Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital Property To Become Park

MARLBORO, NJ — Monmouth County has officially reached an agreement with the state to assume land management responsibilities for the 411-acre property that was formerly home to Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital, the Board of County Commissioners said.

The agreement between the County and State was announced by county officials during an event at the property on County Route 520 in Marlboro on Friday.

Going forward, Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone said the Monmouth County Park System will be developing plans to use the property for passive recreation such as walking and hiking trails, with a goal to have the trails available to the public before the end of 2025.

According to a report from the Asbury Park Press, Arnone said the county will pay nothing to acquire land management responsibilities (except for county legal fees), and that revenue to eventually buy the site will come from the county's open space tax.

Arnone added that the county will take on fiscal responsibility for the continued maintenance and upkeep of the property going forward, according to the report.

“This effort has been a collaboration of many parties on the local, county and state levels,” said Commissioner Ross Licitra, liaison to the Monmouth County Park System. “When we preserve open space, it attracts people to Monmouth County and when people are in Monmouth County, they support local businesses. As a resident of Marlboro, this preservation adds to the fabric of living in a great community.”

Operating between 1931 and 1998, the Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital served as a state-run institution for 67 years before it was closed by the state.

The hospital’s closure came after State Senator Richard Codey went undercover in the hospital as an orderly. When chronicling his experience in New Jersey Monthly Magazine, Codey said he witnessed “inhumane care and treatment of mental patients,” as well as poor living and working conditions.

Codey’s undercover work later sparked a Senate Task Force in 1994, which investigated the inner workings of the hospital, ranging from environmental practices to the use of funds designated for patients.

The hospital then came under scrutiny as the senate team found evidence of illegal environmental practices, bribery, and a “range of irregularities” that the task force reported had been going on since the late 1980s.

Since its closing, the property has also become a popular “Weird NJ” location due to ghost stories and legends about the hospital and its persona as a mental institution.

• Learn More: The History of Marlboro Psychiatric

Once Marlboro Township Mayor Jonathan Hornik took office in 2008, he said the cleanup and preservation of the property was a key part of his 100-day plan.

In November 2011, he stood alongside state, county and local officials from both parties at Big Brook Park to announce a landmark agreement to remediate and preserve the property as open space.

Now, the county has assumed land management responsibilities for the property, with hopes to have walking and hiking trails open to the public there by the end of the year.

“Today, it is with great pride that I stand here with Monmouth County officials, including Commissioner Director Arnone and Commissioner Licitra, to celebrate the transfer of control of 411 acres of green space in the heart of Marlboro from the State to Monmouth County,” Hornik said.

“This achievement would not have been possible without the collaboration of state, county and local leaders, and I am grateful for their commitment to preserving open space in Marlboro,” Hornik continued. “I look forward to the creation of Marlboro County Park — a legacy for families to enjoy for generations to come.”

To learn more, you can visit the Monmouth County website.

Related

• The History of Marlboro Psychiatric
• State and Marlboro Strike Deal for Marlboro Psych Property
• The Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital: One Last Look