This Fascinating Massachusetts Prison Camp Has Been Abandoned And Reclaimed By Nature For Decades Now
By Melissa Mahoney|Published February 10, 2023
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I grew up in New England before moving to SoCal for several years. I then lived in NYC or a year before moving to AZ in 2009. I worked in the entertainment industry for many years of my adult life and have a deep love for photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world. Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream!
There’s a certain spooky allure to abandoned places in Massachusetts, a state that is rich with history. There’s an abandoned Air Force base in Truro, an abandoned train tunnel in Clinton, and even an abandoned set of bear cages at Franklin Park Zoo in Boston. These places have been left to decay and are being reclaimed by nature, much like the Rutland Prison Camp which we will be exploring today.
Central Massachusetts is home to a place that's been long forgotten -- and nature has been reclaiming it ever since.
Located within the picturesque 300-acre Rutland State Park is a former prison camp and farm that nature is taking back as its own. It was first built in 1903.
Minor offenders like those arrested for public intoxication and petty theft were sent to live here. They were put to work as farmhands on the prison camp's 150-acre farm. Crops, dairy cows, and chickens were all part of what was raised on this farm.
For those of you who love exploring places that nature has slowly been taking back over time, take a hike through Rutland State Park and head to the prison camp ruins.
You'll see several buildings, fields, stairways, and more, either covered in greenery, graffiti, or both. It's an utterly fascinating abandoned place to explore! Just remember to take your camera.
Have you explored Rutland Prison Camp? What are some of your favorite abandoned places in Massachusetts to explore? Tell us about them in the comments! To learn more about the Rutland Prison Camp, visit the Discover Central Massachusetts website.