Overbrook- Cedar Grove NJ

Overbrook hospital located in Cedar Grove NJ opened in 1896, its original intent was to be a general hospital. The people of Essex County NJ built the hospital on a 325 acres property. Sounds like in its day it was a beautiful piece of real estate, similar to many of the other asylums I researched. It got its name due to the placement of the main building on top of the hill overlooking the river. What struck me about this hospital in my research was not the treatment of people by the hospital itself but the people who "sent them there" or "signed them over". It is not clear what design the Hospital took but it is clear that it was a massive piece of property, there is documented over 300 tunnels that connect all 30 buildings underground. The hospital had its farm that was staffed by not only patients of the hospital but local prisoners. The size and scope of the hospital required that it had its own train station, it reached its peak capacity in the 40'sand '50s with over 3500 patients. The Decline of Overbrook is detailed due to advancements in medical treatments involving medications resulting in patients being able to live in their communities and receive outpatient services. Earlier the hospital had an abundance of electric shock therapy buildings and hydrotherapy buildings. In one image you could see multiple men being hosed by multiple lines of water in the same room as one another. I can only imagine receiving treatment in such a public manner difficult. IT is estimated that 10,000 people died at the hospital while it was in operation but An old newspaper article from December highlighted the worst of times and the highest number of deaths of patients in one month, it read "The 1,800 insane patients at the Essex County Hospital, at Cedar Grove, NJ, are suffering serious discomfort and in some cases incurring danger from the practically complete collapse of the heating and lighting plant of the institution. The sleeping quarters of the inmates are practically without heat, and have been so during the recent cold snap… the management of the institution has even been trying to borrow a locomotive from one of the railroads to furnish steam for heating and power. During the twenty days since the first of December, there have been twenty-four deaths in the institution, as against eight for the entire month last year. There have also been thirty-two cases of frostbite in the last three weeks." IT is estimated that 10,000 people died at the hospital while it was in operation. Later I read that the hospital administration wrote to the families of these patients and suggested they bring them home while they fixed the issues, no family came to the aid of any patients. Another individual wrote about his mother bringing him to visit his elderly Nanny who was now living at Overbrook, he remembered his mothers anger of the people who signed her in there and refused to take care of the elderly. It is clear that many people, as in other cases where housed at Overbrook not only for their mental health issues but for the convenience of someone else. I do not believe I would have wanted to be treated in many facilities back in late 1800 through the better part of the 1900s but Overbrook seemed to have something to do every day or at least pretty views and at least they did not perform lobotomies. The institution was finally closed in 2007, the decline of patients was visible by the decaying buildings. Furnishings and tools were not moved into one wing or building but just left to decay. References for further reading: https://weirdnj.com/stories/abandoned/overbrook_essexcountyhospital/ https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/essex/verona-cedar-grove/2018/07/03/new-jersey-historic-overbrook-hospital-buildings-demolished/750636002/