STRANGE BUT TRUE TALES

THE ROSEWOOD ASYLUM, OWINGS MILLS

THE ROSEWOOD ASYLUM:

Abandoned or not, few places fascinate and terrify more than asylums. In Owings Mills, the decrepit buildings that once made up Rosewood Center speak not only to a disturbing era in American medicine but to the fragile nature of the human mind.

Originally established in 1888 as the Asylum and Training School for the Feeble Minded, Rosewood did not officially close until June of 2009. But through the years, a series of incidents, from reports of malpractice and abuse to deteriorating conditions and a case of suspected arson that burned the main building in 2006, led the state to first close the institution's original buildings and later the entire facility.
After Rosewood's original (and eeriest) buildings were closed in the late 1980s, those looking for a scare (primarily teenagers) began to venture into the vacated hospital. They found rooms with peeling paint filled with beds and wheelchairs as well as the remnants of the lives of thousands of patients.
Ghost hunters, too, began to make the journey, reporting spooky noises and moving shadows. However, those wishing to experience the same thrill today are left to deal with blocked roads and a visible security force in response to years of vandalism. But seen from Rosewood Lane off of Reisterstown Road, the crumbling stone buildings on the hill are as ominous as ever.