it would not bother me.

the way i look at it is tha tno matter where you choose SOMETHING has died there inthe past. i mean the earth is a few billion years old and has limited ground, something at some point had to die on any piece of ground where you are.

amysrq - I wonder if you are near me. There is a proposed development on the site of a now closed state psychiatric hospital in an affluent town near me. Right now the developer and township are in a big fight over the clean-up and building restrictions so it is going no where. But... I love the area it is in.

My concern is not so much what used to be there but if the clean-up was properly down. On this site, there was buried medical waste, tunnels etc... and I am sure it is an environmental mess.

Years from now, no one will think about what used to be there.

Wouldn't bother me at all. My dh has an ancestor buried on the grounds of a state mental institution. Her name is Theresia, and she came to me in dreams before I even knew who she was - and I am one of the most realistic and down to earth people you could ever meet, I don't even believe in ghosts, energy or any of the 'kooky' stuff, etc. But once I found where Theresia was buried and my dh visited the site (his direct ancestor, not mine, so why did she bug my dreams? lol) I stopped dreaming of her.

What did they do with the bodies on the property you're considering?

As for 'bad energy', I don't consider mental illness to be bad in that sense. What 'they' might have done to the ill residents way back when would be more of a concern to me. Just how old was the state hospital?

Wouldn't bother me either. Factories are converted, hospitals are converted, all sorts of commercial/industrial buildings are converted to residential use. Goodness knows what happened in these places - industrial accidents, hospital deaths, etc etc. I've always been the glass half full type, so this stuff wouldn't both me.

I'm with johnmari - the odds are pretty high that something died just about everywhere.

I'd be very happy to find a good home in a nice community at the right price. Location still is, to me, the #1 rule in real estate.

Amy,

North Hampton or Belchertown? Either way I don't think it would be bad Karma. In the 70's, when I was in college I did volunteer work at both and they were bleak, but not utterly ghastly. Both areas have much to recommend themselves, and the wider 5-college area is a lively and interesting place to live. (Though I think the summers are hot, but you won't coming from down south.)

All this time when you mentioned Western MA I thought you were talking about the Williamstown, Pittsfield, Lenox, Stockbridge, Gt. Barrington, Sheffield axis.

Molly~

Thanks for the replies everyone. The more I think about this, the more trouble I have with the idea of living in a brand new house that someone else created. It's a very foreign concept to me! Even if I feel okay about the site, I can't imagine passing up on the opportunity to modify a house to our needs. They are sending me floor plans, so we'll see.

I don't mind that people may have died there....yes people die everywhere. But a place where there existed a culture of sadness and fear is enough for me to think twice.

Molly, it's Noho. Glad to hear that bleakness was the worst thing you saw. Where did you go to school? Funny...I think of it as Western MA, but that's because DH is originally from Boston. To me, the cousins in "Woostah" are Central! And the Route 7 corridor is The Berkshires, their own place...beyond Western MA!

Yes, the summers are hot. Though this past year was lovely. We had lots of rain, regularly spaced through the growing season. Only had to switch on the ugly AC a few times. Central air in a brand new house does have certain appeal...

Wow, I work for a psychiatrist (my husband) and sometimes a patient has to go into the hospital. They want to go because their life has become unmanageable and sad. They need/want help. Most times they suffer from severe depression and life is not worth living. Sometimes substance abuse.
Each one goes in with hope; I have never seen a patient come out regretting the experience. I have seen such miraculous transformations that it has made me cry.

I see a Psychiatric Hospital as a place of hope and healing.

Jane

As a fellow resident of the Pioneer Valley, we are definitely western MA!

I hadn't heard that they will be building on the site of the hospital in Northampton, but it's a beautiful area and I wouldn't think twice about buying there.

I think it's wonderful that they are repurposing the area in such a way. Maybe you could think about it in terms of giving a positive purpose to the land - a much happier way of thinking, yes?

Another Western Mass-ite here! I agree with Amy on the geography! I have Worcester cousins too. Think about having some kind of a blessing, cleansing ceremony, or whatever ritual will give you peace. It will help you claim the place as your own and "set free" so to speak, anything bad that happened there.

Amysrq-

Are you sensitive to energy? Do you have a strange feeling when standing on the land? It really doesn't have anything to do with what happened or didn't happen there. Sometimes, there is negative energy left behind. Most people can't sense it, so for them it isn't a big deal what house they live in or where one gets built.

My husband and I toured a home that we really liked. great location, good potential. But I felt strange inside it... Like someone was watching me. I walked through the house and had difficulty breathing, my heart was pounding. Since it was the first home we toured that I liked, I thought it was just my excitement.

After leaving I ask my husband how he felt about it. he said he liked the house but felt strange and couldn't pinpoint it. After a little research, I found out the home was being sold by the family. The 74yo man died in the house last year.

Now, before you all say anything... my father died at home with us by his side. After we had the house blessed (I am not religious but due to strange events, believe that it released my fathers spirit) I haven't felt his presence in the home.

So, fast forward a few weeks. That house sold. I toured another home that I am sure some of you have read about my fiasco with that. The house too was being sold by the family. But there was such an incredible, comforting feeling in this home. Even with all the work is required, I immediately wanted it.

After we lost the insane and frustrating bidding on it, I was mentioning to my husband what a great vibe it had. He then told me that was important because he didn't like the previous house I liked. he said that it felt as if someone was pressing down on his chest the entire time we were walking through it.

So, don't think to much about what used to be on the land. If you are comforted by the land and it's surroundings, you'll be fine.

Christina, yes I am sensitive to that kind of thing, hence my worry.

As for death, it can be a healing, loving and blessed experience for those involved. Sounds like you provided that for your father and your family. I don't think that leaves a negative residual feeling. And I too would probably still have the space cleared/blessed afterward.

I think that when I get there I'll know. Even when the drawings arrive in the mail later this week, I will begin to understand if this is a possibility for us.

When things fall into place easily, which they often do, I can trust that we're on the right path. When it becomes a struggle, I take that as a sign that something better is out there. Hope you're feeling that way about the house that got away.

mpinto and jbspook, you talk like real Happy Valley folks -- cleansing, positive purpose! Thanks for the support. Looking forward to finally being a neighbor someday soon... :-)

as for karma--maybe being part of something new and good would give that land new karma?

how long does the "scar" or "stigma" get to linger?

i think the thing that might make me pass is the idea that everybody who found out where my home was would ask me, "weren't you spooked? Is it weird? I'd never live on that land!"

I would just be annoyed and bored by having the same stupid conversation about the former mental institution all the time.

Hi! I'm usually on the kitchen forum but I was intrigued by your question for I, too, am very sensitive to energy and peoples' vibes....I remember the feeling I felt when we first walked through the house that we bought last summer...I sensed such a peaceful, comforting energy there..if I had sensed differently I would have never wanted to put an offer on it.

You express concern that your new home will be built on land that was formerly a mental facility. Have you taken a walk there? Can you? Just take a quiet walk on the grounds and see how you feel.

(I would be far more concerned about landfill, etc, if the property was industrial-zoned).

amysrq-
There's no way of knowing the complete history of any site. Even if you pick another location or house, how do you know whether or not it was lived in by a murderer, or a massacre occurred on the site 200 years ago, or some ancient tribe performed human sacrifices in the backyard? Yes, it's true that you do know something about this site that's negative in your mind. But what if some wonderful, unknown thing also happened on the site?

However, from your comments, I suspect you will never be completely comfortable with this. If you have to talk yourself into it, it's probably not right for you.

I think if you have any qualms at all, regardless of what they're about, it might be best to move on. I've passed on many a house because something about the location didn't work for me. What surrounds the neighborhood, what is directly behind and/or in front of the house, how far the house is from commercial, retail, etc, (too close can be as bad as too far), etc.

I think the fact that you're posting this question indicates that you have reservations. And you know, there ARE people who will buy those houses, so of course lots of people don't mind the former building, but I'd be willing to bet there are plenty like you who would feel odd about it.

So... I think it maybe doesn't matter how any of us would feel about it. It comes down to the fact that it does bother you, and it seems that it might not even be the only thing about these houses that is bothering you.

Some relatives of friends own a big, beautiful house that once WAS a mental institution. It overlooks the Mississippi River. The history of the place is quite interesting, and the couple who owns it have painstakingly restored it with original and period fixtures, etc. I'd love to see it!

That said, I agree with lowspark. If you have to ask, obviously it's bothering you and perhaps you're best off moving on. There are plenty of houses in locations you'll like better. I once owned a house next door to a woman who had a very junky garage/yard area. I saw it every time I looked out my kitchen window and it really annoyed me. Wouldn't you know it but after I sell and move out, she starts to clean up the place. Argh!

Update...

We have decided to go forward with this plan. I haven't even been up there yet (soon) but there are so many good things about this new development, it just feels really right for us. They are using a New Urbanist model of mixed use, mixed income, etc. It is less than a mile to walk into the "Old Urbanist" center of a fabulous little town. The lot backs up to a preserve and a lovely college campus. I'll be walking distance to the Community Gardens.

I have even embraced the idea of a brand new house. It will be LEED Certified and as green as possible. I am working on the floor plan and really believe it will serve our family and our lifestyle. The builder is the one I would have chosen for a renovation. He is very good and well regarded in the community.

I have been watching the market seriously since August and casually for a couple of years. There just isn't much out there and I decided I didn't want to eat up several years looking, planning and renovating while DD is in high school. I only have four years left with her home and none of us needs the additional stress. Life is short.

If someone had told me a month ago I'd be considering a new build, I'd have told them they were quite mistaken. So, there is room for everything in life!

Now, on to sell this house!