Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital
In 1928, the State of New Jersey purchased 509 acres of land in Monmouth County for a public mental health facility. Initially known as Hillsdale asylum at Wickatunk", the Marlboro State Hospital opened its doors to patients in 1931. The grounds were compromised of Tudor style cottages that housed an average of 55 patients per building. What started as 17 buildings on 509 acres with a 500-800 patient capacity turned into 594 acres with a patient capacity of 2,000 plus. At its hight of overcrowding, the hospital saw around 3,300 patients in 1955.
Marlboro was a self-sustaining community, just as many of these institutions always were. The hospital featured its own kitchen, powerplant, laundry services, irrigation facilities, farmland, and more. A chapel was constructed on site with the expectation to service all religious types. All buildings were connected to each other by a maze of underground tunnels. The hospital also had two outreach programs; Bridgeway House and Discovery House. These were aimed at being able to integrate patients back into the community after their stay at the state hospital.
Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital may be one of Jersey's most controversial locations. The hospital regularly used selective sterilization (forcing one to undergo surgical sterilization) and eugenics practices. In 1937, the hospital began to experiment with injecting unsafe levels of insulin into patients to see if it "cured" their mental disease. In 1936, it was discovered the hospital was performing autopsies on all patients who died without consent from their family. In 1979, 131 patients and 2 staff members fell ill to food poisoning due to unclean kitchen conditions. 5 patients would later die from their complications from the illness. In 1976, the town of Marlboro was placed under a state of emergency due to an outstanding 650 patients, many violent offenders, escaping from the state hospital. Reports of sexual assault, physical abuse, and even murder began surfacing. Patients were dying at the hands of neglectful staff members and patient to patient sexual abuse was also reported.
The Hospital underwent a series of investigations, most famously the Codey investigation, that eventually led to its closure. In 1963, the Monmouth County Grand Jury concluded that the staff at Marlboro Psychiatric was highly inadequate. There were no staff or facilities to treat people who were committed sexual offenses and the hospital saw plenty of patients in response to these crimes. At this time, the doctor/patient ratio was 400 patients to one doctor. In 1965, the New Jersey Tenement House Commission investigated the conditions in just one of the cottages at the hospital. They found 272 bedridden patients on one floor, staff housed on another floor, no fire escapes, and only one stairwell in the entire building. the hospital was threatened its accreditation in 1987 due to an investigation that showed understaffing and a general insensitivity/mistreatment to the patients by staff members. It also showed that staff members were being hired without any background checks, causing a danger to patients. This prompted the famous undercover investigation by the then-senator Richard J Codey of West Orange NJ. He applied to work at the hospital using the ID of a convicted felon sex offender. He was immediately hired without a background check and assigned to one of the most notorious buildings for severely regressed patients. He found speechless and immobile patients in the basement level who were once murderers, rapists, and violent offenders. Everything came to light in the 1993 executive summary that cited the questionable activities going on at the hospital. In addition to the neglect and horrid conditions, it was also found that the hospital was guilty of multiple counts of fraud via medical and insurance payments. The hospital ultimate closed its doors for good in 1998.
After its abandonment, a local legend arose of a murderous farmer who occupied the former slaughterhouse on the property. The hospital was featured in Weird NJ and became the go-to place for sighting "shadow figures" and other supernatural events. Before demolition, the US Military preformed explosives training on the property. Demolition initially started with 8 of the cottages that were considered "problem areas" due to local trespassers. By 2013, the police were receiving at least 100 calls per year of trespassing on the property. It was then ordered for the remaining buildings to be taken down. By 2015, the entire complex was demolished with the exception of the powerplant and dining hall which are to be incorporated into the active water treatment plant on campus.
Read MoreMarlboro was a self-sustaining community, just as many of these institutions always were. The hospital featured its own kitchen, powerplant, laundry services, irrigation facilities, farmland, and more. A chapel was constructed on site with the expectation to service all religious types. All buildings were connected to each other by a maze of underground tunnels. The hospital also had two outreach programs; Bridgeway House and Discovery House. These were aimed at being able to integrate patients back into the community after their stay at the state hospital.
Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital may be one of Jersey's most controversial locations. The hospital regularly used selective sterilization (forcing one to undergo surgical sterilization) and eugenics practices. In 1937, the hospital began to experiment with injecting unsafe levels of insulin into patients to see if it "cured" their mental disease. In 1936, it was discovered the hospital was performing autopsies on all patients who died without consent from their family. In 1979, 131 patients and 2 staff members fell ill to food poisoning due to unclean kitchen conditions. 5 patients would later die from their complications from the illness. In 1976, the town of Marlboro was placed under a state of emergency due to an outstanding 650 patients, many violent offenders, escaping from the state hospital. Reports of sexual assault, physical abuse, and even murder began surfacing. Patients were dying at the hands of neglectful staff members and patient to patient sexual abuse was also reported.
The Hospital underwent a series of investigations, most famously the Codey investigation, that eventually led to its closure. In 1963, the Monmouth County Grand Jury concluded that the staff at Marlboro Psychiatric was highly inadequate. There were no staff or facilities to treat people who were committed sexual offenses and the hospital saw plenty of patients in response to these crimes. At this time, the doctor/patient ratio was 400 patients to one doctor. In 1965, the New Jersey Tenement House Commission investigated the conditions in just one of the cottages at the hospital. They found 272 bedridden patients on one floor, staff housed on another floor, no fire escapes, and only one stairwell in the entire building. the hospital was threatened its accreditation in 1987 due to an investigation that showed understaffing and a general insensitivity/mistreatment to the patients by staff members. It also showed that staff members were being hired without any background checks, causing a danger to patients. This prompted the famous undercover investigation by the then-senator Richard J Codey of West Orange NJ. He applied to work at the hospital using the ID of a convicted felon sex offender. He was immediately hired without a background check and assigned to one of the most notorious buildings for severely regressed patients. He found speechless and immobile patients in the basement level who were once murderers, rapists, and violent offenders. Everything came to light in the 1993 executive summary that cited the questionable activities going on at the hospital. In addition to the neglect and horrid conditions, it was also found that the hospital was guilty of multiple counts of fraud via medical and insurance payments. The hospital ultimate closed its doors for good in 1998.
After its abandonment, a local legend arose of a murderous farmer who occupied the former slaughterhouse on the property. The hospital was featured in Weird NJ and became the go-to place for sighting "shadow figures" and other supernatural events. Before demolition, the US Military preformed explosives training on the property. Demolition initially started with 8 of the cottages that were considered "problem areas" due to local trespassers. By 2013, the police were receiving at least 100 calls per year of trespassing on the property. It was then ordered for the remaining buildings to be taken down. By 2015, the entire complex was demolished with the exception of the powerplant and dining hall which are to be incorporated into the active water treatment plant on campus.
