Harlem Valley Asylum Morgue Tags

Set of 3 original steel tags from the Harlem Valley Mental Institute, to be used to identify the corpses (attached to the toe) of those who died within the facility.

The Harlem Valley Psychiatric Centre opened in 1924, and closed after 70 years of operation in 1994. The centre was very much like a small town, but within its walls, experimental and brutal treatments were carried out, including lobotomy and electro-shock therapy. The facilities were extensive including the likes of a golf course, bowling alley, bakery and an ice cream parlour. At its peak, it housed over 5,000 patients at any given time.

One of the creepiest aspects was the on-site graveyard named ‘The Gate of Heaven’, where hospital patients were buried. Graves featured numbers, rather than names, to provide anonymity to the deceased patients.

Circa 1920-1930.

Each tag measures 3.8cm in diameter.

SOLD