Treatment of the Mentally Ill at Letchworth Village, an Abandoned Asylum in Rockland County, NY

My project explores the history behind Letchworth Village in Rockland County, New York. Its goal is to understand Letchworth's purpose, describe significant events that happened there, expose the mistreatment of its patients, and understand how and why the institution fell into ruin. More generally, I discuss the treatment of mental illness in the 1900s, including treatment options, how the asylum arose, and how patients were viewed at this time. Overall, the project explores Letchworth, a huge mental institution of the 1900s, to provide insight into an era when mentally disabled people were not treated well and to show the history behind a well known abandoned site. I have written a paper and created a powerpoint picture slide to present at a poster session at Steinmetz.