Step back in time for a moment. Journey back more than a century when mental hospitals and poorhouses were the norm, rather than the exception, and treating the mentally ill and the poor was considerably different than it is today. Mayview State Hospital in Pittsburgh – now remaining only in old photographs, videos, and the memories of former patients – played an important role in the Pittsburgh community for decades. Let's take a look at this abandoned hospital in Pittsburgh.

Construction began, on what would later become Mayview State Hospital, in the late 1800s. Originally known as Marshalsea Poor House, the facility featured buildings for the poor and a separate building for the mentally ill.

The definition of mentally ill back in the early 1900s, however, was all-encompassing, at least by today's standards. In fact, until somewhere around 1940, single moms were sometimes institutionalized and labeled "insane."

Marshalsea Poor House developed a reputation for being a place of deep sorrow, staining its name within the community.

In an effort to change the hospital's image, Marshalsea Poor House held a community-wide contest to find a more suitable name for the facility.

Marshalsea Poor House officially became Mayview State Hospital and would serve an important role in the community until it shut down in late 2008.

The population at Mayview State Hospital fluctuated over the years. By June of 1967, however, the patient numbers swelled to a staggering 3,785 patients attended to by a staff of roughly 1,200.

Resident numbers rose largely due to the transferring of patients from other facilities shut down by the state.

Eventually, Mayview State Hospital housed, in addition to the mentally ill, convicted criminals, juveniles, and others.

Patient numbers began rapidly declining in the late 1970s, but the hospital continued to operate for three more decades.

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare announced in 2007 that Mayview State Hospital would officially close at the end of the following year.

By 2008, its final year, the hospital housed 354 patients and employed 800 staff members.

Before the hospital officially closed at the end of 2008, the remaining patients underwent evaluations to determine where they would be placed for continuing care.

The buildings that comprised Mayview State Hospital were eventually purchased and demolished.

Check out what the Mayview State Hospital in Pennsylvania looks like today in this video from C&P Explorers:

This abandoned asylum in PA has mostly returned to the earth, but the memory of what occurred here will live on. Do you remember this hospital in Pittsburgh? Share your stories below! While Mayview remains only through photographs and memories, you can still visit these nine abandoned places in Pittsburgh.

If you're looking for more interesting and exciting ways to discover Pennsylvania, Airbnb Experiences has a lot of fun options!