine and read.
I can remember driving
by the place in my younger years and was always kind of taken in by the
architecture and the size of the building. Being built in the 1930’s it has over
the years transformed itself from a tuberculosis facility, to a drug and
alcohol rehab facility, to finally becoming a housing unit for the mentally
insane. Today it is boarded up and supposedly haunted as people tell tales of
supposed ghosts lurking in the shadows of the building. A nice place to visit
this Halloween and take in the grandeur of past architecture as one can see balconies
and other architectural features no longer present in today’s modern sleek,
undefined, mass produced, sterile buildings. Carved ornamental sandstone, and
vaulted ceilings can be seen from the outside, as well nature has started to reclaim
that which Stark Parks neglects, and is evidenced by the ivy climbing on
outside walls unabated, adding to the haunted feeling.
Some of the out
buildings are an interesting feature to the site and one reference has them
being connected to the main hospital by tunnels, for whatever reason I could
only give you an unproven guess, and I am sure it would be wrong, but may have
something to do with the winters here in Ohio as these outbuildings may have
been used as recreational therapy for patients housed there to avoid the harsh
winters. I have included a link with other links, including the Repository’s
story, which is our local newspaper which featured an article awhile back when
Stark County commissioners were deciding the fate of the building.
Today the
building and the grounds is in the hands of the Stark Parks, who will be faced
with the job of asbestos removal and remediation as well the eventual demolition
of the building. I imagine they currently have their hands full trying to
secure the building from those wanting a peek inside. I also understand there
are trails installed on the 40 acres and are being developed to fit into some
form of a plan of a major recreational park for the eastern side of Stark County
to make the parks more accessible to the citizens of Stark County. It’s worth
taking a look and seeing what is there. Especially in the flavor of Halloween season
as it is kid of a creepy building in its present shape, but from the looks,
must have been at the forefront of modern medicine in its time.
here are some more links to check out:
Topic: Molly Stark Hospital, Louisville, Ohio (1/1) - Forum - The Paranormal Society
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