Overcrowded and infamous for its inhumane conditions, Byberry Mental Asylum was closed in 1990 and demolished in 2006. Its long history began in 1751 when a group of Quakers founded Byberry. At that time, people with mental disabilities often were viewed poorly by society and placed in jails. Byberry initially began as a plan to give the ill residents options, allowing for the patients to be medically treated rather than viewed as criminals.

With a large, growing population, Byberry became overcrowded quickly, with the ratio of staff per patient becoming smaller with every person admitted. There were often scandals of abuse and neglect. The lack of funds led to its collapse and disorder, and it was eventually taken over by the Commonwealth in 1938.

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