13 people cited for trespassing at former Laurelton Center

Justin Strawser, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·3 min read

Mar. 19—LAURELTON — Thirteen people between the ages of 17 and 23 were cited for summary trespass over the weekend at the former Laurelton Center in Hartley Township, according to state police in Milton.

State Trooper Tyler Arbogast, of the Milton State Police Barracks, reported the incident occurring at 9:11 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Hemlock Drive and Old Turnpike Road. The 266-acre vacant Laurelton Center complex along Route 45 is located in the western end of Union County.

The incident involved two 17-year-old boys from State College, a 17-year-old from Park Ridge, Ill., boy, an 18-year-old Algonquin, Ill., man, a 19-year-old State College man, a 19-year-old Camp Hill man, a 20-year-old West Chester man, a 20-year-old Winnetka, Ill., man, a 20-year-old Garnet Valley man, a 20-year-old Chicago man, a 21-year-old Malvern man, a 22-year-old Downington man, and a 23-year-old West Chester man.

The citations of criminal trespass/simple trespasser were non-traffic summary offenses filed in the Mifflinburg office of District Judge Jeffrey Mensh. Those who commit simple trespass may see a maximum penalty of up to 90 days in jail or up to $300 in fines.

Police said the individuals only entered the property on Saturday. No other alleged crimes were reported.

The property, located across from the Bald Eagle Forest District Resource Management Office, is overgrown with brush and has a metal gate at the front entrance. Several weather-worn signs indicate that it is private property and no admittance is permitted.

The former Laurelton Center property was purchased by Jay Fulkroad, of McAlisterville, for $1,005,000 in 2021.

The Laurelton Center was the final name of a state-owned mental health institution, which closed in 1998. Its creation as an all-female facility was authorized by the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1913 and in January 1920, it received its first patient.

Laurelton Center was exclusive to females deemed to have mental health issues and didn't receive its first male patients until 1969. The patient population exceeded 1,000 at its height but dropped below 200 before it closed.

Mountain Valley Inc., headed by Maryland businessman Gary Murphy, bought Laurelton Center from the commonwealth in 2006 for $1,632,500, according to a deed. It stood mostly dormant thereafter.

The site was most recently the inspiration behind the novel "The Foundling" by New York Times bestselling author Ann Leary. The author hosted a lecture about the new novel at Bucknell University in March 2023.

In July, one of the center's vacant cottages was destroyed in a two-alarm fire. The cause remains undetermined due to the amount of damage.

The fire originated in what is considered building No. 2, a two-story stone living quarters estimated at 6,400 square feet. The building was vacant, just like the other 31 structures on the property.