Cambridge State Hospital

10/18/2026

Did you know that there was a chapel in the basement of the infirmary? It closed in the 1970s, and the pews and other parts of it were auctioned off. I happen to buy one of the pews, which was probably twice as long as it shows here. I shortened it so it would fit better in the house. As a point of interest, the chapel just happened to be next to the morgue. 

10/18/2026

I got over 350 reactions on my posts last week! Thanks everyone for your support! 🎉

09/30/2026

This is the photograph that was just hung at the Isanti County Historical Society building. A big thank you to Sam Klocksien, the director, for his ongoing support and assistance with this little project. I'm sure we will be working with him a lot more as we continue to work on the book about history of Cambridge State Hospital.

09/29/2026

A NEW DISPLAY JUST WENT UP AT THE ISANTI COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. IT IS A LARGE VINTAGE PHOTO OF THE STATE HOSPITAL, ALONG WITH A PLAQUE THAT EXPLAINS THAT THE LAMP POSTS AT THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY WERE DONATED BY THAT FACILITY.

HELPING GET THIS ALL TOGETHER WERE REBECCA KERKOW, MITCH BECKER, AND ROGER ANDERSON. The plaque says the following:

THE FOUR LAMPPOSTS HERE IN FRONT OF THE HISTURIGAL SOCIETY WERE ORIGINALLY LOCATED AT THE STATE FACILITY IN CAMBRIDGE, WHICH OPERATED UNDER THE FOLLOWING NAMES:
MINNESOTA COLONY FOR EPILEPTICS
1925-1949
CAMBRIDGE STATE SCHOOL AND HOSPITAL 1949-1967
CAMBRIDGE STATE HOSPITAL
1967-1985
CAMBRIDGE REGIONAL CENTER
1985-2002
MINNESOTA EXTENDED TREATMENT OPTIONS (METO)
1997-2014

PEAK POPULATION: IN 1961 THE FACILITY HOUSED 2,010 RESIDENTS

09/09/2026

Yvonne Lind and Roger Anderson, circa 1980

08/27/2026

Did you work at Cambridge State Hospital, and have experiences and/or information that you feel should be documented, perhaps in a book? As many of you know, I (Roger Anderson) have been collecting information/anecdotes/photos for the last couple of decades in anticipation of putting together a book about the Cambridge State Hospital.

If you have information and experience that you would like to share, I would love to hear it. You can either text me (763-670-6128), message me on Facebook Messenger, or we could meet in person and document your information on video.

Lastly,if you have photos or documents, you can either email me at “[email protected]” or make arrangements to mail them to me.

Thanks!
Roger

PS: I would advise copying and pasting this information so that you can find it again! 

08/12/2026

07/09/2026

Circa 1956

01/10/2026

Wendell Peterson passed away.

Wendell Peterson, age 91, of Isanti passed away November 25, 2025 at home with family by his side. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, December 6th at Strike Life Tributes in Isanti. A time for visiting will be held one hour prior to the service and a light lunch will follow.

09/27/2025

Jim Clough passed away.

James R. Clough, 86, of Cambridge, MN, passed away on Sunday, September 21, 2025, at his home.