A Potter's Field Becomes a Cemetery The Connecticut Valley Hospital Cemetery -

The burial ground for the unclaimed deceased patients of The Connecticut Valley State Hospital was active between 1878 through 1950. The small historically protected cemetery located in Middletown, Connecticut contains 1,686 numerical markers, each a life lost at the psychiatric hospital. Though the names of the interred remained private as per state law, 1999 brought a cemetery directory marker and the start of an annual memorial service to honor all who were laid to rest at the Connecticut Valley Hospital Cemetery, 100 at a time. An affirming statement of how community attitudes about mental illness have evolved, the ceremonies bestowed comfort and clarity to families of the deceased, some who suffered within the stigmatized mystery surrounding their ancestors. By 2015, each person buried on the grounds had received a blessing and dignified burial, finally.