The 1930s Manteno State Hospital suffered a typhoid fever epidemic in 1939, and more than 50 patients and staff members died. The hospital eventually was renamed the Manteno Mental Health Center; it ceased operations in 1985 and the complex became business rentals, a bank, part of the Illinois Diversatech Campus and a private home. In this vicinity, witnesses say apparitions of patients and nurses can be seen, and ghostly voices come over the nonfunctional intercom system.
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Geographic Information
- Address:
- Diversatech Dr and Chestnut
Manteno, IL
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 41.233518565336695, -87.80658012641652
- County:
- Kankakee County, Illinois
- Nearest Towns:
- Manteno, IL (1.7 mi.)
Peotone, IL (6.9 mi.)
Bradley, IL (6.9 mi.)
Bourbonnais, IL (7.3 mi.)
Sun River Terrace, IL (8.2 mi.)
Kankakee, IL (8.3 mi.)
Grant Park, IL (8.4 mi.)
Momence, IL (8.8 mi.)
Aroma Park, IL (10.6 mi.)
Limestone, IL (10.9 mi.)
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Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends.
I would like more info on this hospital. My grandfather was a patient here for a Mental illness in the 40’s and 50’s. The records have all been destroyed, but I remember him coming home and he was there but the lights were not on. I heard that horrible things were done to the mentally ill.
Kay, look on facebook for the manteno state hospital. They have lots of old and new photos along with very interesting history, facts, information.
The hospital has since been demolished
Kay my grandmother was there. No record of her death or burial either.
I’ve been here a few times. My friends all claim they’ve seen stuff, but I haven’t. I get this weird feeling when I’m there though, and it feels like I’m being watched
If you “have” seen anything then it is clearly your imagination.
My family is from the South Side of Chicago and in the early 1940s, my aunt tried to stab my mom and was then taken to Manteno Mental Hospital, where she died later of TB. My mom remembered the “white coats” coming to take her away in the wagon. In the 60s and 70s, my mom would often take us for a drive through the grounds there–we lived in Crete–and would see the patients outside, weaving baskets. I always thought it was a creepy place! I had heard that people heard and saw “things” there but I never did.
I’ve heard the hospital was torn down. Is this true?
parts of it is but lot people still go there but if someone sees you and call the police then your in a lot of troble cause its falling apart
That moment when you live in diversitech
Its true we purchased a house by the mental hospital it was on Bramble st in Manteno I would hear noises in my house when i was alone one day my niece was with me and it was my niece and I alone in a two floor home in Manteno it was a beautiful home. Had 4 bdrm and 3 baths and the kitchen was upstairs with a living area and a balcony. Any was that day that made me move was because my niece was 2 years old at the time and we where downstairs in the laundry area and we heard someone slamming the kitchen refrigerator door really hard. So I was like ok no one home or maybe i did not hear someone that lived at the time with me come in the front entrance and i looked up the long stairs and nothing i called out my family name no one responded i went to check it out and they did it again this was in the day time. So I grab my niece stuff and mines and while i was coming down the stairs with my niece in my arms my niece started to cry saying in baby words that a monster thats all i could understand her and i felt someone push me of the last two steps. I left with nothing i refused to go back to that house but i remember that when i purchased the house the old owners told me and showed me old video there are tunnels under the homes that are constructed underneath the place around the mental house the video said the tunnels are really far that it will take you all the way to Chicago.
Is this the place that was turned in ti a veteran’s nursing home? My grandfather had a breakdown after wwii and had electro shock therapy, and when he had was in his 70’s he was very I’ll and my grandmother couldn’t take care of him by herself anymore he went to this nursing home and though he had his mind was messed up and he forgot alot of things when the ambulance started taking him in the buildings he freaked out and fought because he recognized the place. Most now that back in that time when they gave you electro shock therapy you were awake. I’m sure that would be something your not likely to forget! If you know if this is the same place let me know! Thank you.
Yes that is the place. Lots went there in the late 90s and explored the tunnels. Bath tubs were still down there. Very sinister. Their were records I heard that said they dropped patients off in downtown areas thought Illinois
For anyone interested in going, the main haunted part was completely torn down. So there honestly isn’t much a point in going there anymore.
Fyi morgan cottage has been torn down in may 2015.houses in the woods still remain .
Another pic of the morgan cottage being torn down . for more pics check out 3 a.m. paranormal on facebook
In June 2016, me and a few friends where at a graduation party. It was about 10pm and we decided to walk around diversatech, we were down the street and we saw the outline of what looked like a man and he looked to be dragging a body. We stood behind a tree and continued to watch the figure. After about 3 minutes the man looked as if he was sprinting in our direction we ran across the niegborhood and the man was gone.
Then we had went bye the woods and heard a scream coming from a womans voice, we all stood there in silence and we heard it again.
We were walking home through this parking lot of one of the old building and we heard the screams again louder this time and then as we were running through almost out of the parking lot we passed this building and we heard beeping like a bomb almost.
I have a lot of experience with this place. A friend of mine whose probably 15 years older than me worked in maintenance there in the early 80’s. He never returned his keys when the hospital closed. In 1996 or 97 he asked me and another friend of mine if we wanted to go out there one night when we happened to be talking about the place because my aunt had worked out there also. He told us he still had his keys & we could walk through almost all the buildings and all of the tunnels. For those that don’t know, imagine a state hospital that is laid out like a college campus. It’s not just this big hospital. It’s a campus of medium to small buildings that are all connected by tunnels that run underground. Now in the early 90’s, this place REALLY freaked me out. I was from Kankakee, but my girlfriend went to Manteno & played volleyball. At this time the only operational building was a gym that the girls volleyball team used for practice on the west side of the campus, which the morgue sat directly underneath. But the door was barred & nailed shut with chains & like 4 giant padlocks. Anyway, me and my 2 friends go out there and started walking through the tunnels. We experienced nothing other than creepiness. About every 15 ft or so you would come to an examination room with very old equipment. Like the old wooden ones that restrained the arms & head for electroshock & labotamies. Extremely creepy. We went back a few weeks later and this time went in a former resident facility. I did evp sessions and got 1 evp that was of poor quality and inaudible. We also seen 2 orbs during that night. One blue, the other green. I do believe there is paranormal activity there, but I wouldn’t say that it’s rampant. Now, it’s been turned into businesses and townhomes. Not worth a visit anymore.
Not worth a visit as it has been torn down, but I worked the night shift on the old buildings that were still used for mental health for teens.
Very very creepy things would happen around the campus at night- chains rattling, eerie voices in one or two very distict areas. Definitely spirits not at rest.
NO POINT IN GOING NOW THOUGH, THESE BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN ALL TORN DOWN
if you go in the woods right by the football field, there is actually quite a few small buildings remaining. there is a fence, but there is a broken portion you can enter. trails as well once you go in. i’ve been to alot of them, and they are really interesting. the smokestacks have a really interesting building attached, that hasn’t fallen into itself yet, somehow. 3 of them aren’t in the woods, but more out in the open. those have more things (garbage and stuff), and spray paint galore. the one in the fence with the path is way more less destroyed. really interesting, but not much left of it. i would say its worth it to go looking at it, its super cool (but kinda creepy) there is also a tunnel, more by the retirement home. i don’t know much about it though. its really creepy, i wouldn’t recommend going into it, i haven’t, but its really creepy. sounds like a bunch is down there, almost like a parking garage. good luck exploring, if you chose to go here. super cool, id recommend it if you want a small explore.
if the image posts, the yellow is the fence, the red is the forest with the buildings, and the blue dot is the tunnel
from, your local diversitech teen