Exploring the ABANDONED Laconia State School (Laconia, NH)

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Nestled in between two of New Hampshire's largest lakes, Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Winnisquam, sits the city of Laconia, once home to a notorious psychiatric institution. Today known as Laconia State School, this institution was first built in 1903, then known as the New Hampshire School for Feebleminded Children. Between 1903 and 1905, the school primarily focused on those between the ages of 3 and 21, but by 1905, they opened their doors to older patients. This school was particularly notorious for its inhumane living conditions and reprehensible brutality. Patients often endured dehumanizing abuse and mistreatment at the hands of staff, and suffered daily over the many decades of the Laconia State School's operations. By the 1970s, the school had hit its peak patient population, at well over 1,000 on the premises. However, times were changing; as modern science began to better study and understand mental health, the public outcry against the conditions of the Laconia State School grew louder. In 1991, the school officially closed down, leaving behind numerous empty buildings with a dark past.
Following the school's closure, the New Hampshire Department of Corrections took over most of the property, establishing the Lakes Region Facility, a minimum security prison complex. Many of the former Laconia State School buildings were redeveloped and reused by the prison, and to this day, remnants of both the school and the prison can be seen left behind. At its peak, the Lakes Region Facility held around 500 inmates and employed 153 staff; the facility eventually closed in 2009, and the property has remained vacant and abandoned ever since.
I have gotten many requests from viewers to explore the abandoned Laconia State School / Lakes Region Facility campus, and I am glad I did--this place was wild! There are still numerous abandoned buildings left behind to explore, and I was lucky to check out many of them! Most of the buildings I explored were once patient dormitories, but I was also able to check out a former prisoner building with staff offices. Many buildings on the property are left behind in wretched conditions, with serious structural damage, and the rooms are plagued by mold, asbestos, standing water, and moss. It was very haunting walking through the halls of these buildings, just knowing the disturbing histories they held. Nonetheless, I found this to be a truly fascinating site to explore, and one of my favorite urban exploration experiences to date! There truly is much to see at the abandoned Laconia State School campus; I barely even scratched the surface, as there are many more buildings I did not explore! If you guys liked this video, make sure to stay tuned for more exploration videos all across New England!
www.gilmantonnhhistory.org/ck...
00:00 "J-MASS Explores New England" Intro
00:20 Introduction to the Laconia State School
02:38 Laconia State School Campus
04:24 Felker Building
14:55 Baker Building
24:52 Blood Building
35:20 Speare Building
41:42 More of the Campus & Keyes Building
44:02 Powell Building
01:00:55 Utility Buildings
01:03:24 Final Moments on Campus
01:04:21 Laconia State School Cemetery
01:07:31 Outro