Sunland Hospital in Memoriam: The Last Days of Florida’s Hospital of Horrors
“Sunland is not a place that takes kindly to strangers…When it became a mental hospital; it was one of the first to use electro-shock therapy in the area…They used a metal tub, water and electricity on the patients, where they received jolts to curb their fits of rage…Then, they were placed in a place called the pit, where they were herded and left screaming and laughing for days…And children and babies were left in metal cages all alone throughout the day and night…It was medieval.”
— Ex-employee, 1996
An auspicious beginning – An unfortunate end
If there is one location in the state of Florida to have resonated an equal amount of dread and excitement, with just the right amount of psychic impressions of regret and destitution, and finally to culminate in a nefarious notoriety, it will most likely be the late, Sunland Hospital in Tallahassee, Florida. Although originally a noble and active hospital within a chain of caring, state-of-the-art hospitals, it would decline to a place of great disappointment and impiety, and in the end, harbor a reputation of pure evil.
Sunland Hospital; also referred to as “Sunnyland” by many Floridian ghost hunters and psychical researchers, has been one of the most mysterious, and downright formidable locations for anyone interested in ghost lore and the supernatural. As it was one of the now defunct hospitals to hold the elusive name of Sunland, its final demolition in 2006 marks the end of a time-honored tradition of ghostly legends and haunted folklore that had inspired Florida researchers for decades. Since its closing and abandonment in 1983, the hospital’s massive decaying hulk, which for more than 20 years sat almost virtually forgotten and shunned, began to take on an almost unhealthy feel to it, as if it just did not want to die.
The Sunland hospital system had a long and rather illustrious history. One of the first hospitals to eventually merge, and become part of the Sunland Hospital Training Centers was constructed in Gainesville, Florida around 1921, formally known as the Florida Farm Colony for the Epileptic and Feeble-Minded. Though much of that structure still exists today, now known as the Tacachale Training Center, operated by the Department of Children and Families, the primary hospitals were to be situated in Tallahassee, Orlando, Tampa, Lantana and Miami Florida. They would become the beacons of a soon to-be medical empire that would go down in history.
The Tallahassee hospital was constructed in 1954 to serve as a testing and convalescent home for TB patients, as well as those with polio and developmental deformities. The massive building was christened the W.T. Edwards Tuberculosis Hospital, and cost close to 4 million dollars to complete. The hospital held over 400 beds, had a large surgical and recovery room center, and was complete with public and private suites, day rooms for activities and family visits, and was situated on a man-made hill in order to get constant sun and wind-flow, which was essential for this patient population.
This structure catered to hundreds of north Florida residents, as well as those from around the state with a better than average history, but with the advancement in treatment and therapy for TB patients, and finally inoculations for the dreaded polio, the W.T. Edwards Tuberculosis Hospital had to consider other patient options in order to continue. So, in March 1967, the Sunland facility in Orlando, another facility that had originally operated as a TB center, devised a plan to save her sister hospital to the north. Though the Orlando Sunland had operated for close to 35 years, it too had make changes like many hospitals across the land in order to survive. In addition to this, it wanted to expand its empire, so after careful review and debate, the Tallahassee hospital was to receive 18 current patients from Orlando in order to make the change of command official.
The newly christened Sunland Hospital in Tallahassee underwent many internal changes, received a much-needed facelift, and formally adopted its new patient population. From that day onward, Sunland would cater to the state’s child welfare system, helping thousands of physically and mentally disabled children and adolescents for years to come, thus making for itself a lot of money and an honorable reputation at the same time. Sunland soon became an excellent example of how a hospital should be run, and was recognized and honored by state governors and senators, fostering respect for all who came to know of it. Why then, would such a large and powerful state hospital close its doors seemingly overnight is indeed a mystery – a mystery that had lasted for years.
Reports of heinous crimes and hideous sins too ghastly to hide
This was the common method for hygiene hour. The children were supervised by a nurse or orderly if they were at least partially ambulatory. Here’s a fun factoid: The tables these children are brushing their teeth in were originally used in coroner’s morgues and funeral homes as a drainage slab for removing blood and body fluids from cadavers. These tables are made of porcelain, so it’s easy to clean and practical due to the situation of the patients. Yet, one can’t help seeing the horror in it all.
Though there were many rumors as to why all the Sunland Hospitals would close after an excellent work history; the most common beliefs ranged from a lack of money and state funding, to the possibility that the resident staff and patients were contracting “mesothelioma,” a form of lung cancer due to the asbestos insulation. Other possibilities pointed to fire hazards that existed throughout the building, as well as aged construction that would make working there dangerous. And, though all these theories seemed logical by most respects, the last theory is the most disturbing – the gross mistreatment, medical neglect and unnecessary death of the patients by the doctors and staff. Sadly, it would turn out to be a culmination of each and every one of these theories, as state and national inspections identified every one of these quandaries individually. After state and county records listed the reasons for closing all the Sunland Hospitals throughout Florida as a result of these accusations, primarily from the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and the Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC), the hospitals were to be immediately closed, locked and abandoned until further notice. They never re-opened.
Having worked in the medical and mental health fields since the 1980s, and having seen my share of sad and terrible things, I can personally acknowledge the fact that incidents like neglect and mistreatment do indeed take place. However, when I researched the allegations and state’s findings of Sunland’s indiscretions, I was utterly horrified. As I dug deeper into otherwise closed files and patient histories; which detailed such gross neglect and causes of death too graphic to list here, I found myself completely sickened to find that such mistreatment and inhumane experimentation did take place. Moreover, after finding records detailing the death of over 100 child patients in the 1970s only lead me to believe that the abuse was going on all along. If this wasn’t wounding enough, the fact that the majority of these children were buried in the nearby woodlands behind the massive hospital only added to my dismay about the whole terrible affair. Apparently, the psychic memories of these horrible events had left something behind, long after the death of the patient and the abandonment of the once bustling hospital – something truly haunting.
Tales of ghostly children, spook lights and dreadful screams in the dead of night
From that fateful day in 1983 until the day of its destruction in 2006, Sunland Hospital held an almost surreal quality about it. The tall, barbwire fence draped around the rotting building certainly created a foreboding air, as did the un-kept grass, and the broken shards of glass that were scattered about, leaving only blank window openings that would loom down fitfully on the bystander. Without a doubt, the whole place just felt wrong, as if the living were just not welcome there. Although finding a precise history on Sunland is close to impossible, the legends and folklore appear to follow a common course, which seem to have become typical over the years. Of those people I had interviewed, people from all former occupations there, and from other local eye-witnesses, almost everyone claimed to have had various uncanny experiences that seemed to coincide with each other. The primary feelings sensed at Sunland, upon seeing the huge structure was one of excitement and exhilaration. Once an intrepid explorer went inside however, those feelings soon turned to dread, as if they were being watched. Some actually told me that they heard voices telling them to “Get Out!” or to “Go Away!” And, for those who were actually foolish enough to go beyond the barbwire fence, thus challenging the authorities, and risking exposure to asbestos, many would come back claiming to have experienced countless strange and unexplainable things while exploring within the darkened rooms and corridors – things that had some people running for safety.
From the outside, if someone stood in the adjacent parking lots, they might have heard sounds of moaning and whimpering, or even an audible scream from a distant part of the hospital. As the witness surveyed the premises, he would eventually find the remains of an old rusted hospital bed. When the old bed was discovered, many would claim that it shivered and shook as soon as they approached it, almost as if some unseen patient was still in it, responding in fear, like some unfortunate patient might have done so many years ago. In addition to this, there had been many reports of cold spots throughout the area, and in all seasons. This of course is believed to be evidence of a classic haunting, where a spirit entity has crossed from its dimension to ours, the cold spot can appear virtually anywhere, and acts as if a door opens or closes. This paranormal singularity apparently occurred throughout the corridors of the old building, as one of my informants had confessed. Also, when walking on the second and third floors, past the old, totally enclosed steel cages that lined the walls, there seemed to be coldness all its own emitting form them, as if someone had opened a freezer door. As these cages were used to keep unruly babies and children confined, and oftentimes left all alone for hours at a time, it would seem logical that such tormenting would leave something behind.
In addition to the many reports of cold spots, the occasional phantom scream being heard from otherwise inexplicable places would surely frighten and unnerve the hapless explorer. In addition to screams heard from both the inside and outside of the structure, the sounds of muffled crying were also reported. From the darkened shambles of once-occupied office spaces, bathrooms or emitting from the broken windows, these screams have been heard from countless ghost hunters, and some even being recorded on audio and video equipment. Additionally, what was conveyed as sounds of an unseen dog whimpering, and its tags or chains jingling together as if running down the deserted corridors, was also a popular incident experienced by ghost hunters. This would seem to make sense too as historical documents have shown that the hospital once used dogs and other animals in “pet therapy” sessions with the children. As the animals would have created a very special bond with them, such might explain many of the creepy sounds reported over the years. Adjunct to the odd sounds and other strange noises heard around Sunland, ghost lights were sometimes seen streaking through the corridors late at night. Naturally, passer-byes might have thought these lights were nothing more than vagrants, teenagers or transients running through the empty hallways, but when the police would investigate, they would find nothing — Just the dead and decaying hulk of a once vigorous hospital.
Orbs, orbs, and more orbs! This unusual phenomenon has in recent years become one of the quintessential foundations of modern ghost hunting, as well as becoming the staple of related research into the alleged photographic evidence of ghosts and apparitions. Though this is a highly speculative concept for most serious researchers, these small, translucent balls of what is believed to be a form of ectoplasm energy, has been observed and reported in reputedly haunted locations since the formal use of photography. Though researchers have only recently noticed orbs on much older photographs, the debate as to the authenticity of this phenomena being paranormal remains steadfast in psychical academia. Whether or not this phenomenon is in fact related to paranormal activity is indeed the question.
As people drove by Sunland in the early morning hours, or as dusk would set, faces of people would sometimes be seen staring out the broken windows, complete with sad demeanors and sullen expressions. What many considered “shadow people” as they have come to be known, were sometimes reported flirting through the hallways and open doors, evaporating before the witness could get a well-focused look. Historically, though the witness might observe such an entity, they might simply think they are watching a genuine living person creeping through the corridors, or walking by the windows. They would soon learn otherwise, however, when the deceptive shadows would vanish right before their eyes. Indeed, with all the many oral traditions, as well as the growing folklore about Sunland and its ghostly reputation, I felt it necessary to give the haunted hospital my full attention. Although Sunland retained the added reputation of being a dangerous place, and far off the beaten path, I decided to take the challenge — in the end, the Sunland expedition was quite educational from a paranormal point of view, and well worth the effort.
The 2004 Sunland Hospital Investigation
After much forethought and planning, two of my associates with the Florida Psychical Research Group and I arrived at the gates of the old Sunland Hospital on an early October morning in 2004. It was a bright morning with a gentle breeze in the air. The birds were singing and all appeared peaceful, even though the building; that immense decaying structure that had been abandoned 22 years earlier, just sat there like something that should not be there at all. The feeling was of shear amazement, though we all knew the dangers there were very real. The chance of experiencing hostile vandals or transients was certainly on our minds, but also the state of the building itself was of great concern. As the hospital was locked up and abandoned for such a long time, we understood it had a lot of time to decompose and wither away, so precaution would have to be paramount in order to evade injury.
The first order of business was to walk around the perimeter of the complex, and scope out the grounds and layout of the building. Then, we began taking photographs of every angle with digital and 35 millimeters cameras, as well as video taping the entire process. The purpose here was to create a control and experimental database of photos and video, meaning that we test the differences between what we find on both types of film used, and what we had physically experienced. We recorded our actions, as well as made a voice tape of what each investigator was doing any that particular time.
The odd sounds began almost immediately. The sounds of things falling, such as thuds and glass breaking was apparent to everyone and from time to time, a door would slam, echoing throughout the hollow corridors. After a while of this, we decided that the wind may have been responsible, and continued our survey. As we walked completely around the complex, we found a series of intricate sidewalks, half buried under years of dirt and overgrown grass and weeds. These labyrinths of sidewalks lead out to the wooded area, deep within the forgotten thickets. Here, we stumbled upon the remains of the old therapeutic wading pool, used for the physically disabled. This pool was completely filled with dirt and covered with a heavy moss, minus the gnarled handhold bars, jutting out of the earth. We also found the remains of a playground, which resembled something right out of a ghost town, twisted and rusted, with the swings eerily swaying back and forth. As we continued, we came upon a slightly raised patch of land, overgrown with tall weeds and vines. As we looked closer, we discovered small metal plates with small numbers and letters embossed on them, all of them darkened with years of weathering. It didn’t take long to figure out that these were the graves of Sunland’s dead – forgotten and lost under nature’s growth.
As we found our way out of the thickets, we came upon the rear entrance of the building, apparently used for disembarking patients to ambulances and visa versa. The true threat of the old hospital became clear when we found gapping manholes, half filled with trash and rancid water collected over the many years. Some of these manholes were clearly 15 to 20 feet deep, which might have proven deadly if someone would have fallen into it. As we continued, I found the two side entrances open. One was the doorway to a boiler room, the other an old fire escape. As we looked in, only darkness peered out, except for the occasional flash of daylight emitting from one of the many broken windows. Once inside the main corridor, it was apparent that traveling through the entire building was out of the question, as the ceiling panels were now nothing more than hanging tatters, with broken pipes and electrical wires everywhere. In the corridors, the remains of desks, chairs and ripped out doors lay all around, as if a tornado went through. Moreover, with the occasional sound of a door slamming, or a pane of glass falling to the ground in the distance, it was easy to see why so many before us left in apprehension.
As we approached the elevators, we decided to start taking photographs. The empty rooms and debris all over the floor only added to our excitement, but when we heard a loud thud coming from down the darkened hallway, the excitement quickly turned to fear. Cautiously, we started to head back down the next section, which appeared to have once been a cafeteria, complete with tin food trays spewed all about, and a thick mold growing over the counter tops and tables, as if the people who once occupied this place just got up and left. The entire area had an eerie glow to it, due to the sunlight beaming through the moldy, half broken skylights. The smell of musty, decaying plaster and stagnant water filled the air, adding to the already surreal atmosphere of the place.
The hallways seemed to sprawl in all directions, leading to abandoned offices and darkened receptionist areas, where old files and decomposing medical records were found all about the floor as if a hurricane had blown through. With the constant dripping of water, which had been rippling down the now slimy walls from the pooled water atop the building for at least the last 22 years, the whole scene was incredible. To say the least, our hopes for finding a potentially haunted location came to be with what followed. As we continued to walk throughout the first floor, taking in all the sights, we started to hear what seemed to be a low muttering coming from the back section of the lower half of the building. Armed only with our flash lights and video recorders, we started toward the back section, only to stop dead in our tracks when we heard the sound of movement coming from behind a large half-way opened metal door. Our flashlights were strong enough to penetrate some of the darkness, which lead down a smooth, tiled path, so we slowly walked in. Not knowing what to find, we were naturally on alert, and ready to run out of there in a moments notice if we saw anything even remotely dangerous. Thankfully however, there was no one in there, just bare tile walls and stainless steal racks affixed to the walls, leading to the ceiling, and a few black vinyl-looking bags staked haphazardly to one end. It did not take me long to realize that I was standing in the hospital’s morgue. And, with this revelation, we turned to walk out. As I did so, however, with the lighted room now turning back to darkness, we once again started to hear what sounded like muffled mumbling coming from no where else than the room we had just left. After a moment, we heard what sounded like a man’s low, guttural moan, as if in horrible pain slowly uttering from the now thoroughly blackened morgue – finding the exit was the first thing on our minds.
Although we all knew there was no one in that room, and the rest of that section of the building, which was completely barren, finding a logical explanation was just not possible. Needless to say, we all decided to end our most successful investigation that day and return home to review our tapes and photographs. I can honestly say that that incident had the hairs standing up on my neck, as well as enticing me to look over my shoulder the entire time we were walking up the ramp and out to the main corridor.
As our mission came to a close, and we departed the hospital’s wreckage, we took time to stand in the deserted parking lot and reflect on our experiences. We had seen the remains of a once active and honored hospital that unfortunately took a slow and despairing avenue of deceit and ambivalence. Nonetheless, even with Sunland’s eventual fall from grace, it was an important institution to have served in the state of Florida. When we returned home, we took the time to research the state’s newspaper and historical archives, specifically the Florida Memory State Archives of Florida. This excellent resource supplied a photo collection of Sunland’s past, which will be eternally saved for historical prosperity. These photos showed us just how important this hospital once was, exposing its history in black and white for all to see. Some photos displayed nurses helping patients brush their teeth, or reading to children in an activity room. Others showed tuberculosis patients getting their hair done in the hospital’s salon and even of Woodsy the Owl paying a visit to the children on a summer’s day. Some photos joyfully exhibited Sunland’s children being sworn in as Boy Scouts and even an adult patient getting married to her husband-to-be on hospital property – there were indeed some good times recorded at Sunland Hospital.
Sadly however, some of these photos also showed what might have been the beginning stages of psychological and emotional neglect, as we found several images displaying lone babies sitting in cage-covered cribs in massive, empty rooms, or of distraught demeanors on children while undergoing therapy. Although such things are the very nature of my profession; where I have personally experienced many sad and soulfully dejected patients in my practice over the years, I also have seen hope for those who had a chance. With Sunland Hospital however, the majority went there to die, rejected by their families and expunged from society. So, experiencing a sad face would have been commonplace.
In the end, our exploration of the once powerful Sunland Hospital proved rewarding on several levels. Firstly, the experience of several odd or otherwise unexplainable things, such as the shuffling footsteps and moaning, the jiggling sounds like that from a dog’s collar heard in the hallways, and the electromagnetic frequency readings found in places where no electricity or microwaves were established, all constituted a possible paranormal relationship. Secondly, the historic value of the place itself, which details a lot of pain and suffering may also be related to psychic soundings of the past, as such things tend to store in a structure in the form of psychic residue. If this is indeed true, it would stand to reason that Sunland Hospital would harbor quite a bit of such a residue, due largely to the many negative experiences recorded there. Finally, after reviewing the many documented reports and eye-witnesses accounts collected by the Florida Psychical Research Group and other research societies over the last 22 years, we have found that something was indeed going on there. Although there are countless stories to have been born out of Sunland’s reputation alone, we have at the very least, created a scholarly foundation and collection of evidence for other interested parties and paranormal investigators for years to come. In the end, Sunland Hospital had proven to be an intriguing and quite educational landmark that will forever go down in Florida’s history, and remain in the annals of famous haunted places world-wide.
Post Mortem: The Sunland enigma in review
In retrospect, Sunland Hospital certainly had an interesting past, and one far more secretive than we could ever have known. The fact that there had been so many strange occurrences only made us ask why? For the number of infant, and child patients who have lived here, some for the duration of their lives, or died in the fever of their madness, there was only a life of sadness and in some cases torment, never to find peace. Without a doubt, the lives that dwelled there were full of strong emotions, which may have psychically etched themselves to the old building and its surroundings. The building may have become a canvas of sorts, painted with the emotions of rage and sorrow, and then to culminate in a horrific reminder of what should never have happened.
Was Sunland Hospital haunted? Most believe it was. Even though the entire building, along with the old therapeutic pool and all the abandoned sidewalks were finally torn down in November of 2006, and the land was churned and new grass put down for possible buyers, the whole place just looks unnatural. If you’re in the Tallahassee area, pay your respects to the site of Florida’s hospital of horrors, where unbelievable things had taken place both during and after its closing more than 2 decades ago. Though you may not recognize the landscape, where once the massive building loomed over the old Phillips and Miccosukee Roads, you’ll now find a huge vacant field lined by a newly constructed highway – The Sunland legacy has ended.
It would be impossible to say whether or not the land itself will be haunted now that the building is gone, but one must keep in mind that the unbelievable hardships that had occurred there and the lost tormented souls said to reside in the Sunland’s once decaying walls and water-filled innards, may run much deeper than we might imagine. Try to remember all the lost dreams and shattered hopes that once lived there, and died there. Remember also that within the nearby woods and thorny thickets exists a rather large pauper’s graveyard filled with the bodies of forgotten men, women and children, forever to remain in obscurity. This is all that remains of Sunland Hospital today. Therefore, remember the exploits of this once famous and infamous hospital of yesteryear, and reflect on what may become of the new structures that are built over its old foundation and forgotten cemetery – For without a doubt, they just might remember us.
Rest in Peace
Source:
Examiner.com (2010) Sunland Hospital. http://www.examiner.com/haunted-places-in-
orlando/sunland-hospital-picture?slide=32286611
Florida Memory Project: Division of Library & Information Services
Jenkins, Greg (2005) Florida’s Ghostly Legends and Haunted Folklore Vol. 2. Pineapple Press
ISBN-13: 978-1561643288
PSIresearcher 
im very interested in this type of stuff . i actually go to haunted places and stay their and stuff . and right now im just very interested in doing research on this mental hospital . my aunt actaully went their like back in 1994 round then , and she looked round their . im kinda writing a story to on like one of the most horrible hospitals . do you think you coud email bout what you read inthe patients files and stuff . im just very curious to know . thank you (:
Hi, and thanks for writing. Sunland Hospital was one of those places that seemed to be surrounded with an evil feeling, as much of its folklore states. To my knowledge, all but one has been destroyed. The hospital in Tallahassee was the most frightening place to visit. As described, it could have been used as a location for a haunted movie for sure, but beyond that, the place just felt wrong.
As for the document, I don’t have them, as a friend took them over for me. What I can tell you is that these files contained patient information; both basic and what appeared to be genetic research. Remembering that in those days they didn’t have ‘watch dog groups’ or ‘whistle blowers’ like they do today. Back then, a doctor could get away with almost anything when it regarded his patient…What he felt best would be obeyed. When it came to a psychiatric patient, they were basically treated like animals. Of course, by the 1950s and ‘60s, it got a little better, but not that much, as you can see from the documentation collected by the ARC and the then HRS (Department of Children and Families). As for the old documents, I did find a chart with about 65 patient names. Each listing began with a year, the patient’s name and age, and then the patient’s death date. For about every 6 – 10 patients within an age particular group would be clustered together. For example: Mary, Bob, Bill, Sally, et al within ages 6 – 9 dead 1960…Another list would be 12 – 15, following a similar pattern. Basically, about 10 to 12 kids within a similar age group would die each year, some years had double that amount. This is strange.
Keep in mind, if 65 children all died at one hospital within a 5-year period today, it would get a lot of attention, there would be investigations, and Geraldo Rivera would be there with a million reporters…It would be chaos. Of course, the hospitals closed for just such reasons, though being a state-image affair, officials kept the whole thing more of a mystery than an open issue…It would have been bad for business. In short, if there’s a place that would generate paranormal activity, it would have been this hospital of horrors. By the way, there is a fancy condominium there now…I wonder if its haunted?
I’ll send you a photo of the graves from the Orlando Sunland. Strangely, the same kind of pattern of ages and dates can be found on these forgotten graves. They rest toward the back part of Greenwood Cemetery, in section K.
Good luck in your project,
Greg
which hospitals are still standing, i cant really find any info on all the hospitals and if there still standing. ive read that as of 2006 the one in Tallahassee was torn down. and the one in miami was torn down in 1999. what about the one in tampa and orlando? are they still standing?
Hi,
The only partial structures still standing are in Orlando and Gainesville, though the main sections are long-gone. Gainesville has only a few buildings left, converted to research offices, and Orlando, the land mostly run by DCF, has one brick structure in the back (off Silver Star Rd), that was used as a nurse’s office, then a treatment room and then a file holding. It sits all along, being used as a storage room now. As for Tampa, I am unclear if the VA took it over or if it remains. Tallahassee was my favorite spot, and profoundly creepy. Today, a fancy condo rests over the area, including the potter’s graveyard for unwanted/left-behind children. Can’t help but wonder if they moved the graves…No, who would do that?
If your in Orlando, be sure to visit Greenwood Cemetery. Go to the back, near section K to O, (I think), and you’ll see little graves with names of boys and girls who were essentially dropped off by their parents and left behind. Isn’t that nice?
Anyway, I wish you luck in your quest. If in North Florida, take a walk around the condo grounds and let us know what you find!
Take care,
Greg
Do you have documentation for 1969 death’s at the Gainesville location? I noticed a similar pattern at Evergreen and Piney Grove cemetaries during a visit in 2010. Thought it was my imagination, I took pictures.
BJ
Hi BJ,
I’m afraid I don’t have any documentation of the Gainesville locale or of the record of the deaths there. The only way you could find out of these deaths is to find out which funeral homes handled the remains around that date or after…All prior deaths, going back to the original “insane asylums” of the 20s to 50s would have been done by the hospital, where the bodies would either be collected by the family (unlikely) or more likely, buried on the land with small number-markers as identification. Such as with the Sunland in Tallahassee, you can still find these markers, about 60 or more of them behind where the hospital once sat. A condo rests over these graves today.
I would be interested in your photos, so feel free to share them here with your story, and I’ll post it. Thanks for writing!
Greg
I don’t live at Victoria Gardens, but I have heard through the found of Big Bend Ghost Trackers that a friend of hers lives there and a reported odd occurances in the apartment buildings. Such as strange footsteps, odd voices, and the elevators operating by themselves…maybe the land itself is haunted…
Hi Kristen,
Yes, I knew when I was told to do a rewrite about Sunland, in order to relate the new changes, tearing down the old structure and putting a new one, that things were going to happen. Just too much strangeness and horror occurred there for fat too long for nothing to happen. I’m still not sure about the old graves that rested behind then building. I seriously doubt anyone moved them…No body cares about those long-lost folks of yesteryear.
I have no doubt you’ll be hearing more about that local in the future.
Greg
I’m curious as to where the quote from the beginning came from? I have read many different variants of it and am starting to believe that it was made-up.
This quote came from a man named ‘Larry,’ an ex-employee [an engineer in fact] from the late 1970s. I had a nice conversation with him while writing my second book, where he made a similar quote. Though he may have been a disgruntled employee, it was another website owner named ‘Emily’ who stated these sentiments of doom and gloom regarding Sunland during the late 1990s. As for it being a true statement or quote, that’s up to those who worked there. The cases of abuse, however, have been proven and are a matter of record with the Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) and the Florida Department for Children and Families, formally HRS. It is a dirty stain in Florida’s history, yet is one that cannot be washed out with denial.
Having worked for several psychiatric hospitals since the 1992, I can agree with the statement, as most of my trainers have worked in the hospital system during these early years, where said abuse was a common problem. Hope this helps.
Greg
Dear Dr.Greg Jenkins,
Hi, we are the people that are doing the project on this topic. We made a comment on here a while back and you responded to us. You kindly warned us to be careful with our researching and thank you very much. Reading all of your comments have definetly helped our documentry out alot. Maybe we could ask you a couple of questions? Please email us at johnson.brooke023@hotmail.com. You would be a great help, thanks.
Brooke, Hollyn, & Sheridan
Hi Brooke, Hollyn and Sheridan!
I’ll drop you a line from my email. Thanks again for contacting me.
Greg
It saddens me to read these things. My daughter went to live in Sunland in Orlando when she was 18 months old. She was profoundly retarded from birth. A beautiful wonderful child who brought joy to our lives. She had little interest in food, as newborn cereals and such and it would take hours to feed her, then she would throw it up and we would start over again. Her crib was in our bedroom and she awakened me many nights with her laughter at nothing. But it sounded joyous. She could not sit up or hold her head up. She had been close to death many times with pneumonia and I would go and stay with her at the hospital as she needed 24 hour care. HEr doctor, a wonderful man who was very knowledgeable about her condition said she should be put in Sun land, as I had two other children that needed me more than she did. He made me aware that it was not an ideal situation but it was the only solution under the circumstances. It was unimaginable that we could leave her there but, we did. I spent several hours speaking with the head of the hospital and other caregivers there. The directors own son was retarded and had to have help with everyday living. They inserted a feeding tube to provide her nourishment. She had several bouts of serious illness. We traveled about 35 miles at least every other weekend and sometimes every weekend to spend a few hours with her. She passed away when she was four. It pains me to see these pictures and read these stories. I know there must have been abuses but I think we made a decision that seemed the best we could do at the time. She always seemed to be clean with no outward signs of neglect or obvious abuse and I checked her closely for physical signs. We loved her very much.
Dear Annie,
Reading your testimony makes me even sadder than my initial investigations into this subject did years ago. Having worked in the mental health field for close to 25 years now, I can attest for many such reports of abuse. Though our past in the psychiatric profession can equal any horror novel with tenacity, I can say that we are watched very closely by licensing agencies, protective groups (both private and government) today. Patients also have a better way to report said abuses too. In the case of the severely disabled, such abuse can still occur, sadly, though caregivers are aware of the dangers, and most keep a watchful eye out. Moreover, healthcare workers are investigated by state and governmental agencies to weed out the bad ones. Regarding Sunland, I cannot say it was always bad, or uncompassionate, though with time, their record failed terribly. Both my sisters are nurses, and one actually worked in the Gainesville location in the 1970s, and she had few complaints, though she always spoke of it as a sad place. Today, the ‘responsibilities’ are better in many ways, though I have seen my share of cruel people that should simply find other work, as they are apathetic to simple needs and compassion. This always irks me, and I try to weed out such people, but this is the business-end of the human condition…Some are good and some are not so good, while a few are just bad.
Annie, what you had to say tells me that the pain of losing your child so long ago is still just as painful for you today. You are obviously a good and loving mother, and I can only assure you that you should not feel bad about these things. You did the very best you could, perhaps better than most. I don’t know you, but I’m sure that your little girl is indeed in a much better and far happier place now. I also don’t know of your faith, but you have to believe that a loving God has taken away the grief and ailments she knew in life. I can’t imagine what losing a child would be like, only that it would crush me terribly. It takes a strong person to go on and continue. I’m not sure I would be that strong. But, you obviously are.
From time to time, when I visit Orlando, I’ll go and walk around Greenwood Cemetery. In the back section from the main road, next to a fence line separating homes, there is a small patch of graves where about 13 or so bodies rest from Sunland Orlando. Most died very young; as your little girl did, and a few just peeking their teens. There are boys and girls here, and their headstones, or more appropriately memorial stones, are weathered and aged. There is little sign that people come to pay their respects, which breaks my heart. So, I talk to them and wish them well. Sometimes I’ll sit there are tell stories, like I do with my nieces and nephews. Sometimes I even sense that their listening, as from a play room, and not from a grave. It makes me feel good to do this, so perhaps if you’re in Orlando, you might want to stop by and say hello to them.
Thank you for writing and telling your story. I appreciate that greatly! Please feel free to write any time, or ask questions or relate other stories. I know the other readers will enjoy that too.
Take care Annie, and God bless.
Greg Jenkins
http://www.greenwood-cemetery.net/
Dear Sir, thank you for your reply. Yes, I know my daughter is free from pain now. She suffered greatly in her short life but I am grateful for that time with her. She touched many lives for the better.
I am not a healthcare professional but I advocate and work as a voice for abused, neglected and murdered children. It is my passion. One of my daughters is an ER RN in a trauma unit and she sees many sad things.
Yes, I will make it a point to go to the cemetary. I do not go to Orlando much these days as I am much older. It will be difficult for me to return to the site of the hospital, as I will remember those sad, sad days. But, I do feel for those little ones who are left there with no one who seems to care, except you. God bless you for taking the time to show that you do care. They know.
It is funny, my mother was a story teller and she loved going to the cemetary on Sunday afternoon, walking the cemetary and telling little anecdotes about people that were there. She knew everyone in town and worked for many years in retail and then as a caregiver of patients of one our local doctors. She passed on 5years ago at age 91. I miss her every day.
My point being, I did the same with my children so, we are very comfortable in cemetaries. It was not unusual for us to all go up to the little country cemetary where my daughter is buried on a mid afternoon on Sunday and spent a couple of hours there. The kids would play in the sand and myself, my mother and father would sit on a bench and talk……..wonderful memories.
Again, thank you for your kind reply.
Thanks for wring back. It’s nice to hear from sincere people who have suffered, but take up the fight for good…This makes me happy. And your right, I know they listen, and feel along with us. It’s funny how your mother did the same thing I do. I guess there’s more like us out there.
Take care, Annie,
Greg
What year ?? I have many fond memories of Sunland.I was there from 1974-1977 in the Physical Therapy dept. I remember alot of the children fondly and they all touched my heart.I hope I touched theirs in a loving positive way !!!!
Hi Annie,
I’m sure you were a great inspiration for the children, though the hospital has a stigma to it. I think the building took on a dark, or “evil” atmosphere long after the hospital closed. The reports of misappropriations and abuse is staggering, and sad, making it hard to believe such occurred at all, but apparently it did. The majority of the problems took place at the Tallahassee hospital. Though this complex is gone, and a fancy condominium exists there now, I can still remember the frightening feeling I got when walking around the old building, and around what was left of the therapy pool, which was filled in with dirt and debris, with the handle bars twisted and bent beyond recognition. The little cemetery for many of the forgotten kids still rests in the woods there, with the little, rusted name and number plates letting those who can actually find them, that they ever existed at all. Very sad.
Even though many bad things were reported at the Sunland Hospitals, I have no doubt that real love and care took place there, even though the overall reputation is less than pleasant.
Greg
She needed you too, she needed you even more. I don’t blame you for your decision, but that is so sad. I hope you have some closure, and I cannot begin to imagine how much you miss her, or how much she missed you when you weren’t there. We all do what we think is best. I have multiple children, and I could never just dump one off somewhere.
Annie I’m so sorry for your loss. That made me tear up. I just love children and reading your comment just made my heart ache. Your daughter is in a much better place and isn’t suffering anymore. She gets to be a happy little girl playing with many other children:) That’s nice that you would go and see her 🙂 That’s what a good mom does:) Its sad because so many children that were in places like that (and I’m sure places like that today) don’t get visited by their parents. Which is sad because a child will always need their parents at any age. That’s good that you took (and that they took the time) to site down with you to talk to you about what would happen. That’s very important.
I have a learning disability as well and I’m not ashamed of that what so ever. Your daughter seemed like a very special child. You should be very proud of her for that.
I also read your comment about walking through cemeteries. Me and a friend do that every so often. My moms dad used to tell her and now she tells me “Its not the dead you have to worry about. Its the living.”
After reading your comment It makes me glad that I’m working towards getting a degree in child development and wanting to work in a children’s hospital someday. That way I can put smiles on the faces of sick children. God Bless you and your family Annie.
Thoroughly enjoying your blog! I’m a Tallahassee native and had my own strange experiences at Sunland. Looking forward to reading more posts!
Thanks, I’m glad you’re enjoying the legends. I will be posting a few from the Panhandle are soon, so keep an eye out. I wish I had more folktales to spin about your area, but Sunland was the grand daddy of them all.
Tell me, have you been to the new condominiums that were recently constructed over the remains of the old hospital? At some point I will have to make a visit and interview some of the residents there…I can only imagine that there are at least a few ‘ghost stories’ taking place there these days. If you do get the chance, and hear of anything, I’d love to hear what you find.
Thanks again, and take care,
Greg
I was taken to Sunland in Orlando at 13 years old. We were shown what would happen to our children if we continued to smoke pot.
Yes, that’s funny. Years ago this method was common to ‘scare straight’ the kids of the 60s-70s. The sad part is, is that the children were used as a kind of menagerie-freak show for the sake of others pleasure. It echoes the old days when people could take ‘tours’ of so-called mad houses or snake pits for money. Pretty sad, as these children were treated so poorly and put on display to be gawked at by people who could care less.
Anyway, I’m sure a little pot won’t do that much damnage…Right?
Take care,
Greg
I am a former employee at Tacachale in Gainesville (formerly Sunland, formerly Florida Farm Colony for the Epileptic and Feeble-Minded). A former co-worker had the task of purging (very) old patient files and was quite stunned at some of the details she ran into. Routine mercury injections. Kids who were simply “unmanageable” at home being farmed off to the Farm for ‘treatment’. None of which I believe is documented now.
Mainly, Tacachale is now under the rubric of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD); not DCF. Their current policy is “Zero Tolerance For Abuse” and they are quite vigilant in that area. I never worked in Direct Care, but those people have my highest respect and admiration.
Hi John,
Yes, Sunland’s past is quite interesting, and for most accounts, sad. Though I can’t imagine everyone was sinister, I do know that many acts of disregard did occur there. I had the opportunity to read the legal findings as purported by ARC investigations, and they were appalling to say the least. In 2003-04, I and a group of interested people walked through the remains of old Sunland, Tallahassee. The gates were, at that time, open and the majority of the back fencing was removed. We went through the entire place conducing various ‘tests’ and taking photographs and what have you. It was a very frightening place, not so much for the alleged accounts of spooks and spectres, but for the fear of dangerous derelicts or drug dealers. The place was barren, and when we got the office area, we found hundreds and hundreds of old, moldy folders and documents lying about. In a cabinet, there were more folders stacked neatly within. When we looked through them, they gave names and info of children who were part of a program where various experiments were conducted. The files gave birth and death dates, mostly within the 5-year period per caseload. Each gave examples of research for TB, Syphilis and a few other aliments other than mental illness. The dates suggested that these experiments were conducted long after the hospital changed over from TB care to acute, advance disability care, so why such things were conducted on these children is a mystery, as well as the reasoning for these kids being put in various age and gender groups to be tested for such things…Why would so many children ages 5-9, 9-13, 12-15 (for examples), and of both genders be treated for diseases like Syphilis is indeed the question. Moreover, we should ask why so many children died in such precise order. A friend of mine collected a good number of these discarded folders with her and read over them in detail. She later consulted and friend of hers who was also a retired attorney. His advice was to drop her interest and get rid of those files. He told her that she would be opening a can of worms that would wreak her life in the process. She never pursued the issue.
The fact that abuse was so common in those days is because there were so few watch-dog groups, or whistle blowers. Most people dropped off their kids because they had no way of caring for them, and truly believed that they would indeed be cared for. Others were simply embarrassed of the stigma of having someone like that in the family, and just wanted to warehouse them elsewhere…These kids were forgotten and wards of the state. No, I have no doubt that genetic research did indeed take place there, and similar institutions, where researchers had cart blanch with these kids in the name of advancement and science. The use of Mercury was a common way of treating TB and other ailments, or so doctor’s believed 60 years ago, and was not unheard of. Other things, however, were far more questionable. Having worked in the mental health profession for years, I am only too aware of the mistreatments of the past, and not so past, and am grateful for the advances in the protection of the consumer populations…This is a good thing.
Thank you for your response,
Greg
Thanks, this looks like a great webblog!
Greg
Hi Greg,
I personally have worked with several developmentally disabled adults, who were institutionalized in Sunland as children, the youngest chart I read was a boy with Angelman’s Syndrome surrendered by his mother there at the age of three. Most of the adults I know are now in wonderful group homes in St.Johns county, but some did occasionally mention the way they were hit and mistreated both verbally and physically until the time they were forcibly removed and relocated from Sunland . They are such an amazing population and show only conditional love, that it breaks my heart to imagine other caregivers preying on them, many small children at the time. Thank you for addressing this site and also following up!
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for writing. Sunland has generated a lot of interest in recent years, especially because of its infamous past. It’s sad that this hospital has gleaned more of the negative than for the good it also did. Though there were many truly good nurses, doctors and personnel who devoted all they could to those children, it seems that the bad ones or the indifferent ones got all the attention. Add to that the fact that until that structure was finally removed in 2006, after having stood deserted since 1982(3), and then taking on the ominous and scary appearance as it did only furthered its dark and foreboding feel. I had often walked around it years ago, observing its horrifying hulk, and visiting many a silent and forgotten grave on the grounds, I never felt any of the children were there in spirit, nor tormented spectres. The legends and folklore told a different story, of course, but that’s the thrill of such things. We, the living see only the horrors and admire the haunted history, but we’re forgetting the most important things, like all the love that those children and young people were afforded.
Thank you for caring for those people; who were our brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. I know they are grateful for all of you who cared and showed love, even though the majority of what people remember is far more horrible than any Hollywood film.
Take care, and thanks again.
Greg
Thank you truly, Greg, for both sides of the coin. Those I cared for as a client trainer were removed from the Gainesville Sunland in the early 80’s and transferred to St. Augustine Center for Living and The Daisy Adams Group Homes. SACL , where I worked from 1999-2001, is a wonderful place where they attend school, learn a trade and live in a home setting. The staff there is tremendously wonderful and I feel very blessed that the clients made it out of Sunland and into the arms of those who would become their forever families. I know that they brought way more joy to me than I could’ve ever given to them and I miss working with them all=(
Take Care and Many Thanks,
Kelly
Wow, this really touched my soul… My mother was a patient / student in the Marianna, Fl facility until 1973, and was impregnated with me during her stay. The elders in my family have kept this situation and the terms of the lawsuit under lock and key which leaves me always wondering about my beginnings. My mother has never disclosed anything about her childhood stay there, even after I begged her to tell me the details of my conception on her death bed in 2002, she still refused. Every couple of years I get that itch to research the hospital, to hopefully find any archives related to her stay there or even find out what the top secret lawsuit contained. After reading this, it helps me to understand the depth of pain my mother must have buried deep inside of herself just to live a functional life.
Hi Belinda,
Thanks for writing! Your story is very interesting to me, especially knowing the intense and sad history that accompanied the Sunland Hospitals. Having interviewed a few former patients, as well as nurses, I found a mixed bag about the hospital. Though I never spoke with anyone from the Mariana hospital, all were closed at the same time, so it too must have failed inspections. I am sorry, however, to hear of your concerns, though you should consider yourself a survivor, as well as your mother, from that torment. The past is the past, and maybe we should remember it for what it was. And, hopefully learn from the mistakes of the past so we don’t have to repeat them. Having worked in the mental health field for many years, I only know of past atrocities from the older patients, who were institutionalized back in the 1950-60s, before there were organizations to make sure such gross neglects do not occur. Today, that’s a whole different story, as lawyers outnumber doctors 9 to 1, and that there are abuse reporting agencies and other whistle blowers that keep an eye on the patient populations…There’s too much to lose.
I think that even though there was pain and suffering for many of these former patients, a kind of release had occurred too. Maybe you can look at yourself as one of the few success stories that came out of the Sunland Horror, as I’m sure your mother does now, from some elevated place.
Take care, and thanks again for writing!
Greg
Hi BeLinda. I have same last name. I was an. OUTPATIENT at Marianna facility. There was a bloodline breeding program from WWII type Mengele experiments. Project Paperclip sent captured scientists to north and South America labs. Marianna town was full of labs. Good luck and I wish you peace as you find your TRUTH!
Hello Lynnette.. It’s been a while since I’ve been on this site. I guess I have that itch again wondering about my conception. My mother’s family is from the Perry, FL area which is not too far from Marianna. I’m wondering if we could be related in some way…I normally see our last name spelled with an “I” (Grainger). I would love to know if your family is from the same area or either neighboring city..Thanks
Hi,
I was a music therapist at Sunland from 1977-1981 and I have nothing but fond memories of the residents and staff. Yes, the residents possessed some of the most severe and profound abnormalities known, yet in that, the residents who I came to love were indomitable in spirit, and I was greatly inspired (and often quite entertained by them). For me, it was a labor of love. I remember many of the residents by name, photos and momentos. The staff whom I labored among also loved the residents and worked far “above and beyond the call of duty.” I did clinical work and pitched in with other needs many times (feeding, wiping “butts”–and oh, my goodness, those summers at Disney World!)–extra hands were always needed because the vast majority of the residents were also non-ambulatory. We discovered that a particular resident I worked with had an enormous musical talent although he had been placed at Sunland from birth because of his physical appearance. He was blind but he could walk and he was a sweet boy and he was not “retarded.” True, he developed compensatory behaviors from being hospitalized in such a limiting environment at such an early age, but we did everything for him when it was discovered he had not just normal, but gifted intelligence. I personally took him to children’s music workshops at UCF and the other children grew to love him. At the time I was leaving the Center, he was in the process of being adopted, prepared for entry at school for the visually impaired and was being scheduled for his first round of plastic surgery. So that was a wonderful story that came out of the Sunland I experienced.
Greetings!
Thanks for writing, and you are correct, not all was amiss at Sunland, but issues did arise. The Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) and HRS discovered the most damage, but the problems were long coming, and I’m sure those who really cared directly would not have noted them all the time. It was the issues of common ethics that were taking place are what brought it down, especially when these issues were occurring at almost every center, minus the Gainesville facility (I believe). Indeed, my sister did an internship at Marianna, which devoted a lot of its efforts ion genetic research. There were little problems there, apparently. Regardless of the findings, and the alleged crimes and/or lack of ethical resolve, I have no doubt that true, caring individuals, like yourself, worked diligently for those who could not care for themselves. There are good people in the field; it’s just the rotten ones that spoil the reputations of the good ones.
I’m glad you were one of the good ones!
If you like, you can read up on a few of the details about the closing and the findings below. Again, that’s for your offering!
Sources:
Ethics in Applied Behavior Analysis and Positive … – Caldwell College
faculty.caldwell.edu/kreeve/Ch%201%20How%20We%20Got%20Here.ppt
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ox4MAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PlwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4223,5376018&dq=sunland-center
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oBgMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=m1oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7064,137696&dq=sunland-center
I apologize, I wrote on the Pine Hills post, mistaking it for this one. I am a Tallahassee native, and very familiar with Sunland. I am curious as to what happened to the gravesite in the woodland area behind the hospital, as an apartment community has now been built on Sunland’s grounds. Also, do you think it possible that the same spirits seemingly trapped at Sunland could still be on the property, possibly roaming the grounds/apartments?
Hi,
That is a very good question, and when I was ask to do a re-write on my second book about the location; giving more information on the new condo that was put on the property, I interviewed a few people in the area. The locales, most of them anyway, didn’t know of the graves, and the staff/office personnel would not return my calls. Interesting, as when I originally researched the property and the story, physically investigating the area, I was able to find close to 48 graves. The ‘graves’ were simple metal plates applied to a brick-like slab. There were names on some, but most were illegible, and tall grass dominated most of the yard back there. You might remember a little shed filled with rotting stuffed animals and broken toys? And what was left of a playground, with the swings literally molded with soot and grass to the ground, and the swimming pool, filled in with dirt and garbage? That is where the graves were.
You might want to walk around the area today. If I’m not mistaken, that area in general is now covered over with the condo, surrounded by a man-made pond of sorts. What happened to the children? That is indeed a good question. Remembering that those particular children; at least most of them, were sent there to die, abandoned by the parents, or taken away because the parents were unfit, and unable to care for such kids. It was a different world back then, with little support groups or watchdog groups to make sure everything was on the up and up. Moreover, HRS was only able to do so much, unlike today’s standards. Also, the problems that Sunland was going through made such a stink that any other issue was quickly brushed under the rug. The lawsuits must have been plenty. At any rate, I was told that former TB patients were buried there, or at least their ashes. Though this might be true for some, most of those patients were likely buried elsewhere, as were some of the kids from the later hospital. All I know is that those little graves looked so lonely and forgotten. It was very sad.
If you still live in the area, you might want to check out the area, and compare the layout with your memory of the hospital, and see if you can at least estimate where they might have been. Who knows, those graves may be in an unused or untouched section of the condo? Because the graves were located about 100 yards behind the hospital, it would be about 300 yards from the road…The road that originally lead to Sunland, past the Department of Children and Families (From my memory). Maybe you will locate them.
If you do, please offer my respects.
Thanks for writing!
Greg
This was a very interesting read. I could just hear the banging, the cries of the poor children within those walls. Its very sad to think of such things happening. The children couldn’t protect themselves in anyway. Whats even worse things like that still happen today. Even under watchful eyes the neglect and abuse still happens. Its not the children’s fault (in fact it no ones fault that they have something wrong with them) that they have something mentally or physically wrong with them. It was just the way God made them and there’s nothing wrong with that. He made us the way he wanted us to be for a reason.
I love learning about Psychology. I find it very interesting. Especially the disorders and such. I’ve wanted to work in a children’s hospital since I was eight and that dream has never changed. Just this past semester in college my abnormal psy class took a trip to Evansville State Hospital. It seemed to be kept up nicely. A big change in what those places used to be known for. We also passed the Children’s Psychiatric clinic as we were leaving. At seeing that place and after learning so much in that one Psy class made me realize that I don’t just want to work in just a Children’s hospital, but possibly in a Children’s psychiatric hospital or ward. I told my mom one time: “It doesn’t matter if the child has a mental or physical disability every child deserves to be treated like a child and to have a childhood.”
I wish they could have preserved the building in someway. Turn it into a museum or something. That way future generations could see it. (As odd as that sounds) The pictures that you talked about seeing can anyone see them? Or do you have to get permission to see them? Along with the paper work of those that were once there. Now that would be interesting to see.
Reading these kinds of stories makes you happy with the life you have. You start to think that the small things that go on in your life don’t add up to things such as this. You begin to think that your life is like a perfect little world once you read about things like this.
Thanks for posting this it was really good. Write back when you can:)
Hi Ashley,
Yes, its amazing that such things occurred in the mental health field, and that in some cases they still do. Happily, however, the health care system is being watched very closely these days, which helps. In spite of that, abuse; whether physical, emotional (browbeating) or even just being ignored is still abuse, and that needs to be cut out like a cancer. I hope you go far in the psychiatric field, and that your able to help those children…I know they really need that!
Best of luck to you in your studies, and take care.
Greg
Thanks for writing back Greg 🙂
Yes it does. No one deserves to be treated like that. Thank you:) I’m really excited to see what the future holds for me. What I’m going for its called: A Child Life Specialist. They help children, parents and siblings cop with what their child has. Along with teaching them what their illness is through medical play, music, art and all kinds of stuff. They are only found in Children’s Hospitals. Sounds like they really should have been around during this hospitals time and so many others like it. I think it might have saved (in a way) the sanity of the hospital. The children could have been children and the staff would have gotten a break for a little while.
Thanks and you too.
My brother was in the Sunland Training Center in Gainesville for almost 10 years. My father made the decision to send him when he was 3 years old, not talking, walking or was he potty trained. We had to leave him for 6 weeks. When we saw him the first time he ran down t he hallway, jumped up into my mother’s arm and called her mommy. Lunch time came and he fed himself. They were still working on potty training which came fairly soon afterwards. My parents would drop in to visit him without notice and we as a family visited him the first and third weekend and the other two he came home to visit. He went to the hospital one time, because a steam line had burst and he step on the floor in his bare feet. My parents received a call at 2am from the hospital. They made the two hour trip and stayed around the clock with him. When he was 13 Sunland said they had done all the could and it was time for him to return home. This was 1973. No child was loved more or wanted more than my brother. This was back in a time when the state did not provide education for the down syndrome kids. My mother wasn’t going to put him down long enough to teach him anything. She carried him everywhere. So my father felt this was the right place for him. We never considered him to be dumped anywhere, I thought it was a school for the children. I knew some of them had been dropped off and left, never to see their parents again but back even as close as the 60’s the doctors advised parents to do just that, Put them in an institution and forget about them. My parents were told my brother wouldn’t live to see his first birthday, then he wouldn’t live to be 6 years old, then a teenager. Well my brother is now 51 years old, and after the death of my parents, one in 2004 and the other in 2011, he came to live with me. My husband and I never moved far away from my parents because of my close relationship with him and my husband developed a close relationship with him. He’s happy, he’s healthy and if I had to venture a guess it would be no one at Sunland was mean to him. We can ride down 26? now and he will point to the place and tell us he went to school and learned to write his name there. I hope and I pray others were like him…had good experiences. Annie, you’re such a wonderful woman. I wish I could say the same about Stacy Wilson Milaschewski who obviously never had to make a decision like this or else she would have never used the term “dumped”.
My brother was in the Sunland Training Center in Gainesville for almost 10 years. My father made the decision to send him when he was 3 years old, not talking, walking or was he potty trained. We had to leave him for 6 weeks. When we saw him the first time he ran down t he hallway, jumped up into my mother’s arm and called her mommy. Lunch time came and he fed himself. They were still working on potty training which came fairly soon afterwards. My parents would drop in to visit him without notice and we as a family visited him the first and third weekend and the other two he came home to visit. He went to the hospital one time, because a steam line had burst and he step on the floor in his bare feet. My parents received a call at 2am from the hospital. They made the two hour trip and stayed around the clock with him. When he was 13 Sunland said they had done all the could and it was time for him to return home. This was 1973. No child was loved more or wanted more than my brother. This was back in a time when the state did not provide education for the down syndrome kids. My mother wasn’t going to put him down long enough to teach him anything. She carried him everywhere. So my father felt this was the right place for him. We never considered him to be dumped anywhere, I thought it was a school for the children. I knew some of them had been dropped off and left, never to see their parents again but back even as close as the 60′s the doctors advised parents to do just that, Put them in an institution and forget about them. My parents were told my brother wouldn’t live to see his first birthday, then he wouldn’t live to be 6 years old, then a teenager. Well my brother is now 51 years old, and after the death of my parents, one in 2004 and the other in 2011, he came to live with me. My husband and I never moved far away from my parents because of my close relationship with him and my husband developed a close relationship with him. He’s happy, he’s healthy and if I had to venture a guess it would be no one at Sunland was mean to him. We can ride down 26? now and he will point to the place and tell us he went to school and learned to write his name there. I hope and I pray others were like him…had good experiences. Annie, you’re such a wonderful woman. I wish I could say the same about Stacy Wilson Milaschewski who obviously never had to make a decision like this or else she would have never used the term “dumped”.
I don’t know how this was posted where it was instead at the end of this thread. It was posted back where others posted in 2012. Hopefully someone will remove that other post.
I also worked at ft myers fl, was called Sunland, then another name and then gulf coast center. When going there for an interview back in the 70s I didn’t like what I saw. The patients were outside naked and were being hosed off with a hose. Needless to say I didn’t take the job. Then years later I went back. The conditions were much improved. I ended up working there 25 years as a nurse and pretty much loved it. Yes, there were sad things that happened, but overall, the patients learned how to do things for themselves.
I reallz liked this. I am very fond of Mental hopitals and their history and Sunland is my favorite. I do feel for the ones who were treated unfair and those wh were tortured and all that. I read about Sunland a lot and I live in Tallahssee. If I am not mistaken the hopistal here that they had torn down, a hotel was built on top of it and I have heard around town that they have stuff still Paranormal happenings there. I realy liked reading tis. Gave me knowledge.(:
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, its a sad tale for sure, and I’m not surprised the condos that exist there now are having activity going on there. If your in the area, I’d love to see some photos of it, and you can post them here with your own story if you wish.
Take care!
Greg
I visited Sunland a handful of times with several groups of friends. My only “haunting” experience though came on my first visit in July 2004.
My buddy and his girlfriend came from Gainesville for a visit. At dinner I broached the idea of visiting the facility. They wanted to check it out first (during daylight hours) so after eating we popped over. The first – and only thing, at the time – we noticed was that even in Florida in July it had to have been at least in the 60s when first walking in (from Phillips, I think, in what appeared to be maybe the cafeteria.) We all decided we’d like to check it out further so after buying some flashlights, we returned at dark. The second thing we noticed on entering was that the 60ish degrees we experienced before had been replaced with what was probably about low 80s. Very warm, very sticky, very muggy. Unfortunately, my buddy’s girlfriend was a little scared and after going just a few feet down the hallway to the left after the (maybe) cafeteria she decided we should leave.
Fast forward to three days later when I was packing to go out of town for a trip. I walked out of my bedroom and into the kitchen to grab something. When I began to walk back to my bedroom I noticed these white specks of something on the floor, specks I hadn’t seen in the previous days and, in fact, hadn’t seen seconds prior to walking into the kitchen. Thinking nothing of I returned back to the bedroom, walked to my dresser to grab a few items and then turned to put them in my bag that was sitting at the foot of the bed. What I saw made me stop and pretty well freaked me out.
Sitting at the foot of the bed on the floor, in the area I’d been standing moments before, in the area that I would have walked by multiple times over the previous 72 hours were four large (approximately 3-5″) chunks of white building type material. I looked up at my ceiling to see if anything had fallen and checked the walls as well. When I looked at them a little closer it was obvious they were old and quite aged. They looked exactly like pieces of Sunland.
I called my buddy to ask if he’d taken anything as a token of sorts and he said no. Truth be told they may not have been from Sunland but with no noticeable signs of them coming from my room (i.e. no obvious pieces of ceiling or wall randomly falling off) I can’t offer a logical explanation for their appearance.
Hi, and thanks for writing. I’ve been out of town, so sorry for getting back to you this late. At any ate, yes indeed, Sunland was a really creepy place for sure, and enjoyed “exploring” there to. As to your experience, that rings familiar to me as well, though it occurred at another locale. It regarded a “smell” of decay and rotten flowers that my then girlfriend and I experienced at Myrtle Hill Cemetery in Tampa, FL. The stench seemed to follow us back to her apartment, actually waking us around 3:30 in the morning. It almost made us sick the smell was so strong. So, a similar effect took place. In your case, this might be considered an “Apport,” which is the transference of material objects from one location to another by yet unknown means. Documented cases include the appearance of coins, bottles, watches and similar personal effects to just appear where they shouldn’t be. Its weird for sure. You may want to have those chips of stone analyzed, if you still have any left. As the building was made with asbestos, in this case not as a stuffing-like material, but composed into a rock, or brick-like material, and placed in the walls for heating and insulation purposes, one can’t be sure. Thankfully, direct water will make this material inert, you should not worry too much. If, of course its made of such a material.
Anyway, thanks again for letting us know your story…Good stuff!
It saddens be a bit that old Sunland is gone