The St. Ignatius Hospital, in Colfax, Washington, came to life from the vision of Rev. Jachern, in 1892, a Roman Catholic priest, because he recognized the need for the area.
The construction of St. Ignatius Hospital began on April 17, 1893, completed, and opened to the public, in 1894, additions made in 1917 and 1928.
Without government assistance, relying on private donations and what patients could afford to pay made it difficult for St. Ignatius Hospital to make needed upgrades.
St. Ignatius Hospital faced closure by the state and declining on the number of patients.
On August of 1964, the administration decided to close the Hospital.
Consequently, St. Ignatius Hospital became St. Ignatius Manor, an assisted living facility until it closed in 2003.
Therefore, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation added St. Ignatius Hospital to their 2015 Most Endangered Properties list.
St. Ignatius Hospital Paranormal Activity
Paranormal teams and tour guides spent a large amount of time investigating the building.
They claim the day hours seemed the most active.
Full-figured dark shadows, the sound of children giggling, footsteps, disembodied voices and slamming doors when no one else was in the building happens almost on a daily basis.
St. Ignatius Hospital Ghosts
Crushed to death between two railroad cars, F. E. Martin is the St. Ignatius Hospital’s first fatality, died in 1893.
Ghost hunters investigators identified Martin as one of the first spirits to haunted the St. Ignatius Hospital’s halls.
A good number of rooms from the hospital received names by the Paranormal Investigators.
Consequently, Rose’s Room, The Children’s Room and Dave’s Room to mention some are places of high paranormal activity.
Some guides and tourists refuse to enter Rose’s room because of the eerie feelings that accompany it.
On the time of the assisting living facility, Rose was well-known patient.
As a result of her aggressive behavior towards other patients and staff, they were forced to let her go.
A psychic brought to St. Ignatius Hospital by a Paranormal Group reported information on how former patients probably passed away in certain rooms.
Since in possession of the original death records, going back to 1893, Tour Guides could confirm the psychic claims.
The same psychic stopped at a room entrance, turned and smiled to the tour guide and informed that she was born in that room.
This was not public information but confirmed by the tour guide.
Left is Dead Hallway
Not including the basement, the hospital has five floors.
On the first floor was the entrance to the hallway where the patients entered the emergency room.
Patients considered treatable were taken to the right and an elevator would go up to surgery.
If they were taken left, their injuries or illnesses were considered too serious to treat and the elevator would go directly to the morgue.
Because of that, the hallway was labeled as “Left is Dead.”
Resource
- Colfax’s haunted hospital proves fear is lucrative – by Jennifer K Bauer
- A look inside St. Ignatius haunted hospital in Colfax
- Beautiful in its decay – by Rebecca White
- St. Ignatius Hospital – A Haunted Hospital in the Palouse? – by Spokane Historical