Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Loading...
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è Pasta... E Pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Our producer Manolo Morales would spend his final days perusing the shelves at Book Off.
Where Would You Go to Wait for the Apocalypse?
This event showcasing the bounty of the Traverse City region’s amazing agriculture, craft, and creativity culminates with a Grand Tasting on August 23.
The Atlas Obscura Guide to Traverse City’s Event Season
She’ll get you and your little dog too.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Explore Witch History Without the Kitsch?
How to Turn Your Road Trip Into a Nature Scavenger Hunt

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Washington Colfax St. Ignatius Hospital

St. Ignatius Hospital

An abandoned 19th-century hospital now swirling in ghost stories.

Colfax, Washington

Added By
Ashley
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
View of west turret   lorastorm / Atlas Obscura User
  amattice / Atlas Obscura User
hallway   colfaxdirector / Atlas Obscura User
  amattice / Atlas Obscura User
  amattice / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
Main Entrance   colfaxdirector / Atlas Obscura User
  amattice / Atlas Obscura User
  amattice / Atlas Obscura User
  amattice / Atlas Obscura User
  amattice / Atlas Obscura User
  amattice / Atlas Obscura User
11/2020   McCrisa / Atlas Obscura User
St. Ignatius Hospital   cyanidesiren / Atlas Obscura User
Hospital room   colfaxdirector / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

St. Ignatius Hospital was built in the 1890s by the Sisters of Charity nuns, led by Mother Joseph. It operated as a hospital from 1893-1964. During its early days, nurses treated patients in a wooden building on-site, as construction of the hospital wasn’t complete until 1894. The six-floor hospital was completed in 1894, and story has it that the terrazzo tile floors rarely had to be polished because the nuns' long skirts continually brushed the floors all day.

Financially, St. Ignatius Hospital relied exclusively on donations and payments from patients rather than government assistance. As time went by, this eventually created a financial struggle, leading to the hospital's closing in 1964.

The hospital was sold in 1968 and used as an assisted living facility until it was officially closed and abandoned in 2003. In 2015, the building was added to the Most Endangered Properties list. In 2021, St. Ignatius Hospital was purchased by Colfax residents and is now beginning historic renovation.

St. Ignatius is believed by some to be a haunted location, with the ghosts of former staff and patients reclaiming the halls.

Related Tags

Abandoned Hospitals

Know Before You Go

The building is currently undergoing renovations. The outside grounds are accessible and free to explore. Please do not attempt to unlawfully enter the hospital.

Tours are available every weekend year-round through the Colfax Chamber of Commerce.

Community Contributors

Added By

cyanidesiren

Edited By

lorastorm, colfaxdirector, McCrisa, amattice

  • lorastorm
  • colfaxdirector
  • McCrisa
  • amattice

Published

August 15, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://spokanehistorical.org/items/show/598
St. Ignatius Hospital
1009 S Mill St
Colfax, Washington, 99111
United States
46.871073, -117.363517
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Codger Pole

Colfax, Washington

miles away

Elberton Ghost Town

Garfield, Washington

miles away

The Junk Castle

Pullman, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Colfax

Colfax

Washington

Places 2

Nearby Places

The Codger Pole

Colfax, Washington

miles away

Elberton Ghost Town

Garfield, Washington

miles away

The Junk Castle

Pullman, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Colfax

Colfax

Washington

Places 2

Related Places

  • Argyll and Bute Hospital

    Lochgilphead, Scotland

    Argyll and Bute Hospital

    This ruins of an abandoned Victorian-era mental health facility.

  • The Isolation Hospital.

    Ghajnsielem, Malta

    Isolation Hospital

    This abandoned building, which is the second-largest structure on the Maltese island of Comino, has a complicated past.

  • Oranienburg, Germany

    Heilstätte Grabowsee

    This abandoned hospital has a long history, having housed both German and Soviet soldiers in the course of its life.

  • Granada, Nicaragua

    Abandoned Hospital San Juan de Dios

    The crumbling remains of a once-grand building.

  • Beechworth, Australia

    Beechworth Asylum

    This former psychiatric hospital was once one of the largest in Australia.

  • Musselburgh, Scotland

    Former Edenhall Hospital

    The abandoned buildings of a hospital that saw most of its activity during the World Wars.

  • The Dr. William F. McLaughlin Administration Building today.

    Waltham, Massachusetts

    Metropolitan State Hospital (MSH)

    Once the largest public hospital for the mentally ill was also surrounded by controversy.

  • Prestwich, England

    Irwell House Ruins

    This grand Georgian manor house was converted to serve as an isolation hospital before it was abandoned and destroyed.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.