The asylum was established in 1892 as the state's first facility for dealing with chronic mental patients.

[3] At its height the complex included 58 buildings, on a property of some 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2), and a capacity of 2,200 patients.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, the property was closed in April 2003 and the buildings shuttered.

The grounds have been restored, and reopened to the public and are open every day from sun up to sundown.

It has been used as a filming location for thriller/horror motion pictures such as The New Mutants, Shutter Island, and The Box.