If only the walls of abandoned places could talk, can you imagine the stories they would tell? Pittsburgh, and the surrounding area, lay claim to a fair share of abandoned places. Schools. Churches. A stretch of turnpike. This abandoned hospital near Pittsburgh also has its own story to tell.

The former Brownsville General Hospital sits abandoned less than an hour from downtown Pittsburgh.

Flickr/Forsaken Fotos

Construction on the hospital began in 1908, in an attempt to fill a desperate need in the Brownsville community.

Flickr/Dan Buczynski

Until that point, residents had to travel more than 30 miles to McKeesport or another town for hospital care.

Flickr/Forsaken Fotos

Travel in those days primarily consisted of taking a train or a boat, which meant a seriously sick individual faced a potentially rough journey to the hospital.

Flickr/Brook Ward

The community held fundraisers to help build the hospital. Although construction did not end until 1916, the hospital began admitting patients two years before that.

Flickr/Dan Buczynski

Brownsville General Hospital began a growth spurt. It added a surgical unit and a nurse’s home. An additional third floor was built in the early 1940’s.

Flickr/Brood Ward

All that growth left the hospital in quite a predicament by the early 1960’s. The hospital found itself at near capacity.

Flickr/Dan Buczynski

A new hospital opened in 1965. The old Brownsville Hospital found a new owner and reopened as the Golden Age Nursing Home.

Flickr/Forsaken Fotos

Stories of abuse and neglect of residents plagued the Golden Age Nursing Home, spurring a federal investigation in the early 1980’s.

Flickr/Dan Buczynski

The Golden Age Nursing Home permanently shut down in 1985.

Flickr/Brook Ward

Do you remember this abandoned hospital near Pittsburgh when it was open? Share your memories below! Click here to read about other abandoned spots in and near Pittsburgh.

Flickr/Forsaken Fotos

Flickr/Dan Buczynski

Flickr/Brook Ward

Flickr/Brood Ward

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