Forest Haven Asylum: Forever Home of the Abandoned and Forgotten | Unexplained Cases (2021)

When one hears the word “asylum” … especially when paired with “haunted” or “abandoned” … dreadful images come to mind of decaying buildings, sinister hallways, and forgotten lives.

Forest Haven in Laurel, Maryland, has all of these and much more. Walking these grounds, Rick Garner felt a similar sadness…the kind he felt at Pennhurst but perhaps something more…something darker.

The facility opened in 1925 as the District Training School for the Mentally Retarded. It was a farm-like institution designed to provide patients with useful skills. In 1928, the first of many on-ground burials occurred. In 1963, the property was named Forest Haven but during that decade, the property would begin its decline. Funding was cut, the population of residents grew to include people with epilepsy, but the worst happened in 1974 when a nearby orphanage called “Junior Village” closed and its 20 souls were moved into Forest Haven.

Think about that for a moment….people with epilepsy – a brain disorder where nerve cell activity is disturbed causing seizures – and orphans – placed in an overcrowded, ill-equipped, and dysfunctional facility. Aspiration Pneumonia in patients was common. It was caused by patients being fed while lying down. Physical, mental, and sexual abuse were rampant. Patients were hit with belts, switches, and baseball bats. Teeth were knocked out. Even in death, patients could find no peace. 389 were buried in a mass grave on the property. Erosion eventually uncovered some of their remains.

With all these accounts, it’s no surprise that Forest Haven is rumored to be extremely haunted and is frequently explored by urbexers. Mike from Charm City Paranormal has explored Forest Haven so many times, he refers to it as his second home.

On Halloween 2020, Mike led the Unexplained Cases team through some of the decaying buildings of Forest Haven. The paranormal evidence we collected is compelling but we encourage you to be the judge.

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The Unexplained Cases team is focused on preserving history while documenting the strange, paranormal and unexplained. What separates Unexplained Cases from other paranormal groups is that Darren Dedo and Rick Garner, who today are recognized as early pioneers of the “ghost hunting”
genre, have over 35 years in broadcast radio and television news and have won a Southeast
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A&E’s Ghost Hunters Daryl Marston, Mustafa Gatollari, Brandon Alvis,
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