ByBerry Mental Hospital

ByBerry Mental Hospital

Byberry Mental Hospital is located on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Byberry was first constructed in 1906 and opened its doors to its first patient in 1907. It began its humble beginnings as a work farm for the mentally ill but between 1910 and 1920 construction of a large asylum was begun and completed. As asylum popularity grew through out the country by the mid 1930's, Byberrys population quickly expanded and with it came tales of patient abuse and neglect. Insufficient funds left the asylum in disrepair and patients wound up unclothed, starved, and sleeping in raw sewage filled hallways. Many patients were forced to live huddled in decrepit, dingy rooms with no socialization or supervision. Every mental institution nightmare you can imagine came true. "Padded cells, restraining devices, solitary confinement, beatings by brutal warders and violent inmates, lobotomies and electric shock " were just some of the horrid treatments used. Byberry became known as a "real life house of horrors" as murder , suicide, and brutality reigned.

Finally, in 1990, state authorities were forced to close the doors of Byberry after a thorough investigation advertised the despicable living conditions within Byberrys' walls. Yet, its dark history continued on and remains to this very day. The crumbling buildings that once housed hundreds of mentally insane patients and the subterranean tunnels that connected them were left vacant and forgotten. Until now.