If you have driven by the Osawatomie State Hospital recently, you may have noticed a building is missing. The Dejong Building, which has been sitting vacant and deteriorating since 2006, has been demolished. The building was constructed in 1903 and previously housed the SRS offices, now called the Kansas Department for Children and Families or DCF. Several people who worked in the building over the years gathered to watch the demolition Monday, August 14th, reminiscing about their time in the building. One thing that people have talked about for years is that the building was haunted. One former worker saying it was not unusual to be in the building late at night and hear footsteps above you when you knew no one else was in the building, or doors unexplainably locking and unlocking on their own.
The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services has designated other aging state hospital buildings for demolition as part of its five-year plan.
