History / Overview

   Greystone Park owes its existence to the dedication and resolute lobbying of Dorothea Lynde Dix, a frail former school teacher, who advocated on behalf of people with mental illnesses.  As a result of her efforts, in the 1870s the New Jersey Legislature appropriated 2-1/2 million dollars to purchase over 700 acres of land for New Jersey’s second “Lunatic Asylum,” as it was called at the time. 

The site of Greystone Park was selected for several reasons including:

      1.    A geographical location near the population center of the state.       

      2.     Easy accessibility provided by the railroad.

      3.     Fertile soil

      4.     An abundant supply of pure spring water.

      5.     A quarry of gneiss, superior building stone resembling granite.  

      6.     An abundant supply of materials for manufacturing bricks.

   Main Building In the decades before the Civil War, there was widespread belief among many that most cases of insanity could be cured only in institutions established for that purpose. One of the great exponents of this belief was Dr. Thomas Kirkbride, who for 43 years was the Superintendent of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane in Philadelphia. His advocacy strongly influenced the design of hospitals for the mentally ill for most of the 1800's, and he participated in the design of Greystone Park's Main Building. Dr.Kirkbride advocated housing no more than 250 patients in a three story building with light airy rooms and only two patients to a room. He also believed in constructing asylums of stone, brick, slate and iron, using as little wood as possible to minimize the likelihood of fires.

The most striking characteristic of Dr. Kirkbride's building plan was his linear arrangement. The Main Building has a center section for Administration and other activities with three wings extending on either side. Each wing is approximately 140 feet long and is set back from the preceding one so that patients could enjoy the beauty of the outside surroundings. The building was described in the newspapers of 1876 as the finest building of its type and size in the world.  “The House” as Dr. Horace Buttolph, Greystone Park’s first Superintendent, called the Main Building was lighted by coal gas made on the premises.  Heat was provided by steam channeled through large copper coils in the basement and propelled through ducts between the walls.  Warm air was sent to all areas through vents.  Supplemental heat for office areas was supplied by fireplaces.  

The center portion of “The House” contained offices for the Superintendent, Steward, Matron, and Treasurer.  There were also apartments for private patients who paid between $5.00 and $10.00 per week.  The charge for non-private patients was $3.50 per week.  .>>>More>>>

                                                                   - Louise Perugini