The Dixmont State Hospital Cemetery Project
The Dixmont State Hospital Cemetery Project
Kilbuck Township, PA, USA
Urban Exploration by Spike
Dixmont State Hospital, originally “The Department of the Insane in the Western Pennsylvania Hospital of Pittsburgh”, was a hospital located in Kilbuck Township, PA, about 15 minutes northwest of Pittsburgh, PA. Built in 1862, Dixmont was once a state-of-the-art and self-sufficient insane asylum, however a decline in funding for state hospitals and changing philosophies in psychiatric care caused the hospital to close in 1984. After 22 years of abandonment, all buildings on the 407 acre campus was demolished in 2006.
Shortly after the hospital closed, several proposals were made to reuse the existing facilities, primarily St. John's General Hospital, which planned to use the geriatric and infirmary buildings to house a 200-bed nursing home, and Reed Hall as an independent senior citizen living facility. No plans ever were approved or carried forward. In the late 1980s, plans to build a county jail on the site of Dixmont were proposed, but due to local residents protesting this build, the plan was canceled in 1989. By 1999, many fires on the site had left the crumbling building completely useless, and the state sold the 407 acre property to a private owner.
In 2005, a local developer made an agreement to convert the 75 acres of land that contained most of the buildings into a shopping center anchored by a Wal-Mart Super Center. Demolition to prepare the land began at this time. The excavation of the land caused the hillside to destabilize and landslides covered PA-65 and the Pittsburgh Line railroad tracks on the Ohio River side, shutting both the highway and railroad lines down for weeks. Wal-Mart decided not to build on the property on September 26, 2007, the development site was relocated to nearby Economy Township, PA, and the former Dixmont site was left to return to nature.
Even without intervention of Wal-Mart, it was stated that Dixmont would have been demolished anyway due to constant trespassing by teenagers on a regular basis, frequent fires being set, as well as the buildings containing asbestos and lead paint.
The only remaining piece of Dixmont is the patient cemetery located at the outer edge of the former Dixmont campus. Pennsylvania state law prohibits the sale of grave sites, so the hospital's own cemetery, which contained over 1,300 graves with patients being buried with simple grave markers with only a number, remains state-owned. There are 1,354 graves on this site with burials ranging from March 15, 1863 until June 3, 1937. There are some data inconsistencies with it appearing that some graves may contain more than one patient, some have no names, some information is missing or otherwise not known or documented, some children buried here, and there is even an infant buried in this cemetery with no known record of the mother passing away. The mysterious properties about this location aside, the cemetery cannot be removed, developed on, or otherwise touched with all patients remaining here forever. This video overviews the former Dixmont State Hospital Cemetery and explores the history of the cemetery, and a backstory of this portion of the campus.
Congress Ohio ( Wayne County ) USA
Congress is a village in Wayne County, Ohio, United States. The population was 185 back in 2010 . Congress is located at
40°55′32″N 82°3′12″W (40.925447, -82.053222)
The Original Farmer's Night Market in McDonald, Pennsylvania
In McDonald, Pennsylvania is this fun farmer's market that starts at 5;30pm with the sounding of a siren to announce the opening, (sorta like when at the horse races, the bell goes off and the horses take off) everybody here runs around to buy up the fresh fruits and vegetables before the local vendors run out. After we do all that, we have a hot sausage or cheeseburger. The address to the place is at 151 Park Road, McDonald, PA. 15057. Go there if you get a chance. Thanks for watching!
See more videos from around the area in my Canonsburg, PA. Playlist at:
Taken with my Canon Powershot A560 on 9-1-2011.
Ride the Christmas Caboose at Pine Tree Barn
Celebrate an old-fashioned Christmas with a family tradition of riding through the fields on a horse-drawn wagon or Pine Tree Express Caboose to choose and cut your family's Christmas tree. Or, if your prefer, Precut trees also are available in our Tree Barn. This is also a comfortable place for you to warm up, and enjoy a light lunch of hot sandwiches, hot dogs, chips and a hot cocoa or coffee, as well as our homemade brownies and cookies!
The Barn at Pine Tree, a historical landmark built in 1868, was a stock barn for more than 100 years. The Dush family has restored the Dutch bank barn into gift shops, a home furnishing & design studio, a gourmet luncheon restaurant and family Christmas tree farm. With over 25,000 square feet inside, Pine Tree Barn is one of Ohio's premier shopping and dining destinations.
Pine Tree Barn , located on a 150 acre Christmas Tree Farm, overlooks two lakes nestled in the Killbuck Valley. The Killbuck Marsh is the largest inland marsh in Ohio. The nature and wildlife preserve adjoin the farm, which enhances one of the most spectacular views in Ohio.