Sleighton Farm School (All Girls School)

Sleighton Farm School

Sleighton School originally opened in 1910, relieving the House of Refuge. This was designed as a community and school for troubled girls, to help change their lives around. Most the land was donated to make this school possible. This was also a farm school so many girls did farm related things and got an education there. I'm not quite sure how anything changed from then on to the closing, but I know it became co-ed in 1985. The school eventually closed in 2001, due to financial reasons.

A story surrounding the Sleighton School in 94' a 15 year old girl was killed by a 17 year old who escaped 

from Sleighton: 

http://articles.philly.com/1994-09-13/news/25838444_1_escapes-car-crash-neighbors

Free-Dome

Basement Access overcome by Vines

There were a couple of these found on the grounds. A "Student Aide" plaque that most likely hung is now ripped off the wall and in the middle of a yard.

Inside one of the educational buildings. It was pitch black, using flashlights to go inside next time we are there to explore.

MSDS SHEETS

A playground once full of life is now a ground for decay and rust

An educational facility overgrown and falling apart

Empty Hallways and broken dreams

The Administrative Building, The first building that police or parents would bring their child into for testing and to get prepared to become apart of Sleighton School.

Here is a link about the closing: 

http://articles.philly.com/2001-05-15/news/25301935_1_campus-elwyn-scott-mckenzie

Inside one of the buildings. The windows had bars on them. 

A place once used to enjoy the campus is now wasting away, overgrown.

An educational center with a "DRUG FREE" school sign still there

A church used by the staff and students

Sleighton Hawks

Inside the gymnasium, it was a mess and there was so much art work! 

Thrown chairs

Teddy bear left behind. Some students were as young as 6 years of age. They all stayed here in this building that was right near where the bear was.

Sleighton Water Tower

The Greenhouse

They have since sold the land and in recent testing of the soil it has come out that there is Arsenic found there in the soil. So they are not too sure what is going to happen with the land. As of right now, they will be knocking down Sleighton to build a neighborhood. (Will not happen for a couple more years). 

When we were there, there was a cat back there but it was little so I am not sure if it was used for the samples of the soil since it was in 2013 that it was discovered that Arsenic is in the soil. 

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2013/07/25/news/doc51f1d877c8897270934513.txt

State Lunatic Hospital at Norristown & Norristown Farm Park

Norristown State Hospital

Worth the trip to take a look at some history!

 

State Lunatic Hospital at Norristown, is an active psychiatric hospital located outside the city of Philadelphia in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Designed 1878- 1880, by Wilson Brothers & Company, it was the first institution in the country that recognized female physicians and the first to house a pathology department.

It is currently still running as a hospital for the mental and criminally insane. There are about 5 buildings on the campus that are abandoned. Building number 17 is the most active and attractive to the people who venture out to walk the campus. Building number 17 was used as Acute Admissions Building- when it was active it was used to filter some of the more acute patients coming onto the grounds. However, it has not seen active use since the early 1970's. There were talks of human experimentation done and reports of abuse that occurred on the campus time after time.



Front View

There aren't any "No trespassing signs", but beware

Chains to hold down the windows



Front bathroom

Beautiful

The right side of the building

Bars over the windows

Hospital beds (couldn't get any closer than this)

Back of the building, beautiful oval shaped room



Inside the downstairs. Bunch of junk and some old furniture from the hospital.

 Norristown Farm Park

Norristown Farm Park, an immense public park on land where patients once raised crops and livestock. The park was originally part of a 7,000-acre tract of land called "Williamstadt," which originally belonged to William Penn. The property was then transferred to Isaac Norris, the namesake of Norristown, by way of Penn's son, William Penn, Jr. Norris' heirs sold pieces of Williamstadt to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Norristown State Hospital was opened in the 1870s as a mental hospital. The park is on state-owned land that surrounds the hospital.