The Forgotten Overbrook Hospital
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- čas přidán 7. 10. 2017
- This film explores the history of the Essex County Hospital Center (Overbrook), a county mental hospital in the town of Cedar Grove NJ. In operation from the early 20th century to 2007, the facility once housed 4,000 patients, but was abandoned as psychiatric medications improved.
Through archival photos and new footage - including interviews, on-the-ground angles and aerial views - we experience the history of the facility, of psychiatric treatment, and of the relationship of the town and the institution. The film considers our responsibility to the memory of an important public institution that has outlived its usefulness.
The original musical soundtrack is by composer Jared Forman, who contributed to the Netflix series “Making a Murderer.”
Overbrook was well known even where I grew up about seventeen miles east. We used to drive out there back in late 80's freshman year of high school.
It's so sad. When "no trespassing" signs are put up, it usually spells doom for the property.
Thank you for this film. I am strangely fascinated by this place. Maybe I was related to it in some way in a previous life.
I am glad this video was made to least preserve a part of history that is now gone forever. Since in 1971 into 1972 when I was employed at Overbrook Hospital as an aide on the male adolescent ward for several months while taking a needed break from my college studies, I now reflect back on the environment there that is no more since the development of improved medications to treat psychological disorders. To this day I can still recall the sights, sounds, and the terrible smells that would emulate as one would walk through on what they called “the back wards” where the most severely ill patients were housed. On my ward when it was time for the patients to receive their prescribed meds the shout would go out for everyone to get in line for their “uppers and downers” as the patients would informally call their medications. Since I was working with a adolescent population, it wasn’t unusual when the patients were not attending the school that was on site, the staff on the ward would arrange to take some of the patients off site on day trips. Also on weekends often the patients were allowed to go home to visit their families. The general mood of the patients on the ward was not of depression, but a strong preference to definitely be elsewhere.
When I reflect back on my memories of Overbook Hospital today, I hope the staff that worked there were able to make some positive difference in the life’s of the patients that resided there other than provide them their basic needs, but I have no regrets of the time that I worked there. In fact since I am now a retired social worker from a N.J. county welfare office, in retrospect I can say, Overbook Hospital was hardly the least caring environment for those in need I had ever seen.
Thank you for producing and sharing this.
Amazing documentary, it’s heartbreaking that is being torn down. Glad you made this, it’s history shouldn’t be forgotten
Edith Parra thank you!
Wow. I grew up in Verona less than a mile from here in the 80's. I'll never forget the first time I went up the mountain to the old abandoned buildings probably in 1986. I was so scared bit was with other kids that went up there before. After a while, we would explore the buildings to see what we could find. I have stories about this place. Nothing crazy but cool shit that happened to us. Thanks for posting. Really takes me back to where I grew up.
The original urban explorers place when no video was really portable enough for us to film ourselves exploring this place. It was a rite of passage for Jersey teens, we got to know "the hilltop" and even the cops who would catch us walking on the street would say, "i hope you guys are not going to the hilltop". It was our place to drink, do stupid things, play music and test our mettle running from the county cops. My group got on both the pitched roof and flat roofs of this place, we were known to walk the roofs from one end to the other. We also got into the radio room and would look at the repeater as it hummed. We didn't destroy anything, we didn't break any windows or light fires. We did shoot off fireworks and occasionally spray paint our nicknames and music verses. The most memorable night was running from Essex County PD, after we caught them sleeping. They followed us in the building, up the stairs and through hallways, called other cars and we finally went on the roof and watched them all. Somehow firecrackers were thrown at the cops on the ground and they did their best to use flashlights to find us. We eventually used the tunnels to lose all of them and watched them again from the boiler building. After that, we would move to the JINS building until they all left. In the JINS building, they drove right past us so close we could see inside their cars. They never knew how to catch anyone in that place. I remember the massive fire in one of the lower buildings, we were pissed off at the group that did this. I think I still have a portable med kit from one of the store rooms. We all had souvenirs from this place because nothing was really destroyed when we were there. Nothing like this really exists anymore, but these urban explorers aren't doing anything new, they are just filming it. The old Playboy hotel in Vernon was another place we used to frequent along with Greystone and Bennet, etc. all in the northern NJ and NY areas. What a life we had, know kids just sit home and play video games...
This was so beautifully done.
Overbrook was one of many campuses I visited after it had been shut down. One of the most beautiful sites I’ve explored - had much “lighter vibes” than any of the other places I’ve been. It was beautifully laid out and very much like a self-contained city.
I was heartbroken to hear it was being demolished although I understand it was beyond repair.
It’s nice to see/hear what a haven it provided for those suffering with mental health issues at a time when these people were still deeply misunderstood and sadly mistreated.
Thank you so much for creating this and sharing it with the public.
This place and the mountain sanatorium nearby on the hilltop were incredible. I, like many others, were always drawn to these buildings...the energy, the sadness, the story behind the walls, everything...now all gone as if a century worth of history never happened. Its sad to me it really is. These historic places always get left to rot and some people who explore them aren't there for the story or the history, they go there to tear stuff up and thats something that neither me nor my friends ever did. R.I.P. overbrook.
I do not miss it back in the 70s some buildings were beautiful some we're a nightmare.
Rip OB
Used to explore here as a kid growing up having relatives that lives near by. Was so sad to see it taken down years back.
Really informative! Last time I was up there we were ducking security diving in to bushes. Good times.
Great video, it's a shame about the structures being torn down.
Ty Hawkins thank you! A major reason why I made this film was because it was going to be torn down. This is a way for me to preserve the hospitals history.
Joel Nadler it's really frustrating seeing this stuff happen. First Greystone, now Overbrook. I never even got to see the place.
Ty Hawkins I hear ya. It’s a shame. I see so many of these places go to rubble and that’s part of why I’m continuing my work in documentary film and preservation-
Joel Nadler keep up the good work man, Thanks again.
Thanks!
I only have fond memories of working there. Practically my whole family and their friends worked in this place from the 50's to the early 90's. It's sad to see it left to decay and the wrecking ball. It's a shame that the campus could not have been repurposed into a Community College or even a Medical College. Only fond memories.
I live down the road from this it’s all gone and they built condos. Originally this was in Verona until cedar grove took over the land
Moved out of jersey in 2016 when they were starting to bulldoze the remaining buildings. I returned for Christmas to see the condos you're describing. Really sad. It's like unrecognizable now.
Even the mental institution moved out of Newark and that was way back when !!!!
Wonder What Ever Happened To The Many Tunnels That Are Underneath Linking All The Various Buildings Together?
I use to hang out and party in this place, its all condos now...
Please so much went on in there and my father had keys to each building.
Does anyone know where the Overbrook patient cemetery is located ? Or were the deceased moved to other cemeteries after Overbrook was torn down and the property redeveloped ?
I think they went to the Rose St cemetery in Newark. Many patients of the city and county hospitals are buried there when no family responds to their death.
What a shame. Such a waste. The system should have been left alone, because it worked. Just stop the lobotomies, and the electro-shock treatments. Even as the population was reduced, all those buildings should have been converted into apartments/condos, and housing for Veterans, community use buildings, etc. They should have given the Firehouse, to the FIRE DEPARTMENT! (Duh!).