Old Koch Hospital Site - South St. Louis County (Oakville: houses, live)

[jskirwin]

Does anyone have any stories about this place? I've written about it here The Razor » Blog Archive » A Haunted Place and wonder if anyone has more information on the site.

I think it deserves to become a park but currently a quarry owns it. Considering that upwards of 18,000 people might be buried in mass graves, it deserves better.

[Sahtzie]

In 1978 or 79 the female students from the 7th and 8th grade classes at St. Bernadette's visited the hospital as part of a charitable organization called the "Louisettes." We went to visit the patients and "bring them cheer." It was a most frightening experience for a bunch of young girls that had never seen nor were prepared to see such a run-down, stench-filled, "creepy" place with patients who were clearly mentally unstable and many left in hallways. These poor souls were lying in contraptions that looked primitive and had to have been 100 years old. I can vividly remember entering through a basement that was more like a damp tunnel or dungeon with seperate rooms with prison-like gates.

[latetotheparty]

Originally Posted by jskirwin

Does anyone have any stories about this place? I've written about it here The Razor » Blog Archive » A Haunted Place and wonder if anyone has more information on the site.

I think it deserves to become a park but currently a quarry owns it. Considering that upwards of 18,000 people might be buried in mass graves, it deserves better.

just read your blog and the comments that follow.....

FASCINATING!!

[MLDUCKWO]

Hi everyone.

I lived at the corner of Koch and Hickory Hill from 1957 through 1980 (except for 4 years in the Navy). I spent most daylight hours traipsing around the woods and hospital grounds - exploring the medical dump, trapping squirrels, building forts and tree houses, roaming the hospital and talking to the inmates, I mean patients.

I played pool there, bought cheap cigarettes from the vending machines and even ventured through the abandoned "Old priest's house" a few times. One of my firiends (briefly) was the son of a doctor and the whole family lived in the hospital. I got to see parts of the hospital I didn't know existed! While I don't have memories of anything haunted, I do remember the times with fondness.

Playing baseball and football on the extensive fields around the hospital was great. Going over to the quarry and jumping off the cliff into piles of sand was exciting. Of course, we could only do that on Sunday's until the guards heard us having fun and ran us off. We built bonfires in the winter, crawled around the sinkholes and caves in the summer to cool off, wandered through the creek all the way to the river, and more!

It's a shame the hospital is no longer. The quarry doesn't use the grounds, just the minerals underneath. I think it would be fantastic to designate the top as a park and/or memorial. Trails and some history kiosks would be wonderful as well.

I live across the country now, but enjoy remembering my youth. The blogs and links were very interesting. Keep them coming!

[jskirwin]

Bump...
I'm looking to collect stories about Koch Hospital in the comments section of my blog. Recently several people have posted, adding a fresh perspective to this forgotten site. If you have any memories, please share them in the comments section here: A Haunted Place

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by jskirwin

Bump...
I'm looking to collect stories about Koch Hospital in the comments section of my blog. Recently several people have posted, adding a fresh perspective to this forgotten site. If you have any memories, please share them in the comments section here: A Haunted Place

I'm surprised I've never heard of Koch Hospital since I've lived in St. Louis my entire life, but was a fascinating history. And the stories on the blog are a bit creepy.

[pdm_ad]

I grew up in Oakville and everyone talked about it down here. There were a lot of stories about it, many untrue, and it was one of those place to go to when you were a teen looking for thrills with your friends.

One of the stories I remember was that the complex had become a womens penitentiary for a few years in the Eighties. We used to have soccer practice at Bussen Field (who is the quarry owner)and we would joke about the caged heat locked up nearby.

[jskirwin]

I don't believe it ever was a penitentiary, but the place does allow one's imagination to go wild. Thanks!