Take A Look At This Abandoned Sanatorium near Augusta, Maine

A long-forgotten and abandoned tuberculosis sanatarium is sitting quietly in Central Maine.

One of the scourges of the late 19^th century through the mid 20^th century was tuberculosis.  According to Wikipedia, tuberculosis (or TB), is an infection caused by bacteria.  Typically, it affects the lungs, but can affect other parts of the body. In 90% of cases, the infection remains dormant and goes undetected.  In about 10% of cases, the infection goes active.  Common symptoms of the active infection include fever, night sweats, and weight loss.  Because of the weight loss, the disease was often called “consumption”.

While it is far from being eradicated, it is far less of an issue now than it was in the early-mid part of the 20^th century.  Thanks to the vaccine, there are very few cases in most parts of the world.

Back when it was a major health crisis, those who were infected were often quarantined in sanatoriums.  This was common practice across the United States, even here in Maine.  The idea was that these sanatoriums would not only separate the sick from the people they could infect, they would also treat the TB.  The thought was that they would treat them through good nutrition and fresh air.

According to the Asylum Project, the Chase Memorial Sanatorium opened in Central Maine in 1911.  Originally, it was not much more than a tent city.  Shortly, the tents were replaced by a series of wooden buildings.  However, as they were made of wood, they burned down.  Those wooden buildings were replaced by a brick structure.  In 1915, the state took over several TB facilities, including the Central Maine facility.  At that time, they renamed the Chase Memorial Sanatorium the Central Maine Sanatorium.  The facility was in operation until 1970.  After it closed, a portion of the facility was turned into a nursing home.  That facility closed in 2001.

WE DO NOT CONDONE TRESPASSING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.  Also, keep in mind that urban exploration can be dangerous – We don’t want to see you get hurt.

In 2018, the Desertify Urbex YouTube channel posted a video of their exploration of the decrepit sanatorium.

Take a look…

Watch the full video:

For obvious reasons, you should not explore abandoned buildings without the owner's permission.  We don't want you to get arrested or hurt.