Mason General Hospital
Encyclopedia
Mason General Hospital was a psychiatric hospital
run by the United States War Department on Long Island
during World War II
.
The facility consisted of all of the buildings that comprised Edgewood State Hospital
and three buildings from Pilgrim State Hospital, in addition to numerous temporary buildings, and was named in honor of Brigadier General
Charles Field Mason, who had served in the Army Medical Corps.
During the hospital's brief operation, the controversial documentary film
Let There Be Light
was shot there by famed filmmaker John Huston
. The film showed the steps that shell-shocked soldiers took in their rehabilitation towards a normal life after discharge. However, the film was deemed so potentially controversial that the government kept it hidden from the public until 1981.
After 1946, the War Department handed control of Mason General back to New York State, where Edgewood Hospital was managed by Pilgrim, and the three buildings at Pilgrim that partially comprised Mason, 81, 82, and 83, reverted back to their parent complex. Edgewood ceased operation in 1971 and was demolished in 1989 following years of extensive vandalism and neglect. Buildings 81-83 at Pilgrim, the last surviving remnants of Mason General Hospital, are still in use by Pilgrim today.
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
run by the United States War Department on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The facility consisted of all of the buildings that comprised Edgewood State Hospital
Edgewood State Hospital
Edgewood State Hospital was a tubercular/psychiatric hospital complex that formerly stood in Deer Park, New York, on Long Island, New York, USA. It was one of four state mental asylums built on Long Island , and was the last one of the four to be built.The hospital was built in the...
and three buildings from Pilgrim State Hospital, in addition to numerous temporary buildings, and was named in honor of Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Charles Field Mason, who had served in the Army Medical Corps.
History
The hospital operated between 1944 and 1946, and was used for treating the psychological casualties of the battlefield as well as for other related uses.During the hospital's brief operation, the controversial documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Let There Be Light
Let There Be Light (film)
Let There Be Light is a 1946 American documentary film directed by John Huston.The film, commissioned by the United States Army Signal Corps, was the final entry in a John Huston trilogy of films produced at the request of the U.S. Government. This documentary film follows 75 U.S. soldiers who have...
was shot there by famed filmmaker John Huston
John Huston
John Marcellus Huston was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The Asphalt Jungle , The African Queen , Moulin Rouge...
. The film showed the steps that shell-shocked soldiers took in their rehabilitation towards a normal life after discharge. However, the film was deemed so potentially controversial that the government kept it hidden from the public until 1981.
After 1946, the War Department handed control of Mason General back to New York State, where Edgewood Hospital was managed by Pilgrim, and the three buildings at Pilgrim that partially comprised Mason, 81, 82, and 83, reverted back to their parent complex. Edgewood ceased operation in 1971 and was demolished in 1989 following years of extensive vandalism and neglect. Buildings 81-83 at Pilgrim, the last surviving remnants of Mason General Hospital, are still in use by Pilgrim today.