5,961 Comments for Kings Park Psychiatric Center

what ever you do dont walk towards the light..........

well a few people in the murral are now head less thanks to construction workers

ok ... mistery solved :)

http://cgi.ebay.com/NI...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

amazing capture ...

This makes me think of a nuclear holocaust.

Forced to leave by the NAACP???

The patients were released over a period of years mostly because of changes in federal policy. In an attempt to save money and in reponse to complaints of mistreatment, the Government (started under Reagan) began releasing patients who they felt could be maintaned with meds as opposed to custodial management (hospitals).

Many of these patients ended up on the streets as homeless when they (for one reason or another) stopped taking their meds.

Back again.

Re: Tour

It was posted on the Nissequogue River State Park web site but I don't see anything concerning upcoming events now. I'd call the park office by phone and ask.

The tour was given by a historian who is also a professor at Stonybook. There was a park employee who tagged along (to make sure no one stepped out of line I suppose).

The tour was fantasic. I suggest you try to go on one. You may have to call the park office and beg them to set up another tour. Ask to speak to the Supervisor/Manager. I've met him before (when I went kayaking at the NRSP) and he's a really nice guy.

He joked "We get more visitors to this park at night when it's closed than we do during the day when it's open."

Some other factoids from the tour. At it's peak there were about 150 biuldings in the hospital. About 75 remain.

There is a small section of the grounds that houses about 300 patients who still remain. At it's peak there were about 10,000 patients.

There is a "potter's field" on the grounds where deceased patients who had no relatives to claim the bodies (or wouldn't/couldn't claim them) them were burried. At it's peak an average of one patient died a day. All were autopsied. The morgue building is still standing.

There are several miles (7?) of undergound tunnels that zig-zag the grounds. They contain steam pipes and power lines from the power plant. All the buildings were heated from one central steam plant.

The initial patients build the first buildings themselves. They came from Brooklyn who had bought the property to build the hospital (hence "Kings" Park...ie. Kings Country). They lived in tents until the construction was finished.

The origional name was "King's Park Lunatic Farm, the patients worked on the farm growing vegetables. It was therapy.

Thank you Lynne re the soap dispenser site from Kings Park -- finally, the mystery has been cleared up.

are you still unsober?

Joe, thats not necesarily true. Escorted from the property is a lucky case. You see, the police have placed their transmitters and repeaters in and on the buildings, and over recent years, people have vandalized them. These cops dont really want to go through the building to repair the equipment, and will arrest nearly anyone, though I might add having a military ID card and a camera help avoid that!

Thanks for catching it! :)

If you think thats bad, imagine the legal fiasco if it came public knowledge the things that were left behind [that we just can't let you know about - Administration].

In the old days, the rail came right up to the building, though i forget which one. You know those concrete things they have on some LIRR stops? There's a rather large one where the train came to, though its been overtaken by vines and brush.

My apologies for my two comments regarding methods of entering the property, I did not read the disclaimer and am sorry for this violation.

If youre a slightly talented climber, or just really motivated, you can

[do things that we can't tell you about here - Administration]

Good luck with your Urban Exploring!