This was a typical patient hallway at Dixmont. The corridors of Reed Hall were sterile and repetitive, lined with over 580 doors leading to small patient rooms. Due to it’s high ceilings and sprawling length, Reed Hall was inefficient to heat, a point which the state often used as justification for it’s obsolescence.

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Dixmont became a popular destination for ghost hunters. Sounds of loud crashes and doors slamming were often reported, as well as glowing “orbs” that were captured on camera. However, there were realistic explanations for much of the phenomena that occurred. Doors would open and close as gusts of wind blew through the building, sending cavernous booms to echo through the empty hallways and stairwells. This made Dixmont a frightening place to be in the dark of night. The orbs were caused by a camera flash’s reflection off of dust particles floating through the air, creating the illusion of ghostly balls of light. Walking through the filthy buildings would stir up enough dust to cause this.

One of Reed Hall’s corridors in the 1940’s. It was common to see patients sitting on chairs or benches outside their rooms in the daytime, particularly after they could no longer participate in occupational therapy from a law passed in 1974. Many of the hallways were decorated with patient art on the walls, patient-built furniture, and potted plants.

The second floor of Dixmont also housed a chapel with tall stained-glass windows and radiant red carpet. Christian, Catholic, and Jewish services were held on Sunday mornings.

After it’s closure, Reed Hall remained in good shape and was considered for reuse numerous times in development plans. However, on June 7th, 1995, an arsonist broke a glass window in the front door and set fire in four different locations with the intent to burn the entire structure down. The hospital was monitored by a security firm, but no intrusion was reported. The fire was contained and didn’t spread to any of the building’s wings, but it completely destroyed the chapel, library, and 2 floors of the administration section. Soon after news of the fire got out, scrappers invaded the building and removed every window, leaving the interior of the building to be exposed to the elements. This left a once-majestic and historic Kirkbride building useless and beyond all repair. In the late 1980’s, the asking price for Reed Hall alone was several million, but the price for the entire property was reduced to approximately $600,000 by the late 90’s due to the destruction.

This picture of the hallway leading to the chapel was taken shortly after the fire.

Each ward had a nurses station with a window where patients would be given their daily medication. All wards left of the administration section were female, while all to the right were male. The wards were divided up based on severity of the patients’ conditions. During the last few years of Dixmont’s operation, all wards on floors 3 and 4 were empty.

Directly above the lobby were more administrative offices. This hallway was heavily damaged by fire.

In 2005, Reed Hall was yet again ravaged by fire from an unknown cause. But this time, no one cared. The building was in ruins and the entire property was already set to be demolished to make way for a Wal-Mart. The burnt-out ward was partially demolished a few months before demolition, presumably to protect curious trespassers from falling through the floor.

This view shows Reed Hall just before demolition in January of 2006.

Fire and the elements caused a sinkhole to form in this room.

Spanning off the second floor of Reed Hall were four skywalks built in the mid-20th century. Two were designed for patient traffic and led to the cafeterias in the Dietary Building, while the other two were double-decker fire exits. After Dixmont closed, the exteriors were stripped of their metal.

Reed Hall’s restrooms and showers

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