20 years ago, the Willard Psychiatric Center in Willard, New York was shut down by the state’s Office of Mental Health. For many of the building's 126 years it had been known by another name, one that today would be considered a galling example of narrow-mindedness – the Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane.
The former hospital was designated to become a rehabilitation clinic for substance abusers, but before the keys were handed over, an employee was given the task of going through all the rooms to see what could or could not be salvaged. Unlocking an attic room, Bev Courtwright discovered a collection of more than 400 suitcases containing the possessions of the former patients.
The cases had been put into storage there whenever someone was admitted between 1910 and 1960, and many of their owners never left the hospital and are now buried in the cemetery across the road.
The incredibly fascinating and moving Willard Suitcases project was created by photographer Jon Crispin, who showcases the contents of the suitcases and offers come insight into the lives of the patients who never left.
Take a look at the gallery below:
