Look at Everything Left Behind in this Abandoned NY Psych Hospital

Once a sprawling facility, the Rockland Psychiatric Hospital in Orangeburg, NY  still operates today, but on a much smaller scale. The campus exists with a number of buildings that closed when patients were de-institutionalized back in the 1970's.

At its peak in the late 1950s, the facility was treating 9,000 individuals. The property is a vast 600 acres that once contained a dairy farm, bowling alley and its own power plant. Many who worked there say it was its a small town unto itself.

The years have taken a toll on the building thanks to weather related issues, vandals and general neglect. Regardless, it's fascinating to see how some parts remain almost pristine, while other areas are trashed. It's also interesting, and a bit concerning, about the lack of security for patient privacy, based on records being out in the open. One of the records is dated from 1990.

The exact closure of this building is tough to determine because the downsizing occurred over a period of decades. Still, there are some clues left behind that tell quite a story.

In this adventure, the photographer takes us on a journey through one of the long abandoned buildings. Some of the finds include leftover medical equipment, computers, a typewriter, an antique Singer sewing machine, rotary phones, x-rays and patient records. In one of the laboratories, there are still some leftover pills, chemicals and petri dishes.