Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminally Insane

Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminally Insane was established in 1892 as the Matteawan State Hospital by an 1892 law , Matteawan functioned as a hospital for insane
criminals. The new hospital confined and treated individuals committed to it by criminal courts
and inmates who were declared insane while serving their sentences at State institutions. The
Superintendent of State Prisons had control over the hospital.

In 1886, a New York State legislative commission recommended the purchase of the 246-acre Dates Farm in the village of Matteawan for $25,000. The site was rural, yet accessible by rail and offered good tillable land, pure water and pleasant scenery between the Hudson River and the Fishkill Mountains. Architect Isaac Perry, known for finishing work on the New York State Capitol, was hired to design the main hospital building with "an abundance of light and ventilation" to accommodate 550 patients. In April 1892, the Asylum for Insane Criminals, with 261 patients, was relocated from Auburn to its new site. The following year, it was renamed Matteawan State Hospital.

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