Mohansic State Hospital (also known as the Mohansic State Insane Asylum, and the Mohansic State Hospital for the Insane) was a hospital which existed near
Yorktown Heights
Yorktown Heights is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yorktown in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census.
History
Yorktown Heights is in the town of Yorktown, New York, in northern ...
in
Westchester County
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
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Film and television
* '' ...
.
History
On October 17, 1909, the State Commission in Lunacy purchased on Lake Mohansic for $135,000, with the intention of building an asylum to accommodate 2,000 (later 6,000) patients to relieve the overcrowding of institutions in New York City. The property was later expanded to , with an additional for the New York State Training School for Boys. Dr. Isham G. Harris became superintendent of Mohansic State Hospital in 1910.
In 1911, a spur from the
New York and Putnam Railroad
The New York and Putnam Railroad, nicknamed the Old Put, was a railroad line that operated between the Bronx and Brewster in New York State. It was in close proximity to the Hudson River Railroad and New York and Harlem Railroad. All three cam ...
was built from Yorktown Heights and across Crom Pond to the site. Construction of the hospital was underway, starting with three "cottages" which housed 165 patients. Strang Cottage was the site of the murder of 19-year-old hospital attendant Charles Wiley, Jr. on July 4, 1913.
In 1916 continued construction on the asylum became the subject of heated debate. Senator
Robert F. Wagner cited concerns of pollution to the
New Croton Reservoir
The New Croton Reservoir is a reservoir in Westchester County, New York, part of the New York City water supply system lying approximately north of New York City. It is the collecting point for water from all reservoirs in the Croton Watershed.
...
and the New York City water supply from sewage the asylum would produce, and Senator
Henry M. Sage
Henry Manning Sage (May 18, 1868 in Albany, New York – September 25, 1933 in Menands, Albany County, New York) was an American senator and politician from New York. He became Chairman of the State Hospital Development Commission.
Early life ...
cited the considerable amount the State had already spent developing the property at New York City's request. New York State Governor
Charles S. Whitman
Charles Seymour Whitman (September 29, 1868March 29, 1947) was an American lawyer who served as the 41st Governor of New York from January 1, 1915, to December 31, 1918. An attorney and politician, he also served as a delegate from New York to t ...
eventually ordered construction stopped to protect the watershed, and in 1918 he signed a bill which abandoned the hospital project. The funds for Mohansic were re-appropriated for use in construction of an asylum in upstate New York, and the property was converted to a state park in 1918.
The site is currently occupied by
Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park
Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park is a state park in Westchester County, New York. Formerly known as Mohansic Park and Mohansic State Park, it is situated in Yorktown, approximately from New York City. The park was created in 1922 on the form ...
.
References
* "Slain in Hospital For Mildly Insane". (July 5, 1913). ''The New York Times''.
*
Report of the Joint Committee of the Legislature to Investigate what Disposition Should be Made as to the Sites at Yorktown, Westchester County'. (March 12, 1918).
* "War and City Bills Signed by Whitman". (May 10, 1918). ''The New York Times''.
Psychiatric hospitals in New York (state)
Yorktown, New York
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