Curious City: What's the story behind Dunning Insane Asylum?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- Curious Citizen Michael Dotson asked Curious City: "What's the history behind Cook County's former Dunning Insane Asylum and the people buried near there?" Full story: bit.ly/13KhAsx
We visit the Read Dunning Memorial Park with Michael and some local activists who want to raise more awareness about the park and the 38,000 victims of the Civil War, the Chicago Fire, orphans and Dunning Insane Asylum residents who are buried in the area.
For more info on Curious City, visit curiouscity.wbez.org
I operated a bus for the CTA for 35 years. Many times I would work The #80 Irving Park and the #86 Narragansett routes. When you work the same street on a daily basis you get to know your passengers. Some are friendly and some are not. During the off peak hours, some will sit up front and chat with you. I was working those routes when a contractor was building Condo's and Homes on that sight. Construction was stopped for many months when human bones were dug up. After doing research it was determined that in the late 1890's this was a burial ground for paupers. After all the newfound bones were removed, construction was resumed. Im sure some of those residences were built on top of burial sights. I'm not sure what happened to the bones that were dug up. On a slow mid-day, one of my passengers was talking to me about the area. He had purchased a 2 bedroom condo there. He did not grow up near the area, so he had no knowledge of its history. He was a widower and lived by himself. He told me af strange noises would sometimes wake him in the middle of the night. Sounds of doors closing, and kitchen cabinet doors being opened and shut. Also the footsteps of someone walking around. He would rise from his bed and look around, but there was nothing to to see or be found. He also mentioned hearing voices talking. I have also heard stories of this kind from other people. Some put their property up for sale to leave an area that they said was haunted and others did not. I think that the city of Chicago who sold the property to the contractor, knew that this once was a cemetery because they had all of the records at city hall and should pay for the relocation and restoration of the sight.
My great-grandfather was committed to the Insane Asylum in 1889 and then transferred to the Northern Illinois Hospital for the Insane in Elgin, Illinois. I continue to try to find more information about him and learn more about the poor souls who were condemned to these institutions.
During the 1960's and early 70's the State of Illinois used the Chicago State Hospital to place unwanted children that were wards of the State. They would have them committed by a court that was on the grounds of the hospital. Cottage Ward 10 was for boys and Cottage Ward 11 was for girls (CW 10 & CW 11). There was also a 3 story School Building next to the Cottage Wards.I was one of those kids. After leaving the hospital I went on to serve aboard Nuclear Submarines in the U.S. Navy had a family and a successful life but dunning will always be with me.
Wow,holy smokes....you have my sympathies ☹️
Grew up a few blocks away still live here. I heard they only removed the larger bones from the major construction areas. I can only imagine what's been left behind and what has never been discovered. Question: Am i wrong or did this start out as a flop house run by one woman before it became Dunning?
I lived a block away from Dunning when it was operating. I always felt bad for those inside. I heard stories of people being chained to beds and urinating in and around them. I heard of people, the more aggressive ones being caged like animals. They were cattle prodded, and abused. In the way a person would retaliate against an animal if it tried to defend itself . Not a good place and I am sure there are souls wandering around unsettled and forever unconsoled.
It was there. It was called Dunning and then Chicago Insane hospital. Later torn down and moved to Reed hospital in Chicago, which is also evil. Dunning was filled with people who were mainly poor, who shouldn't have been there. Back in the day, long ago, medicine wasn't really medicine. It was experimentation. Family members were dropped off because most people didn't have money to take care of injured loved ones. Dunning was the place they went. My great grandmother was there unfortunately. I'm trying to find out why. She suffered there for 6 years before dying, and buried with thousands of others in unmarked graves. No one received individual graves. They were thrown in piles in the ground. Living conditions were terrible. They froze in the winter with no heat and were beaten and experimented on. hopefully the "doctors" at this asylum are burning in hell.
I was about 9-12 and lived on Irving Park Road. My mother's boyfriend was a bus cta driver. We would pass it going to the Brickyard Mall and we thought it was for 'bad kids". We would get off the bus at Naragansset and walkover and stare into the gates........
Thanks loved it. We didn’t have housemothers. Our experiences were about the same hydro, etc. Do you have any pictures to share
We used to explore that creepy place when we were kids. Found all types or ppl records and human bones. Was telling my son about it why is there not that many pics of the place
When was the dunning knocked down?
me and friends would go into the abandoned cafeteria and docks.and a locked building that looked like a morgue
D Man yea me too
Is this the one that they build all those codes over the Graves if so there's 38,000 people still under them condo's 🤔
I believe the addition to Taft High School was built atop the site if I'm not mistaken.
iI was a nursing student We had the option to go to Chicago State for our psych training for 3 months. About 10 of us worked with patients etc. There was a hydro ward with bath tubs for the very unruly patients It was my job one to feed Lunch to the patient.. we ate same food as patients they also cooked and help serve food. Don’t remember it being horrible just not very tasty.
Electric shock was also performed routinely.
joan Anderson I did my Psych affiliation there too in the winter of 1963-1964. I remember that the house mothers were ex patients. I had to live in the dorm. I remember the hydro ward where the patients would be screaming, as well as the electric shock treatments where we had to hold the patients down. I was very afraid of getting attacked. In fact, one of the staff nurses was killed by a patient right after I left. It was a horrible experience! It still haunts me to this day.
Wow..I feel for you guys,grew up a few blocks away from there and stayed on because I loved the neighborhood.Was there from early 70's- 2006. Long since moved,but NO ONE ever said anything about the history like what you just mentioned.Only thing anyone talked about was when they started the condo construction,and the old bones were found in mid 90s(?).Now I'll probably have nightmares..creepy
interesting enough. "Music" was just awful and irritating. if it came entirely off a computer, it doesn't count, in my world.