THE STORY
Reported Haunting
The former Hill Ward of Western State Hospital once housed hundreds of psychiatric patients who worked on the hospital farm at what is now Fort Steilacoom Park. After the ward was abandoned, generations of visitors reported unexplained voices, strange sensations and other eerie activity around the deteriorating building and grounds. Some visitors even held séances at the site before the remaining structure was removed and transformed into a memorial. (Submission by Brandon Alan-Douglas Vollmer)
Western State Hospital traces its history to 1871, when Washington Territory established an asylum on the former grounds of Fort Steilacoom. The surrounding property later included a large institutional farm worked by hospital patients. Hill Ward was constructed in 1932 and housed approximately 300 patients associated with the farm. The ward closed in 1965 and remained abandoned for decades, becoming a well-known local landmark before most of the deteriorating structure was demolished. The site was eventually transformed into the Hill Ward Memorial within Fort Steilacoom Park, with portions of the original structure preserved. The abandoned Hill Ward also developed a reputation for paranormal activity. Local residents have described hearing unexplained voices and experiencing an unsettling presence around the site, while others recalled séances being conducted inside or around the former building. The paranormal claims remain local folklore and personal accounts, but Hill Ward has become one of the better-known haunted locations associated with Lakewood and the history of Western State Hospital.