jjmaccrimmon | Abandoned Places – Thousand Oaks

The Scary Dairy (Part 1 of 2)

No trip out to Ventura would be complete without including a stop at the former Camarillo State Hospital (for the Insane) Dairy ruins. Known more commonly as “the Scary Dairy,” the site has a reputation for being a party magnet and for being haunted.

Wide view

The Scary Dairy was the principal milk and butter supplier to the former mental hospital nearby. Contrary to popular belief, the dairy never employed any of the mentally ill or developmentally disabled people who’d lived in the nearby facility.

In fact, the dairy was run by the same family for over 40 years. When the hospital closed down in the 1980’s, their lease was terminated and the property was declared surplus.

While the State of California decided what to do with the facilities, the dairy became a magnet for parties and likely burned down as a result of one.

The site is still a haven for late night party people and the ‘occassional’ taggers.

In fact, as we drove up, we caught a college student from what is now California State University Camarillo adding to the multi-colored mayhem on the walls. We convinced him to leave peacefully by reminding him that some of the long-term residents here didn’t appreciate their business being defaced..

He hadn’t heard that the place was haunted.

The former dairy complex developed a reputation for being haunted when partiers would occasionally notice a dark silhouette in the halls or watching them through the windows.