The New Jersey State Village of Epileptics was established 1898 to care for epileptics in the town of Skillman, New Jersey. It was designed to be self sustaining- the patients did most of labor around the grounds. In the 1930s the Village housed 1500 patients and staff. The village demonstrated that epileptics could live productive lives despite their affliction. Children of the Village went to school while adults assisted with general errands and jobs around the grounds, such as farming, carpentry, sewing, and plumbing. There were regular social events on the campus such as plays, concerts, dances, and fairs. Unfortunately some residents were too sickly to attend such events, and were confined to the Village hospital, which opened in 1913.

The State Village for Epileptics also served  as a research center on epilepsy. It worked with other hospitals to determine possible causes of the disorder and experimented on therapies. Eventually it was of course decided that drug therapies were the best remedy in the prevention of seizures.

There were several reasons that led to the eventual closing of the Village. The Great Depression of the 1930s led to very severe funding cutbacks, which in turn caused cramped housing and deterioration of facilities. The World War II era also caused a shortage of workers since men chose to head overseas for higher paying salaries than a low Village wage. Finally and most importantly, the treatment of epilepsy improved with research and it was found that it was no longer necessary or even desirable to separate epileptics from the rest of society in institutions. Treatment of epilepsy improved as the years wore on, and the village closed in 1952, converting to a home for patients with severe psychiatric or developmental problems. It was then renamed to the North Princeton Developmental Center. It closed in the late 1990s.