The facility included over fifty buildings such as male and female dormitories, an infirmary, kitchens, laundry, administration, a chapel, and a morgue.

Conditions in the hospital during this time were poor, with allegations of patient abuse and inhumane treatment frequently made.

The situation came to national attention between 1945 and 1946, when conscientious objector Charlie Lord took covert photos of the institution and the conditions inside, while serving there as an orderly.

[1] The 36 black-and-white photos documented issues including dozens of naked men huddling together and human excrement lining facility hallways.

The photos were shown to a number of people, including then-First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who subsequently pledged her support in pursuing national mental health reforms.

[1] In his 1948 book, The Shame of the States, Albert Deutsch described the horrid conditions he observed: "As I passed through some of Byberry's wards, I was reminded of the pictures of the Nazi concentration camps.

I entered a building swarming with naked humans herded like cattle and treated with less concern, pervaded by a fetid odor so heavy, so nauseating, that the stench seemed to have almost a physical existence of its own."

The internet offered extremely exaggerated stories and legends, as well as tips on gaining access to the abandoned buildings while avoiding police and security.

Satanists held ceremonies on the grounds, and amid reports of dead animals being found, the police were frequent visitors.

Graffiti covered every buildings exterior and interior, every window was smashed, and anything flammable remaining when the hospital closed was in ashes.

The Byberry facility is a featured location in the Haunted Philadelphia pop-up books series by photographer Colette Fu.