I should preface this with the fact that I explored this former psychiatric hospital over a decade ago, and I think, in the subsequent years, it has since been torn down.
Years ago, a friend in New Jersey told me about an abandoned psychiatric hospital. She would share stories about her high school days, breaking into the grounds to walk around. The hospital had a reputation of being haunted — so much so that an early 2010s Ghost Hunting Show (remember how there were a number of those?) did an episode on said hospital. When I went to visit her, and another friend who was visiting New York from London, I knew I had to spend a day checking this place out.
The grounds are not as eerie as I had thought they would be — granted, we were there during the day. Yes, there is definitely an abandoned feel. The clichéd signs of a building that’s been neglected can be seen everywhere—overgrown weeds around the grounds, doors left open or off their hinges, and a silence that permeates the air. But at the same time, there’s a slightly calming quality to the grounds.
Inside is a different story.
Old paperwork is strewn about the flooring and there is a distinct rotting smell. Walking past reception areas, it looks like everything was tossed about. An office chair lies on its side, as though an administrator just jumped up from their seat and ran off. Common areas tell a similar story — a table remains in one room, with peeling vinyl and leftover board games. Walking past former patient rooms, I can clearly see the bed frames left behind, a few of them with restraints still attached.
The creaks of the flooring and the wind blowing through some of the open windows cause our imaginations to go into overdrive. At times it feels like whispers that we can’t quite make out, or feels like someone is following us, even though we know we are the only people around. It doesn’t take much to believe the rumors that the hospital is haunted.