St Vincent’s Hospital was opened in 1945 as a mental asylum housing men only. It wasn’t until the 1960s that rumors of murders within the asylum began to circulate. The first known killing happened when one of the nursing staff suffocated two patients for no apparent reason. There were many more murders over the years right up until the hospital closed its doors in the 1980s. The property is now considered to be one of the most haunted places in Oklahoma City thanks to the presence of various spirits who are thought to be the tortured souls of some of the asylum’s former patients. The property is private and cannot be entered without permission, but several paranormal investigation groups have been granted access and have managed to capture some very compelling evidence. Some of these investigators believe that the asylum is inhabited by a demonic force, but it is one that has apparently been there since before the hospital was closed down. It is even thought to have driven both staff and patients insane, which could actually explain the spate of murders!
St. Vincent’s Home was operated by the Brothers of Mercy and was built in 1945. The nursing order of Catholic brothers moved to the present location and built the ‘old’ section of the building in 1953. The addition was built using a grant from Hill-Burton. St. Vincent’s takes male patients only. In 1957, patients ranged from a 7 year old boy, and a 90 year old man. The addition added several semi-private rooms with connecting baths, a lounge on each floor, nurses stations, and a chapel.
The home has had it’s share of tragic endings and in 1962, a nurse brutally suffocated two patients, simply for the thrill of it, but the charges were later dropped because the man had schizophrenia. In 1988, Rev. Richard Frank Dolan, who founded the Main Artery (an alcoholics living center at the location) was found murdered in his apartment. And in 1983, a man who lived at the home was shot and killed in Norman.
Rev. Richard Frank Dolan also holds an interesting past. He was arrested for soliciting prostitution in 1984 when he approached a male undercover officer for sex. He also was known to hire men to work for him at a flea market on 10th and Penn in OKC. He was also the center of controversy within the church for his involvement in multiple bingo halls in the city. The investigation into his mysterious death lead police to Colorado where a friend of the priest confessed that this wasn’t the first attack on Dolan. He had a history of attacks and confrontations. There was an arrest made in his murder, however the suspect was released due to inconsistent evidence. To this day, his death remains unsolved.
The building still stands today, but all windows are gone, and trash is everywhere.