Katherine Anderson

New York Times bestselling author Nora Phillips has made a name for herself with her beloved Charlie Donoahue mystery series but all good things must come to an end. Or so Nora thought when she turned in her most recent manuscript, a departure from her usual cozy mysteries. Instead, her editor has unceremoniously rejected her work, leaving her with mere weeks to come up with another installment of Charlie Donahue before she's forced to pay back her hefty advance. The only problem is that Nora is suffering from a severe case of writer's block. In an effort to distract herself, Nora returns to her alma mater for a trip down memory lane but she gets a bit more than she bargained for when one of her former professors suggests she look into the college's most popular urban legend for inspiration.Nora begins to dig through the tale that's been passed through generations of Elms students: the story of Catherine, a student who had an illicit affair with a faculty member. When the dalliance ends, Catherine throws herself from the bell tower rather than face the consequences of the relationship. But did she really jump, or was she pushed? Is the college responsible for covering up a decades-old murder? Or is there something far more sinister lurking in the not-so-distant past? Teaming up with a current Elms student- an unlikely partner in crime- Nora finds herself immersed in the details of an unexpected crime that just might repeat itself if she doesn't solve it, and fast.

The Worcester State Hospital offered a novel and compelling promise: that insanity could be cured by humane treatment in a therapeutic setting. Patients would enjoy its idyllic landscape, genteel interiors, wholesome food supplied from its farm, and the individualized attention of medical professionals. The hospital's reputation as a model institution helped to position the city of Worcester as an economic center and pioneer in social reform. Yet overcrowding, insufficient funds, and the limitations of medical knowledge undermined the institution's mission, leading to the abandonment of its original features. Despite downsizing and decay, the Worcester State Hospital continues to exert a tangible presence on the landscape. Its iconic clock tower, salvaged from demolition, stands as a reminder of its historical legacy and of the continuing role of the site--now the Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital--in the treatment of mental illness.

In the first decade of the 20th century, the state of Massachusetts established itself as a leader in the education of individuals with disabilities. The third state school for the feebleminded was built in rural Belchertown, in the western part of the st

On the banks of Lake Chauncy sit the remains of the Westborough Insane Hospital, later known as Westborough State Hospital. Westborough is perhaps best known as the second homeopathic hospital for the insane in the United States and the first example of institutional reuse in the nation. The hospital's unique treatment methods put it squarely at the forefront of mental health treatment, and it was one of the last state hospitals in Massachusetts to close its doors. The pioneering African American pathologist Solomon Carter Fuller spent much of his career at Westborough studying the physical changes made to the brain by Alzheimer's. When it closed in 2010, it was the only state hospital in New England with a dedicated unit for deaf and hard of hearing patients. Though somewhat less infamous than some of its neighbors, Westborough holds a very distinctive place in the history of mental health treatment.

A collection of finely curated dark fiction.

Perched high on the top of Hathorne Hill in what was once the village of Salem, Danvers State Insane Asylum was, for more than a century, a monument to modern psychiatry and the myriad advances in mental health treatment. From the time it opened its doors in 1878 until they were shuttered for good in 1992, the asylum represented decades of reform, the physical embodiment of the heroic visions of Dorothea Dix and Thomas Story Kirkbride. It would stand abandoned until 2005, when demolition began. Along with a dedicated group of private citizens, the Danvers Historical Society fought to preserve the Kirkbride structure, an effort that would result in the reuse of the administration building and two additional wings. Danvers has earned a unique place in history; the shell of the original Kirkbride building still stands overlooking the town. Though it has been changed drastically, the asylum's story continues as do efforts to memorialize it.