Mohansic State Hospital

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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 in Westchester County, New York.

Yorktown Heights, New York Census-designated place in New York, United States

Yorktown Heights is a CDP in the town of Yorktown in Westchester County, New York. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census.

Westchester County, New York County in New York, United States

Westchester County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is the second-most populous county on the mainland of New York, after the Bronx, and the most populous county in the state north of New York City. According to the 2010 Census, the county had a population of 949,113, estimated to have increased by 3.3% to 980,244 by 2017. Situated in the Hudson Valley, Westchester covers an area of 450 square miles (1,200 km2), consisting of six cities, 19 towns, and 23 villages. Established in 1683, Westchester was named after the city of Chester, England. The county seat is the city of White Plains, while the most populous municipality in the county is the city of Yonkers, with an estimated 200,807 residents in 2016.

New York (state) State of the United States of America

New York is a state in the Northeastern United States, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes. New York was one of the original thirteen colonies that formed the United States. With an estimated 19.54 million residents in 2018, it is the fourth most populous state. In order to distinguish the state from the city with the same name, it is often times referred to as New York State.

History

On October 17, 1909, the State Commission in Lunacy purchased 550 acres (2.2 km2) 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 660 acres (270 ha), with an additional 490 acres (2.0 km2) 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 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 inmates. Strang Cottage was the site of the murder of 19-year-old hospital attendant Charles Wiley, Jr. on July 4, 1913.

The New York and Putnam Railroad was a railroad line that operated between The Bronx and Brewster, New York. It was in close proximity to Hudson River Railroad and New York & Harlem Railroad. All three came under ownership of the New York Central system in 1894. Abandonment began in 1958; most of the former roadbed has been converted for rail trail use.

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 and the New York City water supply from sewage the asylum would produce, and Senator Henry M. Sage 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 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.

Robert F. Wagner American politician

Robert Ferdinand Wagner I was a German American politician. He was a Democratic U.S. Senator from New York from 1927 to 1949.

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 22 miles (35 km) north of New York City, it is the collecting point for water from all reservoirs in the Croton Watershed.

Henry M. Sage American politician

Henry Manning Sage was an American politician from New York.

The site is currently occupied by Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park.

Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park

Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park is a 960-acre (3.9 km2) state park in Westchester County, New York. Formerly known as Mohansic Park and Mohansic State Park, it is situated in Yorktown, approximately 40 miles (64 km) from New York City. The park was created in 1922 on the former site of the Mohansic State Hospital.

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