Manteno State Hospital

Manteno State Hospital has been torn down.

Manteno State Hospital was a psychiatric hospital located in rural Manteno Township in Kankakee County, Illinois.

When it was in operation, treatments were administered to patients on a twice-weekly basis. Hydro-therapy treatments were also begun during this period. Patients were dunked in hot water then immediately dipped into cold water, with the hope of jolting out the illness and.. or demons.

Electroshock therapy also became a popular method of treatment during this time, a process that involved drilling a hole through a patients head, through which electrodes would be inserted.

In 1983, the facility was authorized for closure by Governor James R. Thompson and closed on December 31, 1985.

In October 1986, the Illinois Veterans home at Manteno was dedicated and still operates on a portion of the grounds of the original psychiatric facility while numerous other building have been demolished. There are very few buildings left, for example, the Morgan Cottage is left along with the sewage plant. These buildings are abandoned but left in original condition.

Many other buildings have been renovated for other uses as of July 2009. The site was redeveloped as a VA home, an industrial park, and a portion of the grounds is now the Manteno Municipal golf course. A state hospital cemetery is to the east of the site. The grounds are the now the home of numerous housing developments including a residential treatment center for males and females ages 12 to 21 called Indian Oaks Academy, which is a member of the Nexus family of treatment programs. 

Longstanding rumors persist regarding the ghosts and haunting of the buildings, and many paranormal investigators insist that the spirits of the tortured patients still roam the halls.

The remnants of "The Gennie Notes", an art project telling the story of the most tortured patient at Manteno, can still be seen throughout the building.

A desire to tell the truth about Genevieve Pilarski, and to commemorate her life, led to the gennie messages, an art project by Kristyn Vinikour. The story was told in a dramatic fashion using a friend who posed as Gennie, with words painted on her naked body. Although not explicitly stated, it seems the artist had access to Gennie's medical records or to previously written accounts (perhaps that Chicago Tribune article?) that used the psychiatrist's notes as source material..

For more information on the Gennie Notes art project, as well as gorgeous photography, please visit:

http://meganreed.me/themantenoproject/