The History – (wiki)
Undercliff State Hospital, or Meriden Sanatorium, was a hospital erected and established as Meriden Sanatorium in 1910 to serve children with tuberculosis. In 1922/1924 the name was changed to Undercliff Sanatorium. In 1939, the hospital began accepting adults. In 1967 the name was changed from Undercliff Sanatorium to Undercliff Mental Health Center. As of 1976, the facility was discontinued. In July 1964 a fire destroyed the hospital’s garage and some vehicles.

Back in the early 1900`s till the 30`s and 40`s near the Undercliff Institution there was a sanatorium made for sick children with diseases like rubella, mumps, German measles etc. Most of the children were brought there to die. The old brick building still stands near the old institution. Residents say that they can hear children crying and laughing. They are seen in the windows but only to vanish before you. Undercliff is now an abandoned building that is host to many different sightings. Reports of hearing former patients running around corners and down hallways to escape orderlies, and faint screams being heard form rooms where shock therapy was supposedly administered. Also sightings of a former patient who was murdered by a group of other patients with plastic utensils from the commissary walk the old courtyard.

The Vibe -
Walking through the sanatorium you can hear the creaks and clatter of the deterioration taking place right before you. Wandering through the first floor it was hard to ignore the large amounts of water that made it from the roof (five or six floors up) dripping and pooling all over the ceiling covered ground. The drips were the only sounds piercing through the silence throughout the building. They collectively can start to sound like voices. Oddly enough some of the rooms still have electricity in the basement. This makes the place more surreal and creepy because when you walk into a lit area in a hallway, everywhere around you is pitch black. Walking through the kitchen, it was hard to imagine the kids walking though to collect their lunches. As I stood in the center I tried to visualize where the kids would stand, where they would walk in through, what they would talk about, and where they would sit and eat.

On the upper levels are what appeared to be the children’s rooms, or possible isolation rooms. They were all identical, a square room with a single closet and a bathroom. The rooms alternated in color, blue and yellow.

Sitting in the theater / auditorium was quite an experience. It had been severely damaged by water. The wooden seats were all warped and splintered from the heat and water over the years. The stage roof had caved in, feeding light to its new fern covered floor.

Over all it was a beautiful place to roam. I was not able to cover it all and will be going back to explore it entirely.

Words Of Advice -
BE SAFE! If you get in, so can others. I happen to bump into a crew of copper thieves who were all carrying hammers. They did not look friendly and after a short conversation where they pretended to be security I split. Be prepared to defend yourself and your equipment, or to just run. Bring lights, face masks, and wear pants.

Videos – (not mine)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ7aRPfZf0w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz2NAA3DOno&feature=related

Waterbury, CT © 2007

History – wiki/internet
Holy Land USA was an 18-acre theme park in Waterbury, Connecticut, inspired by selected passages from the Bible. It consists of a chapel, stations of the cross and replicas of catacombs and Israelite villages constructed from cinder blocks, bathtubs, and other discards. The park has been closed to the public since 1984, but its grounds remain intact. During the 1960s and 1970s, 40,000 people visited Waterbury, CT annually to pray at Holy Land USA, a Catholic theme park created by John Greco. Now it lies in ruins.

Creation and destruction – wiki/internet
Holy Land USA was conceived by John Baptist Greco, a Waterbury-based attorney. Greco, a Roman Catholic, organized a volunteer organization called Companions of Christ, with the purpose of creating an attraction that would replicate the Bethlehemand Jerusalem of the Biblical era. Bob Chinn, the grounds chairman at Holy Land USA, recalled Greco’s mission in a 2001 interview with The New York Times: “He was a very spiritual man. He wanted to do this for the people of the community. He felt no one, no matter the race, creed or color, should be separated. He wanted a place for all people to sit and be peaceful.
Among the attractions at the site were a recreation of the Garden of Eden, a diorama depicting Daniel in the lions’ den, and various recreations of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The centerpiece of the site was a 56-foot cross and an illuminated sign that read “Holy Land USA.
During its peak years in the 1960s and 1970s, Holy Land USA attracted upwards of 40,000 visitors annually. Greco closed Holy Land USA in 1984, with plans to improve and expand the site. But the work was left unfinished when Greco died in 1986. The property was willed to the Religious Sisters of Filippi Greco.

Closure and deterioration – wiki/internet
Since its closure, Holy Land USA has fallen into a state of advanced disrepair. Although it is not open to the public, the site continues to attract attention. In 2002, the Waterbury Region Convention and Visitors Bureau received more than 150 calls a year for directions to the site. The web site Roadside America has included it in its coverage of offbeat attractions, albeit with the cautionary note that visitors should “explore with caution (and with an up-to-date tetanus shot). Many attractions and statues at the site have either been vandalized or otherwise fallen into disrepair.

There has been ongoing debate about the site’s future. It has been suggested that the park be preserved as folk art, and there have been numerous failed attempts to restore the park, including one involving the Knights of Columbus in 2000. The Religious Sisters of Filippi Greco have been accused of fearing “liability and being sued” and thereby turning away volunteers and stopping restoration efforts, but they have also received support from those who believe that, although accepting the park reluctantly, they have been “good stewards” over it. The Sisters hold weekly prayer meetings at the site and the holy hours on Sundays are devoted to the Virgin of Revelation, an apparition of the Virgin Mary witnessed in 1947 by an Italian on his way to assassinate Pope Pius XII in Rome The Sisters claim the statue of the Madonna in the chapel is one of three blessed by Pope John Paul II.

Despite the lack of full restoration, some renovation projects have been undertaken since the park was closed. In 1997 a group of Boy Scouts repaired the illuminated “Holy Land USA” sign as part of a community service project and in 2008, the original 56-foot cross was replaced with a 50-foot stainless steel one, which was dedicated in a ceremony led by Archbishop Henry J. Mansell.

Websites for further information:
http://www.i-italy.org/bloggers/1807/holy-land-usa-religious-vision-ruins

Videos: – Not Mine
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-november-20-2002/colbert—shrine-of-the-times?xrs=share_copy
http://blip.tv/file/67606
http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/crime/body_found_near_holy_Land_in_waterbury
http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/31975757

Shelton CT: photographs taken in 2007

Shelton CT: photographs taken in 2007

Shelton CT: photographs taken in 2007