Nearly 200 miles northwest of the Twin Cities, a forgotten part of Minnesota history — an abandoned hospital in Minnesota — rises from among the lakes of Otter Tail County. Opened just 32 years after Minnesota officially became a state, the Fergus Falls State Hospital is a beautiful building with a long history. Beyond its chipped paint and crumbling woodwork, the abandoned hospital stands as a reminder of the early days of Minnesota — and of medicine. But this institution wasn’t the first of its kind.

In 1866, Minnesota established St. Peter State Hospital, the first hospital for the "insane."
See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
It had a separate institution called the Asylum for the Dangerous Insane, which opened in 1907.
We love this old photo of Fergus Falls, Minnesota taken a year later in 1908, a place exciting enough to draw a visit by the 27th U.S. President William Howard Taft.
Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
With the growing population, St. Peter became overcrowded, and other hospitals were added to fulfill the need.
As a result, the Fergus Falls State Hospital — originally called the Third Minnesota Hospital For The Insane — opened to patients in 1890.
MN Historical Society, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Now an abandoned hospital in Minnesota, it was built to treat mentally ill patients in northern Minnesota. In addition to patients with mental illnesses, the hospital also housed those with developmental disabilities or chemical dependencies.
By today's standards, the hospital is quite beautiful, especially for an abandoned hospital in Minnesota.
Mr. Moment/Wikimedia Commons
But it was actually built to be as plain as possible, with little difference from one wing to the next.
The design was known as the Kirkbride Plan, a style of building championed by physician Thomas Story Kirkbride (July 31, 1809 – December 16, 1883).
Chad Davis from Minneapolis, United States, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
The buildings were meant to be large and imposing, with patient wings set at right angles to the central administration building.
Kirkbride theorized that a strict, bare setting would provide needed discipline to the mentally ill.
Howard Russell Butler (1856 – 1934), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Bryce Hospital opened in 1861 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and was planned from the start to utilize the "moral architecture" concepts of Kirkbride and others in the field.
Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
This is similar to the bare setting inside of Fergus Falls State Hospital.
The Kirkbride Plan often included large sections of land that were often tended to by patients. Fergus Falls State Hospital sits on 11 acres.
kathryn/Flickr
As the decades passed, the hospital population grew. In the early days, only males were sentenced to the hospital and women were first admitted in 1893.
Later, changes in Minnesota law enabled people to commit themselves, with most still involuntarily sentenced.
City of Fergus Falls/Facebook
Many patients were poor, with few resources enabling them to get them through troubled times. Most stayed for life, and by 1970, more than 40,000 patients had received treatment.
The hospital's name changed to the Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center in 1985, and the following year, the hospital was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
kathryn/Flickr
Many patients were poor, with few resources enabling them to get them through troubled times, and as a result, most stayed for life.
After its last patients were moved to other facilities, Fergus Falls Regional Hospital closed in 2004, now an abandoned mental hospital in Minnesota.
City of Fergus Falls/Facebook
The building still stands, though there has been debate over whether to tear it down or redevelop the iconic structure. For now, it remains a fascinating time capsule of over a century of medicine.
Now known as the Minnesota Security Hospital, the St. Peter State Hospital carries on.
Myotus, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
It is the only secure facility in Minnesota to provide assessment and treatment of individuals with severe mental health disorders, also considered dangerous.

For more information about this abandoned hospital in Minnesota, visit the National Park Service website. And for those who have already visited Fergus Falls State Hospital, please share your experiences in the comments below.  Also, check out the haunted tunnel at Anoka State Hospital. And while you’re there, stay awhile and book a Vrbo in this cool, historic town.

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More to Explore

Abandoned Places In Minnesota

Carolyn Harmon | October 10, 2023

What are some of the abandoned places in Minnesota? 

Take a thrilling road trip to the 9 most abandoned places in Minnesota. Here are a few highlights.

  • Mill Ruins Park (102 Portland Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN): This interesting gem is located along the west bank of the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis. The eclectic spot among the modern-day structures within the St. Anthony Falls Historic District explores the history of the milling industry. You'll find the remains of several flour mills dating back to the mid-to-late 1800s along the walking paths, and the now exposed historic walls and waterpower features that were once buried. And history buffs love the reopening of the historic tailrace canal, an interactive water feature. This important space was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
  • Banning State Park (61101 Banning Park Road, Sandstone, MN): This 6,200-acre paradise is always a gorgeous visit, featuring kayakers in the Kettle River; winding, wooded trails; and the ever-lovely Wolf Creek Falls. But for those seeking more of a historical adventure, take in the old ruins of Banning Sandstone Quarry open from the late 1870s to 1905. The nearby town of Banning was wiped out by fires, leaving the decaying ruins behind.
  • Taconite Harbor (8124 Minnesota State Route 61, Schroeder, MN): Known as one of the state's eeriest ghost towns, this once-bustling mining community lives with its memories on the north shore of Lake Superior. And like other abandoned places in Minnesota, the town was forgotten along with the demand for taconite. Its prefabricated houses were built in the late 1950s to house employees at the nearby Cliffs Erie taconite loading facility. Today, all that's left are some paved portions of the road overgrown with weeds.

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