The Ladd School

On many occasions I have warned readers to not trespass on private property. If you want to investigate a haunted location, go through the right channels. The experience of ghost-hunting teenagers visiting Ladd School in Exeter, Rhode Island is an excellent example as to why you should listen to such warnings.

In the last three months, five men allegedly armed with knives, clubs, BB guns and axes held up a total of 12 teenagers. They allegedly stole money, credit cards and cell phones. They were held without bail pending a a hearing on May 6.

The Ladd School opened in 1907 as a mental rehabilitation hospital. Much like Essex, it saw it share of overcrowding. At one point, the population reached 1,000 patients. Ladd School was ill-equipped to handle such conditions. Dr. Joseph H. Ladd was the only certified doctor on staff. The remaining staff had little training to care for patients. There were no dental care, morgue, recreational facilities, chapel or "functional" hospital apparatus. Patients slept head-to-feet on cots only nine inches apart. Some were beaten regularly due to disruptive behavior. Patients were given incorrect prescriptions, wrong dosages and medications administered by unqualified personnel, causing many deaths. A nine-year-old boy was found in a laundry sack asphyxiated. An elderly man was shoved down a flight of stairs by another patient and died. Ten years after a lawsuit was filed against the school, the facility shut down in 1993.

Locals and trespassers alike believe the school is haunted. There are reports of disembodied voices, murmuring or crying out. Doors close and open on their own as well as lock itself when no locks are to be found on the door. Shadows have been seen outside of the facility. Car alarms and horns allegedly go off on their own. Obviously, a place any ghost hunter would like to investigate. Ask for permission first. You may be denied access due to the condition of the buildings, but at least you won't be in jail or worse.

Comments

Anonymous said…
i have been to the ladd school with me and mom and cousin i will say it is haunted. we went around 11 am got there at 1pm it was still light. we had the phones recorder on and got voices saying leave and scearming. we took so me pictures and the tured black even when i was in them
Anonymous said…
So I went to the Ladd school on multiple occasions with friend. I've been in every building and all over the basement. I would have to say that it's most defiantly haunted, we took a camcorder one of the times and caught all kinds of noises, but I've never seen or had any encounters other tthan the noises. But on the other hand some of my frriends have reported being touched at the top of the stairs or seeing dim lights in the farthest top level of the circle building I think it's a boiler room or something. I laid down in the morgue cooler things and didn't even feel anything. Also I'm a resident of RI .
Anonymous said…
yes i have been to ladd school very haunted i was trapped in that place for 6 hours worst time of my life stuff got thrown at me and my friend we heard alot of screaming and yelling recorded some fottage but wen we went to go p;ay it back it was just all white not a very good place to be
Anonymous said…
I have been to the ladd school and it is haunted I was never brave enough to go looking in all the buildings but one buildings I have been to I seen a shadow standing on the roof my friend wanted to go in but after seeing that I said hell no.I went to job corp academy which is part of ladd school and that shit was crazy haunted my room I stayed in got ruin and nobody was in the room and when you looked out my window you can see a little boy run into the woods.
Hey I go to job corps in ri what else can u tell me about ladd school cuz I have been seeing the same stuff
Anonymous said…
my boyfriend went to ladd school, and he told me him and his friends took a pic in front of a gate and a boy showed up on the other side of the gate, and you see right through him.. i wanna go soo bad!!
Anonymous said…
I went there with my mom for Halloween in 2000 my mom was so scared that she run out screaming with out me I was only 10 years old at that time and I was not scared one bit. my mom is a scared cat. but I did see a ghost and something moved and was tossed around.
Anonymous said…
So ya boy friend is mentaly handicaped and is and older man and I dout it I thing ur just apart of da hype I kno its haunted but thea are people who lik to hype it up
Anonymous said…
I have been to every part of da skool iight and da place b fucked up ya herd. It was me and my friendz and theaz otha kidz we thea and they took off one way and we went anutha long story short My boy waz traped in a room for a hour listening to a little girl cry and being raped and wen he got out by breakin down da door and it waz mid sumer and thea waz a hole in the roof u cud see out and in and it waz above this sink in the bathroom and it waz so cold from all of the spirits wondering around dem hallz dat thea waz snow all ova da sink and all we cud hea waz screamz lik fukin bloody murder and we bounced out of thea and dem kidz we lost in thea and we had a open spot in da car one dem kidz begged us to get a ride out of thea and we stoped at a gas station on da way bak and da kid had deep long slashez on his bak his hoody waz straight all fucked up and he waz bleeding so we brought him to da RI hospital in prov and we made a new friend from a horible night but da docz had no idea wat caused it just tellin y'all don't go thea not cuz itz fuked up but I can tell u they clawed dat dude cuz dem spirits need to rest especialy afta all da horible things they had to of went thru y'all stay out and let them rest finaly
Anonymous said…
No wonder its haunted..my grandfather worked there in the beginning the dr. Was not such a caring wonderful petson.and working there myself..dealing with foreign drs esrning their licenses..doing operations with no anesthesia..believing they had no feelings..i would haunt the place myself..a deplorable institution..some wdre abused..physially..mentally sexually..thank god its gone
hollie said…
when i was three i got sent to the ladd school after my mother died with my twin brother charlie lee. They put us in a room and asked me what i saw. I said, " a black lady," because i could see ghosts, all the drs stood up from the table and a nurse ran into the room and scratched my arms deeply all over, another male nurse took my twins arm and said,"lets go charlie lee," "where are we going?" he asked in his baby voice. "to heaven," they told him. They kept me there and gave e electroshock and this was in 1985. They put me in a roomful of mirrors and put me in four point restraints and gave me injections. I think they were scared i would tell all their secrets. They killed my twin brother there. I wonder how the state of rhode island can keep all these things covered up like they have. they used to dip kids in the pool over and over as a punishment and would give little kids like i was electrock on a regular basis. The nurse that hurt me was named susan pew. I still hear ghosts but cant see them anymore. Id like to go and stand at the grounds of the ladd school and get some of the names of people they murdered like my 3 year old twin brother.
Derek said…
It's really hunted I went there about 1 year ago and I saw a boy that was in a drees I ran and I jump out of the window my sister was Driving and she took of full speed but I've herd some storys about this but my story was crazy
Unknown said…
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