| City/Town: • Yukon |
| Location Class: • Hospital • Residential |
| Built: • 1950's | Abandoned: • February 28th, 2004 |
| Status: • Demolished |
| Photojournalist: • Michael Schwarz • Mary Evans |
Many in Yukon, Oklahoma passed around several rumors as to the actual identity of the place. Some said it’s an insane asylum; some said it was a church. Many thrill seekers claimed to know exactly what it was, but then again, they only went at night and assumed the worst. In reality, after digging through old files and asking the next-door neighbors, I found out it was Cottonwood Manor, a nursing home for people with mentally challenged and physical disabilities for Yukon’s community. Once the health officials came in to “check” on how things were going, they found no one had been tested for tuberculosis among many other health problems. It was also a home for mentally disabled children at one time.
In 2001, the facility faced heated press about 2 patients that were abused and problems were found with “internal patient security and failures to provide nutritional support for residents with severe weight loss.” as stated by Jim Killackey (Staff writer for the Daily Oklahoman.) As a result of this abuse, Cottonwood was threatened with closure.
“We’ll fight this – absolutely.” Administrator Barbara Baker stated. “Our history has been that if there’s a problem, we are going to fix it. Every nursing home in Oklahoma has had deficiencies. We are following the letter of the law in trying to correct things.” “One resident kicked another client in the leg and threw a cup of spit at another” according to the Health Department during inspection.
“The Health Department survey, conducted June 25-27, also found deficiencies including untreated bedsores and unaddressed weight losses, inappropriate diets for patients, a lack of proper staff training, poor dental care, and residents exposing their genitalia and breasts. Because Cottonwood Manor residents aren’t bedfast, discoveries of pressure sores on the hips and elbows of some residents were particularly disturbing, health agency officials said.”
For years after, the nursing home had been at a loss of more than $20,000/month along with $250,000/month in government financial support. As a result the announcement of it’s official closing soon followed as stated in The Oklahoman on February 28th, 2004.
Shortly after, every patient was moved to various other nursing homes, and Cottonwood was left alone with no hope. A couple of years later, a minister bought the property in hopes of renovating it for use as a church. He even posted a “Resurrection Life Church” sign on the outside of the abandoned building. Of course, nothing happened, and many people saw the “Church idea” as a scam more than anything else.
The building now sits in the middle of Yukon vandalized and covered in unwanted graffiti. Even though most today want to have a thrilling experience there every year, the true history will hopefully not be forgotten.
Article by Photojournalist: Michael Schwarz
Update 2015: Cottonwood Manor has been demolished by the city.
Gallery Below of Cottonwood Manor
Bibliography:
Killackey, Jim. “State Orders Nursing Home Closed in Canadian County.” The Daily Oklahoman, 10 July 2001.
Killackey, Jim. “Cottonwood Manor to Close Doors Due to Financial Woes.” The Daily Oklahoman, 28 Feb. 2004.
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My great aunt who was deaf and developmentally handicap, stayed there. She only stayed a short time. Soon after she moved in, she was able to get out during a snow storm. The found her face down frozen to death in the snow in someone’s yard.
I worked there right after getting my degree in special education. It was despicable the way they treated the residents. My husbands uncle lived there( wasn’t married at the time) and he was physically raped continuous basis by his roommate and NOTHING was done.
My brother-in-law purchased this place several years ago and had it demolished. I took a video walkthrough. It’s on my youtube channel Fried Okla
I remember when I visit the compound back in winter of 2004 how sad people decided to destroy for the pleasure. One of the rooms I seen had bad feeling it had lot of Christ pictures.
My grandmother was a laundry attendant there for 20 plus years. We used to trick or treat there every year as kids. My grandma loved all the residents and they loved her too. I remember her favorite was a sweet man med Butch. RIP Grandma Maudie
i ues to work there at cotton wood i got locked in the clocet fore 30 mins
That place was the 1st job i had back in the day…the residents were great…its not haunted!
It had been closed for almost 4 years by the time Katrina hit, people from Louisiana came to Oklahoma as refugees and they were going to use the facility, I volunteered to clean the building up before the families moved in.
Then the neighborhood started a petition to stop the families from staying there…just like they got the place closed down.
I worked there in the kitchen. It was an intensive care unit for the mentally handicapped. Hurricane Katrina did not hit it. It’s in the middle of Oklahoma. Most of the patients were moved to other facilities due to to many people. It was only made for about 75 clients but there were nearly 200 there.
It was a home for grown adults with mental ailments such as downs syndrome. Never for the “criminally insane” it was shut down after a community vote and lack of funding. Then after hurricane Katrina it was cleaned up for displaced families but the neighbors started a boycott for that also, fearing that the type of people staying there would rob/ be bad for the neighborhood. It’s tucked away near Kimball Park on Holly Ave.
I worked at cottonwood for a short time in 1993-1994. That is where I got my CNA however never got a certificate. Definitely not a haunted place just people with disabilities.
This building has been torn down by order of the city of yukon. I live in Yukon and noticed it was gone about a year ago.
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I worked here in the kitchen I was a dietary cook I prepared their meals it was a home for mentally challenged people and some of the residence use to go to a work shop I remember one of them use to come in every morning and help me gather their lunch bags I had prepared for them to take . I also remember some very sweet residence i am sad to hear how things ended . I loved working there . My mother , father and grandmother all worked their . I will never forget the lessons I learned… Read more »
Cottonwood Manor Yukon, Oklahoma. 2016. Please kids don't go here if you plan to investigate for hauntings. My father worked here since until it was close and no he said it was not haunted one bit. There was no talk about ghost hauntings or anything around the staff. Every ghost story you hear are from people who don't work here and assume just because it's a hospital for the mental patients and disability doesn't mean it's guranteed haunted. If you stumble upon this page and read this, then I hope I save you time going there.
Just went there with friends to see if its scary and its bulldozed. The bulldozer is still out there with thr piles of rubble of thw building all around.
What is the address to this place ? I like to go check it out.
This building has been torn down by order of the city of yukon. I live in Yukon and noticed it was gone about a year ago.
I worked there when i was 17 around 1996
does anyone know who we can get permission from to investigate?
Does anyone know who owns Cottonwood Manor? Thanks
Does anyone know who owns Cottonwood Manor?