Gaebler Children's Center

This place is on private property. Listing for informational purposes only. Please do not visit without express permission from the land owner.

NO LONGER STANDING 

Gaebler Children's Center was a psychiatric institution operated by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health for severely mentally ill children and adolescents, located in Waltham, Massachusetts.

"In the early 1960's, more than two dozen preteens died and were buried on the grounds. It is rumored that the preteens were poisoned with strontium that had been put in their milk by doctors believing it would treat them. It is generally thought to be haunted by local children and teenagers."

The center opened on October 8, 1955 near the grounds of the Metropolitan State Hospital and closed on January 31, 1992. It was named after William C. Gaebler, the second superintendent of the Metropolitan State Hospital. The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) closed the center as it was antiquated and could no longer serve the needs of the children it housed. According to the DMH, this closure coincided with the decision to place mentally ill children in community settings instead of in institutional settings. Others felt the center was closed due to budget cuts.