This Suitcase Is One Of 400 Found At An Abandoned Asylum. What's Inside Is Truly Incredible

Willard Asylum for the Insane, located in New York, was built in 1869. Patients had an average stay of 30 years, and many who came to the hospital never left. Eventually the site was abandoned, until, in 1995, an incredible discovery was made in the attic…

Over 400 suitcases, each packed with the belongings of people who lived and died decades ago, were found. Each one is a tiny time capsule of the lives they lived before being committed to Willard Asylum. 

Many of these people had been abandoned by their families. When they died, they were buried in unmarked graves, and their belongings were packed away and forgotten. 

Many of these people had been abandoned by their families. When they died, they were buried in unmarked graves, and their belongings were packed away and forgotten. 

He said: "It's such compelling stuff. These people were essentially prisoners inside. Their families largely abandoned them. They gave them a suitcase and had them committed. Looking at these suitcases, you just get the idea that that these people really had lives outside before they went to Willard.” 

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