No Plans For 2016 Willard Asylum Tour

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Statement on the Willard Tour

First, I want to clarify that I have no affiliation with the Willard Tour or its organizers, nor am I a spokesperson for the event. However, I've been notified by the Executive Director of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Child Care Center that there will not be a tour of the former Willard Asylum for the Insane this year.

I first became interested in Willard back in 2014 after reading What She Left Behind. The asylum, which closed in 1995, sits on a 425-acre campus along Seneca Lake. Many of its historic buildings are vacant or condemned, while part of the property now serves as a New York State Department of Corrections rehabilitation facility-meaning the grounds are typically off-limits to the public. While researching Willard, I learned that once a year, the state had permitted limited historical tours of the site.

My mother and I attended the 2014 tour and had an incredible morning exploring the grounds with a wonderful group of people. I later shared our experience in a series of blog posts, never expecting the level of interest they'd generate. Throughout 2014, I received many messages asking when the next tour would be-and I passed along details whenever I could.

By 2015, however, word had spread widely on social media. What had once drawn a few hundred visitors suddenly attracted an estimated 2,500 people. The sheer turnout completely overwhelmed organizers. Roads leading to Willard were eventually shut down by state troopers, and the tour was canceled mid-event. Organizers did their best to accommodate visitors, but many had to be turned away.

It was a stark contrast to the calm, reflective experience I'd had the previous year. No one could have anticipated such an enormous response.

So, while the news that there will be no tour this year isn't entirely surprising, it's still disappointing. For many of us who value Willard's complex history, those rare opportunities to step onto the grounds have always been deeply meaningful.