I worked at rosewood for over twenty years,I remember the first day I started I didn't think I was going to ever get used to the sounds and smells of those old buildings.i remember feeling so sad for some of the patients but happy that they at least had people to take care of them.there were these huge crib like beds that were lined up in some of the buildings,all of them had full grown people laying in them like giant kids.it was a scene that will stick in my mind forever.

My brother was a resident for 20 years or more. We visited every weekend and would bring him home for visits often. I think one of the happiest days for our family was when he moved to a group home. I was already grown and living out of state by then, and working as a special educator. I still am haunted by Rosewood. We hated visiting, but we loved our brother. There were no options for families then. Parents were told to leave their children...and often advised to never come back. My parents refused, but they were unable to care for my brother at home. The state school was all that was offered. There was no respite care. No neighborhood public schools would accept severe and profoundly handicapped children. And there was no financial assistance to help with home care. Families did the best they could through visits and advocacy etc... It would be a grim picture indeed to present only the negative. There were many good people who volunteered and worked for meager wages. There were many events including special olympics and fairs that attempted to eradicate the bleakness. But as a society we have learned that separate is never equal. We did a disservice to those people who resided in Rosewood, but we did a diservice to the community too. What a better day it is when i get to witness disabled children with their non disabled peers; when parents are afforded the luxury of kissing their children good bye knowing they will return on the school bus in the afternoon; and when siblings dont have to worry about their brothers. We have evolved, and i appreciate that Rosewood hasn't been forgotten.

I have been doing research on genealogy and have found that a cousin of mine had been here from 1910 until at least 1940. He first was sent to Syracuse State Hospital for the Feeble Minded. He was 10 at that time. What a tragedy. I never heard mention of him. 100 years ago, even 50 years ago, there was shame associated with disability. Imagine a little, lost ten-year old!!!!

My brother, William Stephen Holliday was a patient at Rosewood in the 1950's. He is now 78 years old and living with mine and his brother in Maryland. My mother was the secretary of the parents association along with Mrs. Dunn who was President during his residency. My Mom volunteered a lot of her time to helping the kids at Rosewood and for years, at Christmas time, would collect toys from the her place of employment and donate them to Rosewood. You're pictures bring back memories of my visits there as a small child.

Tracy G.- I too visited ROSEWOOD as a child. My profoundly mentally retarded sister lived there who was two years older then I. Every weekend from age 7-13. my mother and I would visit her for the afternoon. I too remember the moaning,yelling,and the screaming. It seamed like everyone wore white gowns and slippers. I wanted to see my sister,so I went looking for answers- unable to comprehend how my mother could give her up to "The State" to this place, to ROSEWOOD? THANK YOU TO ALL WHO STAYED TO HELP AND DID SEE THE POSITIVE, LIKE YOUR MOTHER. Thank you for the pictures, they are exactly how I will remember that place, haunted by children who no one wanted.

Why haven't you put together a book "Souls Trapped in Time"? With your beautiful pictures and a brief description with each of the photos - people would purchase it! There are a lot of collectors of history like this - for both serious and those that thrive on the macabre.....you have an art - and like myself there is a market!!!! Thank you for sharing!

It's nice to pass judgment on the lives of those people who lived there based on black and white pictures of old, overgrown buildings (excellent photos by the way), but don't assume that closing Rosewood solved the problems that people with intellectual disabilities still face. For some were just moved for nothing more than political correctness and money. Don't fool yourself.

Veronica,
First off, let me say Thank You so much for not only finding my work but also for taking the time to share with me how it touched you. I am always so amazed by how many people find this particular gallery of work! I have been attatched to Rosewood for many years! In the 70's, in the midst of my teenage angst, I found much pleasure in doing some volunteer work at Rosewood. Even back then, without even understanding it, I was drawn to the pain. All of the kids always had stories, terrible murder stories and stories about crazy stuff that could only happen in the movies, stories meant to just scare you about Rosewood!!! My soul was drawn to help! Now I believe that my work is helping in another way, in a way that is both raising awareness of this sad time in our history, yet also reminding people of all of the good that was drawn to this place! All of the people like the one that you referenced, the people that were called here because they cared and wanted to make a difference! I don't know how much of a difference my little bit of work there made on anyone else, but it has obviously made a huge difference in my life!!! Thank You Once Again!!!

As for your question:
"p.s. One more thing, Curiously, photo 64 shows a body laying on the roadway.. care to comment?"
Self Portrait!

I forgot to mention that I am related to a former employee of Rosewood State Hospital. It was in the late 1970s, she was barely 20 years old and worked as a nursing assistant. She stayed for several years because she truly cared and wanted to make life better for her patients. I remember wondering how she endured such traumatic conditions. Later in life, I feel that her time spent there, played a part in her own emotional difficulties. On the other hand, I feel that she found some sort of peace, in knowing that she made their lives somewhat more tolerable.
WOW, your photos really kicked up some deep memories for me. Thank you again. As I said in my 1st post, emotion is the sign of success for an artist and you hit the mark!

In the late 1990s I would drive through the Rosewood property as a shortcut when running errands between Reisterstown and Owings Mills. I would occasionally park just to "take in" the emotional darkness that the property emits. What a tragic time for society...the fear and misunderstanding of the human psyche. We have made strides but sadly, the label of a mental or emotional illness evokes shame. Medical insurers consider past treatment for depression in the same risk catagory as cancer or organ transplant. I have personal knowledge of that fact.
Your nearly colorless photos depict the cold, stark world that was a life and death sentence for so many tortured souls. For me, your images bring empathy for their hopeless world. I believe THAT is the greatest reward for any artist....to evoke emotion...true success. Thank you.
My photography subjects are the complete opposite. I choose brilliant macro nature images. I see that we both appreciate geometric repetition. I find that I am lifted by the depth and sparkling color of the subjects in my garden.
p.s. One more thing, Curiously, photo 64 shows a body laying on the roadway.. care to comment?