Sometimes research leads us in directions we didn’t even think about. Such as it
was with “The Hill”. We first found out about The Hill while doing research for the movie
project, then we began to get information from outside sources. First from a couple of
high school students who’d learned about The Hill from family members, then from
someone who’d lived in Canton at one time and had learned about The Hill from a
friend, then someone visiting family in the area heard about it and notified us. Four
verifications from four very different sources, all of different ages and walks of life.
Given the history of the asylum and what went on there, The Hill’s existence did not
come as a surprise, nor do I believe they were lying. The Asylum didn’t destroy just its
wards, it did a fairly good job destroying some of the families of those patients as well.
We have not attempted to find this location nor do we suggest that anybody try.
As it is understood, it’s on private property anyway and given what happened there, it’s
best to just leave it in the silence in which it sits. Just knowing that it is there adds to
the horror of what went on inside Hiawatha’s walls.
Somewhere to the northeast and several miles from the property where the
asylum once stood is a hill. At one time relatives of patients were camped on this hill,
waiting to see their loved ones. In being barred entrance to visit, these people, the
number undetermined, waited. And waited. And waited. And starved to death. They
were found and buried there, on the hill, in unmarked graves. Their families have no
clue what happened to them. Their loved ones inside the asylum had no idea they were
out there waiting.
We do not know the names of these people, nor do we know the patients they
were waiting to see, nor do we know the exact time that this happened. But given the
realities of the asylum and Dr. Hummer’s mentality, we have no problem believing that
this event took place. What we do know is that their deaths were kept a secret.
Whether by the landowners at the time, or Dr. Hummer, or some of his employees, or
possibly some city employees, although, given that the location is way outside city
limits, it’s probably unlikely the city officials at that time had an active part. The wrong
here is that once the word got around, again, nobody did anything anyway. If you’ve
read the history of the asylum you know that this was an active part of both Hummer and
the City of Canton’s modus operandi. Indians were an expendable commodity that could
be thrown away with little or no effort and in burying the Indians on The Hill, that’s
exactly what happened.
So The Hill remains alone and silent in its secret – another chapter in the Hiawatha
Asylum saga. Just as silent as the cemetery and its inhabitants.
was with “The Hill”. We first found out about The Hill while doing research for the movie
project, then we began to get information from outside sources. First from a couple of
high school students who’d learned about The Hill from family members, then from
someone who’d lived in Canton at one time and had learned about The Hill from a
friend, then someone visiting family in the area heard about it and notified us. Four
verifications from four very different sources, all of different ages and walks of life.
Given the history of the asylum and what went on there, The Hill’s existence did not
come as a surprise, nor do I believe they were lying. The Asylum didn’t destroy just its
wards, it did a fairly good job destroying some of the families of those patients as well.
We have not attempted to find this location nor do we suggest that anybody try.
As it is understood, it’s on private property anyway and given what happened there, it’s
best to just leave it in the silence in which it sits. Just knowing that it is there adds to
the horror of what went on inside Hiawatha’s walls.
Somewhere to the northeast and several miles from the property where the
asylum once stood is a hill. At one time relatives of patients were camped on this hill,
waiting to see their loved ones. In being barred entrance to visit, these people, the
number undetermined, waited. And waited. And waited. And starved to death. They
were found and buried there, on the hill, in unmarked graves. Their families have no
clue what happened to them. Their loved ones inside the asylum had no idea they were
out there waiting.
We do not know the names of these people, nor do we know the patients they
were waiting to see, nor do we know the exact time that this happened. But given the
realities of the asylum and Dr. Hummer’s mentality, we have no problem believing that
this event took place. What we do know is that their deaths were kept a secret.
Whether by the landowners at the time, or Dr. Hummer, or some of his employees, or
possibly some city employees, although, given that the location is way outside city
limits, it’s probably unlikely the city officials at that time had an active part. The wrong
here is that once the word got around, again, nobody did anything anyway. If you’ve
read the history of the asylum you know that this was an active part of both Hummer and
the City of Canton’s modus operandi. Indians were an expendable commodity that could
be thrown away with little or no effort and in burying the Indians on The Hill, that’s
exactly what happened.
So The Hill remains alone and silent in its secret – another chapter in the Hiawatha
Asylum saga. Just as silent as the cemetery and its inhabitants.
| "The Hill" |
