Philadelphia State Hospital "Byberry"

Have you ever wondered about the history of the state run facility known as Byberry?

Have you ever wondered if the horror stories of patient abuse and torture were true?

Have you ever wondered what sort of people were its patients? It's employees? What about the stories of the children confined within its walls? Ever wonder?

Have you ever wondered why the Governor investigated (1986) then closed the facility in 1990?

Have you ever wondered if the stories about underground tunnels leading from one building to another were true?

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But in the meantime, here is an excerpt from the website.

"In April 1950, Byberry received it's first step towards treatment and care of patients rather than simple "storage". This first step was the opening of the new "active therapy building", N-3. N-3 was probably the most important building to be built, at least, as far as the state was concerned. After the discovery of Thorazine, much more time and money went into the making of drugs. However quickly halted by the onset of the war, now with buildings like N-3 being constructed in state hospitals around the country, more research could be done into developing drugs for endless types of human ailments. N-3 was built for precisely that purpose: make a drug, test on a patient, and if fatal results occur, perform an autopsy to find out why. The concept in many cases went too far with the testing of cosmetic drugs and tranquilizers. In the nearby Holmesburg prison the same type of experiments were being conducted. Advantage was being taken of the fact that some mental patients cannot give their consent for testing. Some did not need consent, as they were ward of the state."