Are you bored? You want to explore somewhere new? I have the perfect place for you. It’s called Kings Park. It has a great trail which is 5 miles long.

It’s perfect to explore– if you dare! It has a long abandoned asylum. The asylum is one of the most infamous abandoned asylums in the country. It was built in 1885 in order to deal with overcrowding nearby.

This is the perfect place since it has something for everyone no matter what, whether that’s nature, a beach, or, the history. The trail goes right by the asylum. Be careful though, on the trail in the winter it does get slippery. However, Never go alone due to reports of  a weird feeling that someone or something is watching you.

The asylum is well known for all the wrong reasons. The patients had enjoyed fresh air and open space. This method of treatment was so popular, that the hospital got very overcrowded. Kings Park Mental Hospital was so overcrowded that according to the state report in 1893, the buildings were unsuitable and unhygienic, facilities inadequate, clothing insufficient and poor quality, food often unfit for human consumption.

Another type of therapy used during this era and in the hospital to treat mentally ill patients was shock therapy. Shock therapy was often conducted on epileptic patients dealing with depression and after seeing a successful improvement after the seizure, the therapy was used very often. According to the article “ Kings Park, Building 93” By Will Ellis ,“ The procedure aimed to replicate these benefits by inducing a seizure through electricity or insulin injection”. According to the same article, the pain patients went through during these procedures was terrible, sometimes the convulsing lasted for up to fifteen minutes and by being strapped to a bed, they were often forced to fracture or break bones.

Lobotomy was another treatment that was used during this time. Lobotomy was probably one of the most cruel ways to treat a patient dealing with mental illness. According to the aforementioned article, the procedure consisted of “interesting metal tool through the eye socket into the skull cavity, and wrenched around to sever the connections of the prefrontal cortex from the rest of the brain”. This procedure left patients like zombies and sometimes patients forget who they were. If you’re feeling brave, take a trip to Kings Park.