Ep 36 Abandoned OK Hospitals

Two cousins discuss their week and then talk about an abandoned nursing home in Yukon, Oklahoma called Cottonwood Manor. The home faced allegations of patient mistreatment and abuse, leading to its closure in 2004. After being abandoned, the building became a subject of fascination for ghost hunters and paranormal investigators who claimed to experience unexplained phenomena. The building was eventually torn down, but stories of its haunted past remain. Hi, I'm Jess and I'm Tiff and we're your curious cousins where we talk about everything kooky and spooky in the state of, Oklahoma Welcome to episode 36. Welcome We literally just had this going Been a really long normal week. Well, and it's also kind of late. We're recording later than we normally do CC in the evening on Cinco de Mayo Yes, so we're both also full of delicious Mexican food. That is true. Shout out Bravo's in the sky. Yeah Okay, maybe we should take that out. We will. I'm gonna edit that. Shout out to Bravo's. There we go. Mexican restaurant. Yes Heck yeah. How are you? Good. Um, I got to go see my brother last week. Yeah I'll see him again in a couple, I say a couple, end of the month. It'll be one of the last times I see him for a while, so I don't think I'm ready either. I'm definitely not ready. I'm sure, I'm sure But what an adventure. It'll be an adventure and Then we can take our show across the pond. Um, yeah, I I hope you're gonna go over there with me. I Well, any business Well, I didn't, okay rude, I didn't even ask. How was your week? Okay, we finished up state testing and it was my school celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week this week There's been a lot of hot controversy over what week is it really. It's traditionally the first week in May But then Google says it's actually next week because next week is the first full week of May. Oh so Yes We celebrated this last week so I got pretty pampered. Oh nice. By our PTO organization So that was really nice and there was a whole there was this whole thing over like we've got the best teachers in the world Or something. Mm-hmm. And so on Monday, they came literally dressed as flight attendants Then on Tuesday we had oh my gosh, what did we have on Tuesday? I can't remember now It'll come to me Wednesday. Oh, no Tuesday. They brought in Smoothies. Oh, yeah So and then on Wednesday Three natives in a waso brought wraps and we got that for lunch and then yesterday one of the local coffee trucks stopped and we got to have a beverage of our choice and so I'm so awesomely curious with my iced tea And Then today we got we had to go to the luggage carousel We each had a little baggie with an Amazon gift card. Oh, no, and I have a cute little Luggage tag. Oh cool In our favorite colors. Yeah, that was really cool. And of course my students spoiled me all week. I have more dr. Pepper and Reese's I Mean to the end of the school year for sure nice Yeah, and I got a oh my gosh. I got a super cute bag I think I left it at school packed like loaded with all of my gifts from this week. I left it at school. So I Was a terrible parent children with teachers and This week's been really good last week. We were rained out of baseball this week We have played baseball every day except for today and yesterday because of rain So my kids teachers did not get a lot. So I just think I'm gonna do something big for the last day of school Yeah, well, I'm sure they'll appreciate. Yes Plus I work with them. So I Know right, but other than that, I think my goddaughters will be here tomorrow. Oh fun We watched one a couple weeks ago play softball. She's on a competitive softball team They went down watch her play ball or softball. How was the basketball? Yeah and broken arrow and She's a tournament this weekend and she plays five games tomorrow Yes, she has two sisters So they're gonna come and stay with us and there's a truck touch in Sand Springs that we're gonna go to I'm sure the girls will be super interested Truck touch with my boys, but it'll be fun. Yeah, it'll be fun. Good. No. Yeah any new Oh my gosh right in the middle of state testing. I was literally reading the directions. I got an amber alert on Monday. Mm-hmm, and Yeah, that's a that situation down in Henrietta Or the hominy Henrietta, I think the It was Monday Monday, right? Yes. It was Henry. I don't get it. Yeah And That's a hot thing right now well For many different reasons. Yeah, well crazy enough to like my mom and I were literally driving back from Houston So we drove, you know, we drive right through Henrietta and like we were hearing about it. We're going. Oh my gosh we're right here and then like in Houston, there was a Shooting yeah, because the guy was Shooting off of his back porch and then there was a manhunt and I was like, what is like what is following us? It's just right No words. Yeah, no words. So Heart I was the families there in Henrietta. Of course, just so many people have been affected by that. Mm-hmm and I I Don't know without getting into like super details because right now it's all so So very unclear Investigating and right and I know that already there has been some issues with the investigation Mm-hmm, and so I want to give them the benefit of the doubt Before we all start, you know Jumping to conclusions because I want to Remain faithful that they will or are doing their very best and not just you know, washing their hands of it because There's a murder-suicide and they're never gonna know anything. Well, that's not always the truth and we probably need to keep our What am I trying on where I'm looking for Crime scene. Mm-hmm. We want to keep it intact. I want to keep it Uncontaminated and whole and I'm contaminated and So I know of course we had another amber alert yesterday. Mm-hmm. Yeah, but that child was found safe. Yeah the 10-month-old Yes. Yes. Thank goodness. And so I just Well now there's the What's the convicted felon Blossom. Well, I was thinking I know the Ashley Freeman. Oh, that's right. I know that one of our very favorite podcasts Sisters and podcasting the Sirens Network. They have organized a protest at Lexington, Texas Sisters and podcasting the Sirens Network. They have organized a protest at Lexington Correctional facility down there in Lexington For The Freeman Bible Case. Mm-hmm. If you are unfamiliar with that case, we definitely highly recommend you listening to their five-part series. I Listened to it every day that we were on the cruise. Yeah, it was and it was really good. And yeah It was something I knew about but they really did a great deep dive. Yeah, they really did They covered it really well I a hundred percent recommend you guys listening to that if you want more information and find out why They are so passionate and why we as true crime podcasters are passionate about it as well Jess and I cannot be at the protest because That's my last day of school. Yeah, but we also already had plans to be at the Northwest, Arkansas crime true crime fest. Mm-hmm, so and it's at 8 o'clock in the morning and Unfortunately, you know, I gotta be at school 940 no, I have work obligations that I can't yeah, so we are definitely going to be there in spirit Mm-hmm and in heart and there are lots of petitions going around trying to block his release and if you were Able and willing please please please sign it. Mm-hmm He definitely has information about the murder and disappearance of these two girls and he is not sharing it. Yes, and I Think you should Absolutely. I mean it's been yeah, how many 20 plus years right, right? I believe neither family has any They don't have any false. Hope that You know, the girls are going to come walking back alive like they are 100% convinced that They are probably just that they are deceased and at this point. It's it's more closure, right? They need they need to close they need to close that chapter. They need to bury their loved ones in a respectable place And Yeah, and close it. Yeah, and So yeah, if you are looking for something to get involved in please reach out to the sirens We posted some things on our Facebook page. Yeah And of course you could always reach out to us if you have any questions about it And we could definitely lead you in the right direction. Absolutely so How about a little dark history? Yes, we we decided to a little bit of a band in Oklahoma Another abandoned Oklahoma piece for you guys and we both decided we were going to do abandoned Hospital. Yeah Yes Yes, I know okay, um So I chose Cottonwood Manor and it was located in Yukon, Oklahoma um My sources are abandoned Oklahoma Z94.com and only in your state calm. Okay, so um They're really I had a hard time finding information and most of my information did come from abandoned, Oklahoma website and I don't it was just for some reason. It was just really hard to find Any kind of information so it's gonna be a little short for me, but anyway Come on, man, er, I will say I have driven past Cottonwood Manor several times in my life Well, I grew up in Mustang and Of course our grandmother our grandparent. I'm your grandmother currently Mother our grandparents lives in Yukon. Our moms are from Yukon. Yeah, our moms grew up in Yukon and So yeah, which are the I've driven by a few times Looking at the abandoned pictures. Yeah, I saw them. I Saw them All right, so Cottonwood Manor and Yukon, Oklahoma, it was built sometime in the 1950s Oddly enough it the original identity was kind of like a mystery and no one really knows Exactly when it was built just that it was in the 1950s And many who resided in Yukon passed around rumors as to what the actual identity of the place was Some said it wasn't an insane asylum. Some said it was a church in reality Yeah in reality Completely different thing. They are in reality Cottonwood Manor was it was a nursing home for people with Who were mentally challenged and had Also had physical disabilities and You know for the surrounding Yukon community So at one time it was also a home for mentally disabled children Hence the job I think maybe I don't know. So I don't know when that I don't know when when that was when it when it transitioned into something like that, but Anyway when the health officials came to quote-quote check on Patients and see how things were going You know like a typical and health inspection. I presume I Said that weird Like a typical like health check I'm guessing They found that none of the patients had been tested for tuberculosis Among several other kinds of health problems, but they've never been tested for it. And this is in the 1950s I don't know when this okay. I think it was more recent. I think it's more recent than okay so in 2001 the facility faced I think it was around this time when it came about so in 2001 the facility faced heated press when it came out that two of its patients had been abused and There was also problems had been found with Internal patient security and failure to provide nutritional support for residents with severe weight loss and because of these allegations of patient mistreatment abuse neglect and Other really horrifying details that surfaced common manner was threatened with closure So during this time Barbara Baker who was the administrator had stated that they would Fight the closure and that if there were problems, they would fix them fix them fix them Well in the last episode when I was editing I heard myself say laughs and I was like Didn't notice it when it came out Anyway Yeah fire and tire Anyway, okay. I'll read that part again. So during this time Barbara Baker who was the administrator she has stated that they would fight the closure and That if there were problems that they would fix them and she also said that every nursing home Has its problem or I'm sorry every nursing home in Oklahoma has its failures They weren't the only ones and she said that they were following It is and she said that they were following the letter of the law trying to correct things Now this is where they were pointed out or well, and this is just my opinion but it seems to me that this is a little too late, you know what I mean, right and At this point you're just trying to say face exactly so Where were these fixing the problems before they got to the health department, you know, I mean, yeah So according to the health department while making the inspections One resident kicked another client in the leg and then threw a cup of spit at a nether Like this little this was witnessed by a health department worker while they were doing So the health department also found patients with untreated bed sores and unaddressed weight losses Inappropriate diets for patients a lack of proper staff training poor dental care. Oh and Oh and residents were who were like exposing their genitalia and like breath now so Just a side note, I asked my mom since They're from Yukon. Did you ask your mom about it? I asked my mom. Hey, do you know anything about Cottonwood Manor? Have you heard any stories? She was little courses like what kind of stories I'm like any kind of story like creepy or and she's like the only thing I remember hearing about Cottonwood Manor is that the residents would get in bedrooms having sex with each other. I was like Oh, okay. She's like, well, do you want me to call your grandmother? And I said, yes So she called grandma and grandma said that she didn't know that there was anything creepy Like there weren't she didn't know that there were creepy stories about Cottonwood Manor Yeah, I should say but grandma used to work in the library Yes, and she said one thing that wrote that she really remembers is there was this little boy Who was mentally disabled that had lived in Cottonwood Manor They would bring the children to the library and there was this one little boy that now I can't remember if she said He really liked it was either trains or trucks I can't remember which one she said but he really liked one or the other and he would just talk her ear off and trucks and that was the only thing that she really remembered about Cottonwood Manor, so Pretty disappointing that they're I mean not that I want there to be like I'm thinking more creepy stories like my mom so Anyway Wow, I mean Maybe they do so going back to Where they had untreated bed sores This was very this is very disturbing and a very big problem because The residents at Cottonwood Manor they weren't bedridden right and the discovery of these pressure sores on hips and elbows on some residents like it was very disturbing and it was very Alarming I should say they're patients of all ages, right? Right, okay, and they may have had some physical disabilities, but not to the point where I think they were incapable of Well, I think it was more like mentally right you okay more mental mental disabled Mental disabilities than you know anything but Regardless, they're not it's not like this nursing home where the patients aren't moving around Excuse me, so for many years the nursing home had been at a loss of more than $20,000 a month and as well as $250,000 a month in government financial support, so they weren't getting the funding And they were okay. Why or is it because all these violations um? Honestly, I think it's just They're just not getting it like I think I think the funding was getting funneled into something Oh, okay is what I think, but I don't know that for for sure So on February 28 2004 the Oklahoman Announced that Cottonwood Manor would be closing soon So very soon after this all the patients were actually relocated to various other nursing homes I did find an article in the Daily Oklahoman that said that Cottonwood Manor just right after this in 2005 It became a temporary home for about 21 families from Beaumont, Texas when Hurricane Rita had made a direct hit on the city and These families had These families had had chose not to stay at their home where I chose to flee and So they were housed at this interesting at this nursing home, but it didn't have patients anymore it had actually closed but Anyway, that would repurpose the building yes, so a few years after that after the closing of Cottonwood Manor a pastor bought the abandoned property and Had hopes of renovating it and Turning it into a church So the pastor had even posted signs on the outside of the abandoned building that said quote resurrection life church so kooky fact Many people saw this Quote-unquote church idea right as nothing more than just a scam Because The buildings it it's it's set in the middle of Yukon. It was a band. It had been vandalized It was covered in graffiti but the crazy thing is it was still actually filled with like furniture and Clothing and toys and lots of junk like a creepy doll On the floor So Nothing was nothing ever came about with the arch and that's why a lot of people thought it was a scam Yeah, nothing was ever done So, yep, so one source said that the building was only meant to house about 75 patients but it ended up housing around 200 wow, that's a lot. It is a lot a lot over capacity huge different, right? That's not even half like it that's more you know what I mean, right? Yeah, so it was torn down Not sure exactly when it got torn down. Okay, I Looked I googled I looked in the newspaper The newspaper online to see if I could find anything where it said that it had been demolished But I couldn't find anything but it has been demolished it is no longer there And I do know that it had been done at least by 2015. Okay, so Yeah No, so for many years it was like I said an abandoned building that locals and people from all over the state they were fascinated by this building and Because of the paranormal activities that allegedly went on there So some of the things the ghost hunters and because you know You can't talk about a creepy building without having some kind of good story, right? so some things ghost hunters and paranormal investigators say they experienced at Conwood Manor were as follows and Unexplained heavy and unwelcoming feelings throughout the hospital others claimed to have seen ghosts or Orbs shadow figures and spirits roaming the halls and rooms of the hospital Some say the spirits of former patients that died there due to the abuse Neglect and the mistreatment they received Remained there as angry specters So the abandoned building was also supposedly used as a Okay, let me just say this. I Feel like This is like the I Don't need to sound skeptical here, but I'm skeptical. I'm not gonna lie. Um this is like the quintessential like list of Big bad right ghosties, you know, I mean all the possible I mean, they listed them all like ghost orbs shadow figures You know demonic spirit. Yeah. Well, here we go. Here's this one The abandoned building was also supposedly used by a coven of witches and satanists Who performed rituals and sacrifices at the site? Oh there were also stories of ritualistic killings and murders that took place there So I mean like who? Good question. I don't know. That's why I'm so skeptical. I'm like, there's this laundry list of like Everything. Yeah, like all it's missing is missing missing is like it was a brothel It could have been I don't know didn't mention it so did it happen Kind of sounds like from your mom's door So looking at the pictures from the band in Oklahoma website, I mean it was definitely a spooky place but Anyway, that's all I've got. That's that's the common manner, so Abandoned hospitals are one of my favorite things And my husband's hometown. My husband is from Moreland There is an abandoned hospital there and Our good friend Ashley. Yes. She said that during high school. They always always tried to sneak in there and I mean, it's closed and they can't really tear it down because of asbestos, but Oh what I wouldn't get to like get to go in and look at it during the daylight, even though even though I listen to many a podcast and You know paranormal activity does not save itself for the night. Yeah, it is it does go down during the day as well So Well, I I don't want to come off saying that nothing creepy went on here. Oh, yeah, because I mean it But like there's definitely I mean How much of it right? You know what? I mean? How does it check every box? It literally checks everything right of the creepy. Yes, so but But I did wonder Like even though the buildings gone. Is there some kind of residual? bad juju over there So, I mean and obviously like it wasn't Obviously A plus facility. It was more like a f-minus. I mean, that's from the sounds of it But anyway, I just mean obviously things went on there not good thing right went on the right and How interesting I I sorry I kept interesting you know, I am just fascinated with abandoned hospitals and I just think that they're They're creepy and just to learn the history behind them. Yeah, the history is always interesting You definitely know that medical practices have they changed and especially to watch how they evolve over time It's just it's fascinating and Dare I say kooky and spooky it is because you think you will and you know, this was a I Mean it was considered a nursing home It had it I don't know if it mainly catered to like adults I mean that one time like I said, it was that like a for children a home for disabled children more like a convalescent but I I don't know or like I think the nursing home is kind of used Broadly, okay. Okay Broadly, okay. Okay, because it was specific. It wasn't just you know, when I think nursing home, I think just Elderly people in general. Yes, that's what I think and but this was You know the the people that were there had mental disabilities Like that's it was specifically for the people that were mentally challenged and and I don't mean that in a derogatory way but that's mainly who they catered to okay, and then They had some special needs right? Well, I just meant like and then you know, all that abuse and neglect, right? Well, that's that's really fascinating because I For a few places. I actually have like well, I wish there was a little bit more information I wish there was a little more information Definitely share it with us. Yeah, if you know someone who works there, right? Or the other story yourself. Yeah our mothers and aunt Well, not my mom because she didn't have it But I also am covering an abandoned hospital. Mm-hmm a very popular one. Yes Eastern State Hospital Anita, Oklahoma Yes, and I also used a band in Oklahoma Mm-hmm, and it was specifically an article by Emily Cohen and then I also used the Eastern State Hospital by Emma Rosemore for Okay, gen web and this is a really fascinating Website there's an entire there's one I believe devoted to every state and it Kind of like a genealogy of state And I mean like a lot of I also this is also where I got the Babs which information from so Yeah, I really recommend it people to go check it out If they just want to find out just interesting historical stuff about your state or maybe even your particular town Yeah, so the address is Eastern State Hospital on Hospital Road there in Benito, Oklahoma at seven four 301 it's in Craig County. Yes, it is still standing. Mm-hmm higher I mean, I was going to use the word compound. It was like a hospital compound. It was built in 1911 and abandoned in 2008. So almost a hundred years old. I mean it was a hundred years old now, but But it was almost in working condition for hundred years I'm the hospital was very influential in Oklahoma when it came to mental health matters Okay, and we'll get into why and it was also a major economic factor in Craig County since 1913 And of course since then it has closed Obviously prior to statehood most of your mental health problems were cared for by independent and private sanitarium Indian Territory only had one asylum at the time prior to statehood and it was managed by the Cherokee Nation in Park Hill so in 1909 Plans were developed for Eastern State Hospital for the insane and I apologize for using that word. I know it's very Not PC right now or not PC in this time And but I'm just using terms that were used that are Historically accurate, right? Mm-hmm. So please please people don't take offense to that Anyway, it was this plans were adopted by the Oklahoma Legislature and they Appropriated $200,000 at the time which would be about five million today Wow And 160 acres in Vanita this original tract of land 160 acres was owned by an SS Cobb And that was all the information And as they were kind of doing more research into it a house bill 361 Decided to give about three hundred thousand more dollars to the project So I mean in today's money, they probably had roughly ten eleven million dollars to build this facility In 1911, the first two buildings were completed and it was a male and female ward ward in 1912 Dr. Felix in Adams was appointed by Governor Croft as the hospital superintendent and he appointed him for a four-year term Dr. Adams, however kept this position until 1961 when he died. So he kept it for 41 While nine years, sorry Dr. Adams was reported as being extremely passionate about his work in mental health And so this the history of this facility It's kind of a bright spot in our history because it shows that early on we did take mental health Seriously at some point in our history, obviously that has Significantly dropped off, but there was a time when it was very important in our history and we took it seriously In January of 1913 the first patients arrived 300 patients were transferred transferred from Norman's, Oklahoma sanatorium, which was later Renamed a Central State Hospital Here's a kooky fact. I have a lot of kooky facts But here's one when the first patients were received from Norman They rode the train from Norman to Vanita they got off at a train station dubbed asylum spur It was roughly a mile south of the hospital and when patients got off the train Women and elderly men were able to ride wagons to the hospital and the men had to walk Fun times In 1914 a third dorm was completed and about 100 more patients were transferred from Norman The hospital opened with only two doctors one being dr. Adams himself and the other being dr. Edwin Williams He only stayed for two years though. So in 1915 the state hired. Dr Powell Hayes to join the staff and Really, they were seeking to find improved methods of treating mental illness and related diseases and dr Hayes happened to be nationally known for his research. He was even recognized by the American Psychiatric Association Association He and you'll find out in this story and if you did it if you do a more of a deep dive into him he really did bring to light a lot of great research and Things to men like to mental health He was actually Promoted to the assistant superintendent and took over in 1961 when dr. Adams passed away, so he got this job in 1915 and he becomes he didn't become the director or the head superintendent until 1961 Dr. Hayes pioneered many treatment types of treatment for mental health including luminal, which was used for seizures Sodium amytol and I might butcher some of these names, which is a sedative or an anti-expanded a A sedative or anti-anxiety medication. He also did do research in shock treatment as well He used and this was very weird I don't know if he was a typo in the notes that I have it said that he used malaria to treat this illness Huh, and so that was really confusing. I wrote it down. But I mean that could be wrong. It could be Interesting. Um, he was also the first to use Atropine sulfate to treat Parkinson's. Oh, and he also did research on other tranquilizing drugs such as Thorazine and they're possible. It's our possible. It's our possible. I don't know no idea in 1916 the Eastern State Hospital site now boasted a bakery a hen house an administration building a medical hospital a Third ward for both genders a powerhouse and a laundry house Between 1915 and 1947 this hospital became more popular not just for mental health patients, but just for general medicine At this time during this time period more buildings were added including a barn a greenhouse it had a fire station a sewage plant a canning plant a Central dining room a big kitchen a maximum restraint building for men and Also the employees dorm, which was named Adam Paul Interesting. It was an on-site farm there Including cows pigs and chickens and it provided food not only for the staff but also for the patient There was a greenhouse and gardens that were managed by the staff, but were often used for therapy for the patient It's like its own little community. It was Here's another kooky fact the hospital had a herd of cattle had 350 head hurt Well being cattle and they were considered to be one of the best if not the best Holstein herd in the state of, Oklahoma Oh producing up to 690 gallons of milk a day So employees were required to live on the ground Meals were provided as part of your salary There were barrack buildings and these buildings were removed after World War two another kooky fact here some employees and just This is my favorite one for you. Oh, geez. They have to live in the basement of the rewards that they worked in Oh my gosh, that is so gross In 1947 the hospital was renamed Eastern State Hospital and It often referred to as ESH the basement. Yes They have a bed for you down there And at this time the state recognized that there was actually a need for more intensive psychiatric care here in Oklahoma So the state decided to increase the funding into the hospital that's allowing for more comprehensive treatment. Mm-hmm Staff were paid very low wages and works long hours However, they felt like they were just a big family in most everything. I read the employees seem to be happy and The 1950s employees worked a 48-hour workweek They had 15 vacation days 15 days of sick leave and six holidays a year And then in 1951, they actually started to receive both security. Oh this decade also boasted 590 employees including 15 medical doctors five registered nurses one surgeon and one dentist In 1951 the dining room caught fire and five years later a new kitchen was completed with two dining rooms one for men and one for women Sam Siebel became the director of the recreational department at the hospital. This is a job that he held for 33 years He Set up different types of therapy for patients including occupational Recreational music and work therapy and he also set up the volunteer services Volunteers were very important at the hospital It just helped in the daily runnings of it The Red Cross sent volunteers every day from Miami and Benita and Claremore and no water They helped numerous patients in there the Bartlesville gray ladies made weekly trips and there was a number of gray men And just regular folks from Benita would come in. I hear some other cookie facts in 1953 when Adams Hall was completed the original landowners farmhouse was finally torn down And I don't know how old the farmhouse was like when you know, the land became the state in 1911 Like what did they do with it? What were they doing with it before then? In 1954 the hospital reached its peak population of two thousand six hundred patients. Well, hang on a second Okay During this time the state became aware of the need for reform and metal metal During this time the state became aware of the need for reform and mental health treatment and increased the funding again for intensive specialized treatment Here's other cookie facets. Hope you had a lot. That's okay. I had one so in 1934. Dr Adams was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame He was considered one of the nation's foremost hospital administrators with his pioneer treatments and mental health and psychotherapy He often had to do these things with limited funding. Mm-hmm In 1956 the Department of Nursing was established at ESH with Dorothy Hall as the director So, I think that's a big deal a female being the head of the nursing department at a huge what year was that? 1956. Oh, yeah huge facility. Mm-hmm At that time there were five RNs responsible for 72 ward units plus a few hundred other medical helpers Yeah, well, that's um, but by 1984 these numbers would jump to 64 RNs 58 LPNs and 388 other medical type assistants During the first 40 years treatment was mostly custodial due to limited staff, and I'm not sure what that word custodial means Maybe more like just kind of surface treatment But Because there's like maybe there wasn't enough staff members for it to be like really I don't know I don't know what that that word custodial means Exactly. Oh, well, I think it's custodial like custodian almost like Janitor right type. So like I don't know So maybe they were just trying to clean up Like yeah, clean up the purse, right? But treatment was considered innovative when this was going on Okay in 1960 outpatient services were added because inpatient services were starting to become too expensive Mm-hmm. I've read somewhere that the average length of time that someone would have to spend at the ESH was like 39 days And I can imagine that probably was very expensive because I mean you're housing somebody and right Not only are you getting the medical treatment, but you're also having to feed them and close them and that kind of stuff When this happened the patient population started to decline which would lead to a loss in funding Administrators and the state started closing some of the buildings that were on the site and there just wasn't a need for them anymore Mm-hmm in 1964 all state hospitals were desegregated So now you have patients coming in from Taft, which was another Facility and the state and they were moved Here to Bonita as well as more from and they were often moved to the one in Norman as well When dr. BF Peterson took on the role of superintendent and next in 1963 He believed food was a vital therapy for patients He decided to start having men and women share meals together because remember I said that there was two different right? Yeah all of the sudden Patients start making great efforts in their personal appearance. I'm like come to you. Oh So I thought that was kind of cute. Uh-huh In 1968 the dairy and it's famous Holstein her it was closed. Oh By the early 1970s, did they say why it's just declining Populations and I'm sure at this point there wasn't a need for it as much anymore By the early 1970s the rest of all the farming operations were phased out Yeah, I mean it seems like it was like a it was a really Innovative facility and then it just kind of started, you know technology probably kept caught up with them. Yeah by October of 1979 Between October of 1979 in February of 1983 a new superintendent. Dr. Robert O'Toole was hired At this time all inmates with the Department of Corrections here in Oklahoma were now to be treated at ESH That included all of their health screenings their treatment Including all of those very important mental health screening. Mm-hmm. They were sent here So building two was renovated to be used as a maximum security facility some of its famous kooky climate Some of its famous kooky clients include Robert Dale Stafford Okay murder, mm-hmm and Bobby Wayne Collins from the Thrasher family murders, oh Essentially if they went through the Oklahoma DOC prior to 2008 they were seen there. Yeah interesting so That I just covered those two because of the two that we've covered. Yeah. Yeah in 1984 Everyone who worked at the facility was paid no less than four dollars and 48 cents an hour Which if you think about that, I don't know what minimum wage was in 1984 were they still living on site at this point? I don't know if they were or not. That's a good question I don't know if they were or not. I don't know at what point that employees have to be allowed to not live there. Yeah also in 1984 the hospital staffed 12 Psychologists with more than half holding PhDs in the field, which I thought was pretty impressive. Mm-hmm Unfortunately between 1999 and 2000 Oklahoma did announce the shutting down of ESH This was shocking to both patients and the community of Vinita. Like I said, Vinita thought it as an economic Stronghold in their community. Yeah The state was definitely criticized for this hurried decision of the clothes closing in addition to this not being what was best for patients Jerry Reiger was pushing for a fast closure Despite attempted attempt despite attempts by senators and the community voicing their concerns Mm-hmm and never really said like why okay, that was my question. Why that was why were you like, why were they? Other state facilities just weren't ready at this time for the influx of patients that this would cause them to have They weren't ready for those patients needs right and it just Wasn't going to be a good thing. Um This Reiger guy he wanted it closed by January 1st of 2000 even the state law stipulated that closure was not to take place until 2001 Interesting. So when the closure was announced the Department of Corrections actually took over the part of the land and some of the buildings Mm-hmm, so that They would still have their mental health facility and their screening process for the DOC and me And then at that point the remainder of all the facilities there on that Compound. Mm-hmm became vacant. Mm-hmm In 2000 there was a court order saying that the 1172 unmarked grave there at ESH Could not be marked Without the consent of the family or patient So I believe they know who was buried there. Mm-hmm, but they Cannot say who was buried there and the reasoning behind this was due to state mental health officials Not being authorized to make public the identities of the patients that were buried Interesting how smart of the Oklahoma legislator thought that these graves should be marked. Otherwise, the identities could be lost the time They even suggested that inmates should have to upkeep the Senate the cemetery creepy, but it's kind of one of those catch-22s because Privacy laws say that you aren't supposed to know who has what issues with their health And so if you all of a sudden have these graves with these names on it now, you know that Sammy's boo Yeah with the patient there, right? So, huh as of 2008 the very last patients were moved out And as of today in 2023, the buildings are vacant. The grounds are empty It's just the building lots of broken windows locked doors. It's Eerily quiet and creepy. Oh, I'm sure and there's actually on YouTube I should have run down. I apologize for not writing them down, but to young men and I believe 2020 or 2021 Trespassed. Oh gosh, and it Videos hate and they posted on YouTube and it is still live. I literally watched it to debut Um them Not really breaking anything just entering because there's broken-out windows. So they literally just climbed in window, right? We're really able to walk up and down all the floors and They even went through part of it. And of course these guys didn't know any of the history. Mm-hmm of it they're not from Oklahoma and But I believe they did enter the building that had to have been one of the maximum security ones because they like walked in and They're like in this basement. They're like, ah, this looks like it's a prison. I'm like Of course if you don't know you don't know right but I did find on the internet to that there's possibility of haunted hayrides and Details they're doing spooky season. Oh, so I am sure I am positive. There's got to be all sorts of energies just running them up. Oh, yeah I mean, um, it doesn't look like any paranormal investigators have visited there, but I could definitely be wrong I really couldn't find kind of like you wasn't a lot There are lots of pictures on abandoned, Oklahoma about Eastern State Hospital and They are very creepy You know, it's always funny when places are abandoned and like in my mind like you knew that you were closing down Why did you leave all these calendars up on the wall? Right? So but and there was like when those guys were like in the building looking through there's like this one room where all the desks were stacked up and It was just it's I mean you can definitely tell like things have gotten into it and we're not good I often wonder if they wanted to close it down because they probably didn't want to spend the money to renovate it In the late 90s early 2000 I mean, it was almost a hundred years old at that point and I can imagine that it probably needed some work done Yeah, I'm sure it did but there's the the building is very sturdy. It's still standing today. It is on private property. So, please Do not trespass. It's actually Kind of a busy road because the whole time that they were filming like their cars passing by and they have to like wait in corners and in shadows and So I definitely don't recommend it I believe that Whoever owns it now, they will like if you would like records of something or you have questions I believe they will answer. I'm pretty Regularly, but they're pretty willing to answer them. Mm-hmm. So but as we've always said, you know Don't approach any abandoned place 101 for safety, right? You don't know what you don't know what's in there You don't know what? Condition is right We do live in a state with poisonous spiders and snakes true and the last thing you need to know is walk upon to black bear nest or cougar Bobcats nest or something But furthermore, you don't want to anger whoever does own it, right because You will go to jail Jail, if if you don't meet your maker beforehand so But it is very fascinating. If you get the chance, please look through abandoned, Oklahoma Website there's this one. There's like 160 pictures so many pictures So I'm assuming that somehow they must have gotten somebody who let them in they probably got oh, yeah, that's the thing Get permission. Yeah, don't just go and if this is something that you are really interested in doing Please hook up with a band in Oklahoma, right? They use volunteers all the time. Mm-hmm, and we'll get you into places and let you photograph them I know like my good friend Bobby He's really gotten into photography and he wants to go with Jess and I to go And he'll take the pictures and we'll take the history. There we go. Um, shout out to Bobby. Hi, buddy So yeah, that is Eastern State Hospital in Fascinating like I've heard of it. Obviously. I mean, I think I had a friend in high school her both her parents were nurses and I Could be wrong But I think I remember one of her parents talking about Talking about the hospital in Bonita and I don't know if one of them or both of them worked there at some point but I Wish I could remember what they said about it. Yeah Anyway, anyway, yeah Fascinating that was good. I like that. Thanks. Thanks good so if you have any abandoned places you would like Jess and I to Look up or look into please. Give us a shout out G or Be nice if I told you what my head for the email Okay at gmail.com you can always reach us on our social Ask curious cousins. Okay on Instagram at curious cousins Okay podcast on Facebook and at curious cousins. Okay on Twitter We also have our patreon page Our curious cousins. Okay, and for $5 you can get any of our bonus material and add free episodes as well as Any news or merch But yeah, so we decided that another giveaway is time upon us Another giveaway. We are currently sitting at seventy five followers on the Instagram Yeah, and once we reach 100 we will give away another kooky and spooky book Spooky book so just tell them what to keep it. Keep it kooky and spooky. Bye Sorry, I'm just like, you know, okay we have an