Overbrook Asylum

Erected in 1896, Overbrook Asylum was Essex County’s local answer to the Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital for the housing and care of mentally, and in some cases physically, handicapped residents. The facility had well over a dozen buildings on 90 acres, most of them connected via miles of subterranean tunnels running under the grounds. During its 110 years of service, Overbrook’s patients endured many hardships. One of the most noteworthy events took place in the winter of 1917, when the asylum’s boile