Product Description

I feel deep gratitude for the compassionate contribution that my friend and colleague, Michael Ramseur, has made to the memory of those thousands of souls who dwelled there in search of reclaimed sanity, and to the memory of their loving families and exhausted caretakers. Like no others before him, he has truly understood the whole enterprise, for better or worse, that was the lunatic asylum in Danvers. He has deftly recreated for us in this richly illustrated tome, a tribute to the all-too- human limits of that project in time.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #274456 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 100 pages

Customer Reviews

A chilling, totally factual history of the life of an asylum
Michael Ramseur has done an excellent job of capturing the spirit(s) of one of America's most haunting, abandoned mental institutions. Sitting on 500 acres 30 minutes north of Boston, Danvers State was closed several years ago. The author became obsessed with the hospital while driving by it on the highway, and has since written this comprehensive history accompanied by his drawings of the historical buildings. Both the writing and the art is superb, and the book is printed on high quality stock. I would highly recommend this book.

Incidentally, the film "Session 9" is filmed on location at Danvers State.

Haunting Images
Danvers State Hospital is an historic landmark to both the good and bad of institutionalized medicine. Sadly, these images and other old photographs will soon be all that remains. The book pays homage to the large brooding structure on the hillside. The author/artist captures the dark imagery of the facility both inside and out. The interviews and comments of former health care workers provide a snapshot into the world beyond the Gothic spires. The image of the single unmarked grave with its faded etched number "115" is a sad tribute to the many lost and forgotten souls. The 85 pages just scratch the surface and leave you wanting more.

A Time Capsul of Ghostly Images
The Eye of Danvers: A History of Danvers State Hospital
by Michael Ramseur, is a chilling look at a recent past history that some would rather forget. This book brings to the forefront images that should not be forgotten, but learned from and studied.
Mr. Ramseur, has taken ghost like images as if from a tortured mind and captured them in a way to give a glimpse of another world that some of our earthly inhabitants must and do surely edure.
His paintings do more than give an interpretation of horrors and mind numbing insights of humans that some say are strange. They give a look at a way of life and thinking that is unique to many of the souls that have been cast aside by the more "normal" of our civilization.
Let it be said that this book is a capsule that is as timeless as the institution that was and is, Danvers State Hospital.