Explore the real-world places that appear in Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Dr. Finch's Victorian House, Smith College, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Northampton High School, Downtown Northampton and 5 more.
Prospect Street area — The chaotic Finch family home
This dilapidated Victorian mansion is where twelve-year-old Augusten is sent to live after his mother gives him to Dr. Finch. The house is in complete squalor with peeling wallpaper, rotting floors, and bizarre rules. The Christmas tree stays up until summer, family members eat Valium like candy, and there's an vintage electroshock therapy machine hidden under the stairs. Augusten shares this chaotic space with Dr. Finch's eccentric family including Hope, Natalie, and the unpredictable Agnes.
The Prospect Street area of Northampton features many Victorian-era homes built in the late 1800s during the city's industrial boom. These grand houses often housed wealthy mill owners and professionals.
The area remains a mix of well-maintained and deteriorating Victorian homes. Many have been converted to apartments or remain single-family residences, though none quite match the particular squalor described in Burroughs' memoir.
10 Elm Street — Where Augusten's mother studied poetry
Augusten's mother, Deirdre, attended Smith College and considered herself a poet in the tradition of Anne Sexton. Her literary pretensions and mental health struggles, cultivated during her time at this prestigious women's college, contribute to her decision to abandon conventional motherhood and give Augusten to Dr. Finch. The college represents her intellectual aspirations that clash with the reality of raising a child.
Founded in 1871, Smith College is one of the largest women's liberal arts colleges in the United States. It has long been known for its literary programs and has produced numerous notable writers and poets.
Smith College continues as a prestigious liberal arts institution with beautiful campus grounds open to the public. The college maintains strong programs in creative writing and literature.
Visit: Smith College Campus (landmark)
30 Locust Street — Local psychiatric treatment facility
This hospital represents the legitimate medical establishment that contrasts sharply with Dr. Finch's unconventional and often dangerous therapeutic methods. While Augusten's mother and the Finch family members receive various forms of psychiatric treatment, Dr. Finch's own practice operates outside normal medical standards, including his use of the electroshock therapy machine and his bizarre family therapy sessions.
Cooley Dickinson Hospital was founded in 1886 and has served the Pioneer Valley region for over a century. It has provided both general medical care and psychiatric services to the community.
The hospital continues to operate as a major medical center for the region, offering comprehensive healthcare services including modern psychiatric care and mental health programs.
380 Elm Street — The school Augusten rarely attends
Augusten is supposed to attend high school here, but under Dr. Finch's care, there are no rules about education. Augusten frequently skips school or doesn't attend at all, spending his time instead at the chaotic Finch house or wandering around town. His absence from formal education is part of the neglectful environment that allows him to mature too quickly while missing crucial developmental experiences.
Northampton High School has served the city's students since the early 1900s. The current building was constructed to serve the growing population of this college town.
The school continues to educate Northampton's high school students and maintains academic programs typical of a New England public school system.
Main Street commercial district
Young Augusten wanders through downtown Northampton, a college town where he encounters the normal world that contrasts with his bizarre living situation at the Finch house. He observes the regular rhythms of small-town life while feeling like an outsider due to his unconventional upbringing. The downtown area represents the conventional society from which he's been removed.
Northampton's downtown has been the commercial heart of the city since its founding in 1654. In the 1970s and 80s when Augusten lived there, it was a typical New England college town with local shops and businesses.
Downtown Northampton remains a vibrant area with bookstores, cafes, restaurants, and shops that cater to both Smith College students and local residents. It's known for its progressive culture and arts scene.
Visit: Downtown Northampton Historic District (historic site)
Behind Dr. Finch's house — Neil Bookman's residence
This ramshackle shed behind Dr. Finch's Victorian house is where Neil Bookman lives. Neil is significantly older than teenage Augusten but becomes his boyfriend in an inappropriate relationship that the adults in Augusten's life either ignore or encourage. The shed represents the complete lack of boundaries and protection that should exist for a child, as Augusten spends considerable time there in a relationship that would be illegal and harmful.
Many Victorian-era properties in Northampton included outbuildings and sheds that served as storage or workshops for the main house.
While the specific shed no longer exists, many older properties in the Prospect Street area still have various outbuildings typical of 19th-century residential lots.
Original family home before Dr. Finch
This is where Augusten lived with his mother Deirdre and father before his parents' marriage completely deteriorated and his mother's mental health declined. The house represents his last connection to a somewhat normal family life before being handed over to Dr. Finch. His mother's delusions of being a poet like Anne Sexton and her inability to cope with reality ultimately lead to Augusten's abandonment.
The residential neighborhoods around Northampton developed throughout the 20th century to house families drawn to the area by Smith College and local industry.
The area remains a quiet residential neighborhood with a mix of mid-century and older homes typical of a New England college town.
20 West Street — Northampton's public library
The library serves as one of the few stable, conventional institutions in Augusten's chaotic world. While living with the Finch family where there are no rules about education or normal childhood activities, places like the library represent the structured, safe world of learning and books that Augusten is largely cut off from during his unconventional adolescence.
Forbes Library opened in 1894 as Northampton's public library, funded by a bequest from Judge Charles Forbes. It has served as the community's primary library for over a century.
Forbes Library continues to operate as Northampton's main public library, offering traditional library services along with community programs and events in its historic building.
Visit: Forbes Library (library)
Professional psychiatric practice location
Dr. Finch maintains a psychiatric practice where he treats Augusten's mother and other patients with his highly unconventional methods. His practice blends legitimate therapy with bizarre personal philosophies and dangerous treatments. The office is where official therapy sessions occur, but the real 'treatment' happens at his chaotic home where boundaries between doctor and patient, adult and child completely dissolve.
Professional medical and psychiatric practices in Northampton have traditionally been located near the hospital and downtown area to serve both local residents and Smith College community.
The area continues to house various medical and mental health practices serving the Pioneer Valley region with modern, regulated therapeutic approaches.
Smith College campus — Scenic pond and walking area
This scenic spot near Smith College represents the beauty and tranquility that exists in Northampton, contrasting sharply with the chaos and dysfunction of Augusten's daily life at the Finch house. While other teenagers might enjoy normal activities like walking around the pond, Augusten's unconventional situation isolates him from typical adolescent experiences and the peaceful, ordered world the pond represents.
Paradise Pond was created in the 1890s as part of Smith College's landscape design. It has long been a popular spot for students and community members to walk, reflect, and enjoy nature.
Paradise Pond remains a beautiful feature of Smith College campus, popular with students, faculty, and visitors for walking, running, and relaxation.
Visit: Paradise Pond at Smith College (park)
More by Augusten Burroughs: All Augusten Burroughs books
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