HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
The on-grounds cemetery of Idaho's first state asylum (1886) — built beside a facility that survived a deadly 1889 fire and still maintains underground tunnels, including a stretch built in 1926.
Cromwell Lane at Seefried Lane, Blackfoot, ID 83221
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Active state psychiatric facility. Campus access is restricted. Drive-by exterior and publicly accessible areas only.
Access
Accessibility not stated
Active hospital campus with restricted access.
Equipment
Photos OK
Idaho's first state psychiatric institution, opened 1886 · 1889 fire destroyed the main hospital building and killed 26 men and women · Tunnels built from the boiler to the hospital buildings as part of a 1926 laundry project · On-grounds patient cemetery developed in 1889, with recorded burials from 1890 to 1981 · Active state psychiatric facility — Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
Idaho's first state psychiatric institution opened in 1886 in Blackfoot as the Idaho State Insane Asylum. The facility was established to serve the territory's growing population after Idaho achieved territorial status in 1863, with statehood following in 1890.
In 1889, just three years after opening, a fire destroyed the main hospital building. The hospital's own institutional history records the toll as 26 men and women. The 1889 fire is the most significant early event in the facility's documented history.
In 1926, the hospital built a new laundry with a 200-horsepower boiler and 525 feet of tunnels running from the boiler to the buildings. The on-grounds patient cemetery was developed in 1889; its first recorded burial was in 1890 and its last recorded burial was in 1981.
The institution has operated under various names over its history and is currently Idaho State Hospital South, an active state psychiatric facility under the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The 2026 East Idaho News feature on the facility's history confirms the 1886 opening, the 1889 fire, and the tunnel system as documented features of the campus.
Sources
Idaho State Hospital South has accumulated a ghost reputation that the East Idaho News examined in a 2026 feature headlined 'Fact or Folklore: Is State Hospital South Haunted?' — a piece that documented local paranormal claims against the facility's historical record.
The reported phenomena are specific and recurring: rocking chairs moving without being touched, toys rolling on their own (attributed in local lore to the spirits of children or young patients), and sounds described as eerie noises near the patient cemetery at night. The Idaho Haunted Houses site, which compiles local dark-tourism data, documents the cemetery specifically as the focus of paranormal activity reports.
The Broncwriter student newspaper piece on the facility's history provides the institutional context: the 1886 opening, the campus's development, and the tunnel system. The 1889 fire, which the hospital's institutional history says killed 26 men and women, is frequently cited in the lore as the seed event.
Because the hospital remains active, the cemetery and campus are not accessible to outside visitors for investigation. The paranormal accounts are drawn from local tradition and dark-history coverage rather than verified firsthand documentation.
The Idaho State Hospital South campus includes a patient cemetery and tunnels, 525 feet of which were built in 1926. The campus is an active state psychiatric facility; visitors may view exteriors from public roads only.
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