The girl with the red ball Our creepiness rating 💀💀💀💀💀
Visitors report seeing a little girl with a red ball and a man following her, both in the halls and in the cemetery. Spookfinder notes that no record names a child who died at the hospital. Sources: Spookfinder, US Ghost Adventures.
Facts below are drawn from the linked sources.
Real history
Northern State Hospital was a state psychiatric hospital near Sedro-Woolley. It opened in 1912 and closed in 1973 (Wikipedia). It was commissioned in 1909 because Western State Hospital in Steilacoom was overcrowded. Its first patients were 100 men moved from Western State, and those patients helped build the hospital (Wikipedia, History).
Seattle architects Saunders and Lawton designed the buildings in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. The Olmsted Brothers firm designed the grounds (Wikipedia). Patients worked on a large hospital farm: milking cows, raising livestock, growing vegetables and canning food. Extra food from the farm went to other state institutions (Skagit County Parks).
The patient count grew to about 485 in 1915 and about 750 in 1917. By 1922, it was reported at 1,084 (Wikipedia, citing period newspapers). The hospital closed in 1973 under Governor Dan Evans because of state budget cuts. The last patients left on August 16, 1973 (Wikipedia).
Records and news reports document troubling events. In the 1920s, newspapers reported allegations of patient abuse, overcrowding and "redlighting" (patient dumping). In 1983, cans holding the cremated remains of patients who died between 1941 and 1953 were found at a funeral home. In 1995, the U.S. Department of Energy disclosed that 24 patients were part of an Iron-55 radiation study run with the University of Washington from 1954 to 1958 (Wikipedia, Incidents). A plaque at the cemetery remembers 1,487 patients buried there. Most graves are marked only with a number and initials (Wikipedia; Spookfinder). Patient death records from 1911–1963 only became public in 2023 (Cascadia Daily News).
The campus was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 (Cascadia Daily News). The Port of Skagit now owns the main campus and runs it as the SWIFT Center, which includes the Cascades Job Corps Center (Wikipedia). Skagit County bought the former farm in 1991 to make a county park (Cascadia Daily News, 2026).
Ghost stories
These are reported legends, not verified events. The creepiness score (1–5) is Spook Atlas's own editorial rating, not a measurement.
The nurse at the window Our creepiness rating 💀💀💀💀💀
Some people report seeing a nurse hanging from a noose at a dorm window or near a lamppost. Source: HauntedPlaces.org, Spookfinder.
Some people report seeing a nurse hanging from a noose at a dorm window or near a lamppost. Source: HauntedPlaces.org, Spookfinder.
"Fred" the prankster Our creepiness rating 💀💀💀💀💀
A ghost nicknamed Fred is said to throw sheets and bedpans around. Source: HauntedPlaces.org.
A ghost nicknamed Fred is said to throw sheets and bedpans around. Source: HauntedPlaces.org.
The Ghost Hunters episode Our creepiness rating 💀💀💀💀💀
The TV show Ghost Hunters filmed here around 2006–07 and reported possible activity. Two former nurses from the hospital told the local paper they had never heard of any ghosts, and said "the only thing in those basements is heating pipes." Sources: Skagit Valley Herald, Cascadia Daily News.
The TV show Ghost Hunters filmed here around 2006–07 and reported possible activity. Two former nurses from the hospital told the local paper they had never heard of any ghosts, and said "the only thing in those basements is heating pipes." Sources: Skagit Valley Herald, Cascadia Daily News.
Then and now
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Public access
Partly open According to Skagit County, part of the former hospital grounds is the Northern State Recreation Area, a county open space with trails and fields, open dawn to dusk. The county's posted rules include: do not enter the historic structures, pets on leash, no overnight camping, no alcohol, no paintball. For directions and current hours, use the county's official page. Last checked: Oct 31, 2026.
The main hospital campus is owned by the Port of Skagit and is an active workplace (Wikipedia). We have not verified any public access to the campus from an official Port source, so treat it as private or restricted property — do not enter without permission.
Explore more
- More places in Sedro-Woolley and Washington
- More haunted & abandoned asylums
- More haunted & abandoned hospitals
- Nearby: Mount Baker Theatre (Bellingham, WA), Moran Mansion (Rosario) (Orcas Island, WA), Fort Casey (Whidbey Island, WA), Fort Ebey (Whidbey Island, WA)
⚠️ Please read: This information may be outdated and conditions change. Verify access with the owner or operator before you go. Spook Atlas does not encourage trespassing. Entering private, closed or condemned property can be illegal and dangerous. Report a correction.
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