What Really Went On Behind Closed Doors At The World's Largest Asylum

By the turn of the 20th century, many mental health facilities in New York suffered from overcrowding. In response to this, in 1927, Governor Alfred Smith (pictured above) pushed the legislative body to set aside money that would allow for the allocation of a minimum of 10,000 beds toward a mental health center.

Named for Dr. Charles W. Pilgrim, who served as the commissioner of mental health in the early 20th century, the Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center in Brentwood, New York, was opened in 1931, according to the New York State Office of Mental Health. The grounds covered roughly 825 acres, and originally, 100 patients were transferred in from Central Islip State Hospital. Within nine months, 2,000 more patients were transferred. And in less than 25 years, the patient population had exploded to almost 15,000, making it, at the time, the largest hospital of its kind in the world. The center also had a staggering 4,000 employees by 1954.

The sheer size of the Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center was itself astounding. According to Classic New York History, it had its own police department, fire department, church, post office, and courts.

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