Located in the Dix Hills area (West Brentwood) of western Long Island, New York, Pilgrim State Hospital was created by the Legislature in 1929 and named for Dr. Charles W. Pilgrim, commissioner of mental health in the early 1900s. It opened on 825 acres with 100 patients transferred from Central Islip. Nine months later it had 2,018 patients. By 1935, it housed nearly 9,000 patients. The peak census was in 1954, with 13,875 patients. At times, Pilgrim had been the world's largest mental hospital. As of 1999, the Pilgrim campus contained 75 structures.

http://www.rootsweb.an...ilgrim_ny/index.html

Not 15,000 patients and my guess is it was not designed for so large a group. The mental hospital where I volunteer was built for 300 and had 2600 at its overcrowded maximum. Just warehousing imo, no longer a hospital or an asylum.

Thanks for the wonderful gallery, Mr Motts! Everyone kind of beat me to the punch here, but I'd also like to say that you were sorely missed and that I hope all is well :)

It's strange and a little unsettling that they just leave old records in these buildings. Isn't there some kind of privacy protection law against that? I

Creepy and beautiful at the same time.....I love the shadows in this shot, too.

The soap dispenser is also a nice touch :)

Welcome back, Motts! So glad to see a new gallery! :)

Hi! Just thought I'd chime in :)

I think Motts was on the right track about the power system being connected throughout the buildings. My father is an engineer and frequently works for psychiatric centers throughout New York State (his biggest job thus far was at Pilgrim, I believe--he designed their power plant). Several years ago, although he doesn't exactly remember when, my dad did some work for Letchworth Village, or at least the buildings that were still operational at the time. He mentioned having to go through the abandoned buildings to look at the plumbing and electrical systems, because apparently they're still connected to the rest of the campus. I would imagine that's why the light was on here.

This was several years ago, though, and even my dad doesn't remember the specifics of the job, so please don't hold me to that. I hope I was able to help at all :)

I'm new to the site, and after weeks of browsing through Motts' awesome galleries, I finally understand the meaning of the soap dispenser joke! All of those comments seem infinitely funnier now! :D

PS-- I probably would've thought it was a light too, Motts :)

I've explored Kings Park several times, although yesterday I made a special trip to the campus after seeing these pictures. I was determined to find and photograph this adorable little trike. Unfortunately, when I found the playground the trike was gone :( Thanks for posting these pictures, though, Motts! At least I saw the trike indirectly!

this is completely gone now...some dumb kids set this room on fire and other people stole the pieces of the fireplace

fun fact, the material of the side of the stairs that looks like marble as well, is just thick wooden panels painted to look that way. got a tour today

This picture makes me want to stand under the sky where this building once stood and imagine it around me, the clank of machinery and the echoing voices crashing like thunder. For a few seconds I'd feel these people's lives and become the ghost instead.

And when I open my eyes again, all that'll be left is the gentle rustling of the grass.

It is astounding how one piece of land can go through so many changes in so few years.

i know this might sound sorta weird,but i'm 9.my dad told me about this place.i'm way too young to go exploring here, but once my family drove past the enchanted forest.one time,my family was up in bedford(yes,it's near gravity hill!),and we stopped at a place and it had a small wooded area but it was closed off.it had the 7 dwarfs mine,a huge pumpkin,etc. two words for everywhere on this site:LEAD PAINT.

People who say stupid things and make comments about this place do not realize what went on behind closed doors. You are sick and disgusting people if you can look at these photos and laugh or think this place is "sweet" Take it from someone who knows a survivor of Pennhurst who can live to tell you the horror they went through. It is far from sweet. In no way should any person be treated the way these individuals were, and there is no excuse what so ever for our society to justify the living hell these people went through!

So before you go and talk your smart comments and make your jokes read the stories, do the research and put yourself in their shoes. Not so funny anymore is it???

Yet another perfect hallway shot.

That playground is part of a building owned by Cardinal Hayes Home for Children. It was once a nursery school, then part of the Cardinal Hayes School, and now belongs to the work program for Cardinal Hayes. The college is interesting to look at while we work, and it's impossible to go in there now to explore because some kids were caught trying to set it on fire. Now we see patrol cars there constantly.

danzamiami, please research before you make accusations such as this. that is a severe and extreme statement, and it is not true. or at least not wholly true. i have done extensive unbiased reseach on the history of pennhurst and have concluded that the nurses were doing the best they could with the situation presented. their dedication and love for the residents was evident. yes, their was abuse. but it was because of how many residents there were to how few nurses and staff. the most accurate ratio ive obtained was 48 residents to 3 staff. now imagine trying to teach, love, and form relationships with 48 residents that had severe disabilities. this is unreasonable and an unobtainable goal. it was a matter of controlling the residents and trying to prevent injuries/ harm. oftentimes when a resident became violent, muffs were necessary, to prevent them from hurting themselves, the nurses and the other clients on the ward. please understand that the nurses and staff were dealing with something that the public refused to acknowledge was there. who are we to judge these courageous, dedicated people?

Such a sad place with such a sad history.
This was a diaster from begining to end.
Too bad for the souls who are still trapped there.

It's not the volts that "light you up" it's the amps.

Yey, Silent Hill 3 Reference!

I thought I saw an arm in the right window -- creepy!

The colors are amazing. I love how the red and pink sort of blend together.

Valtiel would love to get his hands on those.

Wonder what they'd do if you tried turning them.

A friend and I were there recently and after listening to the recordings we took we heard screams in the background that we only heard on the tapes and not when we were there.

TRUE STORY!!!!!

I am a skeptic when it comes to ghosts or paranormal activity. I believe there is an explanation for everything. Well, I've been to that building a few times, going in only once in 2000.

I went into the building with a friend of mine who is a very big guy and is afraid of NOTHING. We saw writing on the walls, patient beds all over the place. We saw chairs that had devices on them that looked like shock therapy...I'm not an expert so I can't say for sure. We walked up about 4 flights of stairs and we began to hear what appeared to be scratching noises on the floor above us. We both thought it could have been rats or raccoons, but what happened next changed my thoughts on ghosts. We heard heavy breathing for a second or two followed by the loudest female scream I have ever heard. I kid you not, this wasn't something caught on an EVP or anything like that...this was a scream as if someone was getting murdered. I was terrified and looked at my buddy...he turned to me out of breath and said "Oh f*ck, RUN!". I jumped down every flight of stairs and ran out the building through the side window we entered. We met friends of ours outside who were waiting for us and they were like "WTF was that noise in there", so we knew we weren't the only ones who heard it.

A few months later another one of my friends wanted to see the building. I told him I would take him to see it but that I wasn't going anywhere close to it nor inside it. Well, we got about 75 yards away when we both heard a loud bang from the inside of the building. Sounded like someone hit the bass drum up there as loud as they could. We crouched down in fear and waiting 5 minutes before proceeding. As soon as we took another few steps, we heard the bang again. Needless to say we turned around and hightailed it out of there.

I grew up in that area and know first hand the rumors and stories associated with this place. I can also tell you first hand that I have heard things and felt things in there that are definitely not friendly. The Kings Park Insane Assylum is a terrifying place and is definitely a haunted spot. If you're crazy enough to go inside, I suggest you proceed with extreme caution.

I don't know if this site is still active or not but i am a student doing an internship at a mental health facility. I was just informed that many of our clients lived through Penhurst so i decided to do some research and came accross this site. My heart is breaking for all of the Penhurst clients who had negative experiences however i am so thankful for those who worked hard in keeping the clients happy and alive. Many of clients are doing very well and are now Happy. I of course am only speaking for the clients that i have worked with but they seem Happy!!