Kings Park

1/28/2021

Kings Park was created in 1885 and was closed 111 years after. Kings park was originally in brooklyn but with overcrowding, the superintendent Dr. Shaw decided to purchase over 800 acres of land for a new psychiatric hospital with the farm colony layout. Dr.Shaw believed that this new bigger hospital their would be a better chance at the patients recovering from their mental illness. It first started with three "cottages" for 23 females and 32 males but then grew to 200 patients. Patients got jobs on the farms like, clearing the land for the farms and to build more cottages. Soon the hospital would have 150 buildings serving patients up to 10,000 patients at the height of the hospital. The town completely depended and revolved around the psychiatric center because it offered so many jobs. When psychiatric drugs started to be developed patients were able to start leaving the hospital, and soon the state of NY signed a bill to close all psychiatric hospitals and start doing more community care programs. Now, less than 30 of the buildings remain, this spot has become very popular for teenagers and urban explorers and has basically become destroyed.