Essex County Hospital Center

The Essex County Hospital Center is a defunct psychiatric hospital that is located in the Township of Cedar Grove, New Jersey. The hospital was used as a normal hospital then converted to house mentally ill patients that were in need of care. Located at the edge of the Hilltop Reservation and designated a Conservation Easement in 2001 by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the site now is part of the Essex County park system.

History

In 1896, a large portion of land was purchased by the City of Newark, New Jersey; the land was bought to build a new hospital to relive pressure in the overcrowded Newark Hospital.During the late 1800s and early 1900s, many buildings were built that housed patients and other facilities, such as a power house, laundromat, and theater. According to Weird New Jersey, in the winter of 1917, the hospital suffered a major catastrophe with the failure of the hospital's boilers and a number of patients freezing to death in their beds. in the mid 1920's, the tri-state mental correction board bought the land and converted Overbrook into a mental institution. the Overbrook asylum ran on, adding several add-ons and new wards until it's abrupt close in the winter of 1975. It has been claimed that over 10,000 patients have died before it was closed.a large mental institution such as Overbrook would be kept out of public view and knowledge, because official few books, articles and maps have been found. In 2008, the hospital was featured on the paranormal reality TV shows Ghost Adventures and Ghost Hunters.

New hospital

In late 2006, the new Essex County Hospital Center 40°51′07″N 74°14′03″W opened just down the road from the site of the original Overbrook Hospital. This hospital center houses chronically ill psychiatric patients in need of longer lengths of stay than are available in community hospitals and medical centers. The new hospital center takes a cutting edge approach to behavioral health care, and its layout and programs stand in stark contrast to the hundred year old facility it replaced. The new hospital is located at 204 Grove Avenue in Cedar Grove.

• Weird NJ History, Photos, Legends of Essex County Hospital (AKA Overbrook Asylum for the Insane).
• .designedbreakdown. Short history and photo gallery exhibiting present-day decay on the site.
• Shadows and Rust Recent photographs of the inside and outside of the site prior to demolition.
• North Jersey Exploration Pictures of Overbrook Hospital.
• Vacant New Jersey Photographs of Essex County Hospital Center.

In popular culture

• In 2008, the hospital was featured on the paranormal reality series Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel, but due to privacy, the name and location were not revealed.
• In 2009, the hospital was featured on paranormal reality show Ghost Hunters on Syfy.
• On Halloween 2009, the hospital was featured on Ghost Hunters: Live Halloween Countdown on Syfy.
• In 2009, the hospital was featured on Ghost Hunters Academy on Syfy.
• The hospital was a major filming location for the 2008 film Choke.
• Wheeler Antabanez has written extensively about The Essex County Hospital Center. His Overbrook web page contains videos, photos and essays about the abandoned hospital center including documentation of the demolition process.