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Reported phenomena — as catalogued
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Founded 1893 by the Sisters of Providence in Colfax, Washington, abandoned by 2003 and now open for paid paranormal tours — featured on Ghost Adventures and Ghost Files, with F.E. Martin's 1893 death documented as the first patient fatality.
1099 S Mill St, Colfax, WA 99111
Research updated June 2026
Age
18+
Cost
$$$
Ticketed day tours, ghost hunts, and private overnight investigations available.
Access
Limited Access
Multi-story abandoned hospital building; uneven floors, no elevator service.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1893 · Founded by the Sisters of Providence in 1893 as the first hospital in Whitman County · Operated continuously from 1894 to 1964, serving rural eastern Washington farming communities · Transitioned from hospital to assisted living after 1968, vacant from approximately 2000 · Public paranormal tours launched 2015 as part of a preservation and community revitalization effort
The Sisters of Providence arrived in Colfax, Washington in 1892 and began construction of St. Ignatius Hospital the following year. The cornerstone was laid June 1893 and the brick building was completed in 1894. In its first 18 months, the hospital treated 145 patients through a sliding-fee structure that allowed those without means to receive care through labor or produce. By 1908 the hospital had achieved financial independence and added an elevator and new wings; a successful cesarean section in 1915 — then a high-risk procedure — brought regional attention to the facility's capabilities.
Expansions continued through 1929. By 1964, evolving state licensing requirements made continued operation untenable, and the Sisters applied for a Hill-Burton grant along with private donations to fund a new facility. The new Whitman Community Hospital opened in November 1968. The original St. Ignatius building transitioned into assisted living for disabled adults, operating in that capacity until approximately 2000, when the building was vacated.
Beginning in 2015, new operators opened the building for public paranormal tours, earning over $30,000 in the first two years. The building's owners and advocates have also organized preservation efforts through stignatiuscolfax.com, documenting the structure's architectural and historical significance to the Palouse region.
Sources
Spokane Historical and Wikipedia both document the death of F.E. Martin, identified as the hospital's first patient fatality in 1893, after he was crushed between railroad cars. Martin's case is the most historically documented death associated with the building; subsequent patient deaths over seven decades of operation are not individually catalogued in available sources.
The building's paranormal reputation was established before the 2015 tours. Visitors and staff reported cold spots in the patient wards, disembodied voices in the basement, and the sensation of being watched or touched in the surgical wing. These reports were consistent enough that operators initially suspended tourist interactions due to the intensity of reported activity, according to Newsweek's coverage of the Ghost Adventures filming.
Ghost Adventures (Travel Channel) filmed at the hospital and the episode claimed to present 'authentic' evidence of paranormal phenomena; the Spokesman-Review's coverage of the filming reported community skepticism alongside excitement. Watcher Entertainment's Ghost Files series also filmed at St. Ignatius. The two programs represent the building's highest-profile media exposure and contributed to bookings filling months in advance during the Halloween season. The hospital was earning $30,000 annually from tours within its first two years of operation, according to NWPB reporting from 2024.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Guided daytime tour of the abandoned 1893 hospital building, covering documented patient history, the building's transition from hospital to assisted living to abandoned structure, and the reported paranormal activity.
Evening and private overnight paranormal investigations of the hospital, the same building explored by Ghost Adventures and Ghost Files crews. Multiple packages available ranging from group hunts to private multi-hour sessions.
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