A Look Inside the Abandoned Letchworth Village in Thiells, NY

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

A picture is worth a thousand words and these photos tell a dark story.

Growing up in the Hudson Valley,  many of us have heard of or are familiar with Letchworth Village in Thiells. The Rockland County psychiatric hospital was founded in 1911 and closed its doors in 1996. Locals have heard stories of the abuse that is a stain on the hospital's history.

The LineUp reminds us of the 1972 investigative report by ABC's Geraldo Rivera shining the light on the horrible conditions. Overcrowding, human experiment testing, inadequate funding and physical and mental abuse were allegedly common practices at Letchworth.

Wikipedia explains that the hospital was built for:

the physically and mentally disabled of all ages, from the newborn to the elderly. Opened in 1911, Letchworth Village at its peak consisted of over 130 buildings spread out over many acres of land.

Hudson Valley photographer Emma Ferriter recently had an opportunity to visit the abandoned psychiatric hospital and shared her photos and experience with us. Ferriter wrote to us:

Going there felt like a different world. I was surrounded with beautiful buildings over run with vines. It was a cold foggy morning which added to the eerie feel. Entering the abandoned buildings filled me with chills and heaviness.

The photographer, who also runs a website called Decaying Hudson Valley with her husband Shawn, said she researched Letchworth before her visit and was aware of the neglect and abuse that went on in the facility.

At one point Ferriter did say she felt a bit uneasy:

In one of the basements of the building next to the morgue, I felt the most uneasy. I could have sworn I heard a whispering in my ear in this deadly quiet building.

Accounts of paranormal activity have been reported throughout the years at Letchworth. So much so that Travel Channels Zac Baggins and the Ghost Adventures team made a visit during Season 6. 

Sadly, many lives were lost throughout Letchworth's history. So many lives that the Rockland County hospital had a cemetery for unclaimed bodies from 1914 through 1967. In 2007 a large memorial stone was built at the entrance of the cemetery, according to Wikipedia. 

Take a look below at Emma Ferriter's chilling photos of what's left in the abandoned Letchworth Village.