Ridge Home’s Legacy: Colorado’s Abandoned Mental Institution and Its Haunting

It seems that all too often, mental health facilities of the past are accompanied by horrific stories of abuse, neglect, mistreatment, and are typically said to be haunted by the ghosts of patients who fell victim to the harsh conditions.

Read More: Revealing The Troubling Past Of Colorado's Mental Health Institute |

According to numerous reports and urban legends, Colorado's now-closed Ridge Home carries a legacy that fits the above description, and while it is no longer around, the terrifying stories remain.

History of Colorado's Ridge Home

Ridge Home, also known as the Colorado State Home and Training School as well as the Home for Mental Defectives, first opened its doors at its location at I-70 and Kipling in the Denver suburb of Arvada in 1912.

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The institution eventually closed its doors for good in 1992, and most of the campus has been demolished, but not before collecting a variety of troubling tales over the years.

Troubling Stories from Colorado's Ridge Home

Over the years, numerous articles have been published about Ridge Home and its many alleged unsavory practices.

Some of these stories involve things like forced sterilization of its patients, a worker who allegedly bragged about abusing patients and was subsequently sent to prison, patients being forced to sit in a cage until they proved that they wouldn't act in a combative way, asbestos leaking from the ceiling, and more.

After closing its doors but prior to the majority of Ridge Home being demolished, the campus was allegedly haunted and served as a popular setting for teenage thrill seekers to go ghost hunting.

Learn more about the legacy of Colorado's Ridge Home and the alleged abuses that took place there here.