7 Creepy Asylums In New York That Are Still Standing And Still Disturbing

The history of psychiatric hospitals and mental asylums in New York is a sad one. Unfortunately, in the past, understanding of mental health was not as advanced as it is today. Patients were most often institutionalized and segregated from society. The horrors that occurred at these asylums in New York were often unspeakable and would today be considered torture. Thankfully, modern society has moved towards kinder methods of dealing with the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill. Most of these institutions have been shut down. The buildings are large and difficult to fill with tenants, so they often remain abandoned. Check out a few of these abandoned asylums in New York.

1. Hart Island: The Bronx

Hart Island belongs on any list of creepy places in New York. It has a really tragic history, ranging from a Civil War prison camp, a tuberculosis hospital, a site for mass burials, and a jail. The Pavilion was a women's psychiatric institution that was constructed in 1885. It was announced last year that the city would soon tear down the old Pavilion buildings. Access to the island is limited, but you can find out more about the mass burial sites from the Hart Island Project.

2. Willard Psychiatric Center: Ovid

Willard's first patient arrived in 1869. Many of the people institutionalized there came from local homeless shelters. The hospital was nicer than many of the time. Patients had access to a bowling alley, and a movie theater, and even tended crops that were grown there. The hospital was closed in 1995 and most of the buildings are now left unused. Check out The Willard Suitcase Exhibit Online for a sad collection of photos of abandoned belongings from the patients at Willard.

3. Buffalo State Hospital: Buffalo

4. Hudson River State Hospital: Poughkeepsie

The Hudson River State Hospital was built in 1868. The hospital is absolutely massive and treated over 6,000 patients at its peak. The administrative buildings were finally shut down in 2001. Much of the structure was damaged by a fire in 2007. What remains standing is extremely dilapidated.

5. Letchworth Village: Thiells

6. Kings Park Psychiatric Hospital: Kings Park

Kings Park Psychiatric Center opened in 1885. This hospital suffered severe overcrowding and once held over 9,000 patients. Many of the buildings have been demolished since its closure in 1996, but a few remain standing.

7. Middletown State Homeopathic Hospital: Middletown

Creepy! How many of these closed mental institutions in New York did you know about?

Please note that while many of these New York insane asylums are still standing, they are not safe to enter, and doing so could result in trespassing charges.

If you are fascinated by seeing these abandoned asylums in New York, you are sure to enjoy this road trip to abandoned places in New York State. Just make sure to check out our road trip packing list first so you are sure to have all of the essentials.