Bui lt by Geni us es to be Run by the Inmates Introduction This page ( http://www.historicasylums.org/ ) is an attempt to catalog and pre s e nt Ame ri c a's hi s tori c ps yc hi atri c hos pi tals ( s tate hospitals; insane asylums) founded mostly in the latter half of the 19th century. The site gives special emphasis on the facilities built on the "Kirkbride plan", but it is not necessarily limited to the Kirkbride hospitals. The Kirkbride plan and the resulting bui ldi ngs represented great ambiti on on the part of both ps ychi atri c caregi vers and archi tects . Known Ki rkbri de hos pi tals are i ndi cated by a cli ckable Ki rkbri de label Type: Kirkride in the listings. Asylums outside of this scope, such as ones constructed in the 20th century are also included. To some, the asylums of the 19th century represent a darker period in mental health care, with involuntary incarcerati on, barbaric and ineffective treatments, and abuse of patients. However, there is also a legacy of progressive institutional treatment left by Dorothea Dix, Thomas Story Kirkbride, John Galt, and others represented by these buildings and sites. The sites that remain stand in monument to the successes and failures of these reforms and their efforts. The treatments and philosophies seem rather outdated and quant today, but at the time were a considered to be great improvement in the treatment of people perceived in need of psychiatric care. A large proportion of these historic institutions are no longe r ps yc hi atri c hos pi tals . What re mai ns are the magni fi c e nt castlelike buildings wrought of brick and stone in incredible detail, a legacy of an attention to detail in architecture which seems to have been long forgotten. Scope of this site: Presented here are hospitals which are still in operation, hospitals which are still standing but are now closed, hospitals that are still standing but are no longer used as hospitals, and hospitals that havebeen long si nce or recently demolished. The largest and bestknown institutions presented here ( i ncluding the maj ori ty of the Ki rkbri de hospi tals) were started by and run by state governments. Wellknown examples of this type include Danvers State Insane Asylum in Massachusetts and Fe rgus Falls State Hos pi tal in Minnesota. This site also institutions run by city and county governments ( s uc h as the nume rous c ounty as ylums i n Wi s c ons i n, along with private institutions such as Brattleboro Retreat. Also included are state homes, instititions for the developmentally disabled, childrens' asylums, and institutions for the deaf and blind. In addition to the psychiatric institutions, there are some medical hospitals and sanitariums, sanatoriums, poor farms, and prisons included in the site. These include certain Pennsylvani a state hos pi tals , whi c h i n s ome c as e s are actually medical hospitals, and not psychiatric institutions at all. Although a few of these might be included in this site ( especially where they share locations with insane asylums) , the focus of this site is not on these types of facilities. Note: This site is not yet complete: there are a lot of as ylums that have not be e n adde d ye t. Arc hi te c ts : : The architects of these buildings include H. H. Richardson, George Kessler, Samuel Sloan, Gordon W. Lloyd, Ste phe n Vaughn Shi pman ( who de s i gne d s e ve ral) , s tate c api tol architect Elijah E. Myers, Ward P. Delano, Isaac Perry, John Notman, Frederick Law Olmsted ( landscapes and grounds) , A. J. Davi s , H. W. S. Cle ve land, Edward O. Falli s , Warre n Dunne ll, Charles C Rittenhouse, Richard Karl AugustKletting, John A. Fox, and others. Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, while not an architect, devised the basic floor plan many of these architects used in the design of their main asylum buildings. Sanitariums: To most, the word "sanitarium" currently has identical meaning to "insane asylum". However, a century ago, the typical sanitarium was most likely a hospital or residential health spa. Some historic sanitariums were state run tuberculosis hospitals, and a few were actually insane asylums. In this site, the term "sanitorium" tends to be reserved for the TB institutions. The most famous historic sanitarium was the Kellogg Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. This sanitarium was of the hospital/health spa variety, and was depicted in the film and book "The Road to Wellville". Kellogg's corn flakes were invented at this institution. Several historic sanitariums are included at the end of the listings for each state. Type of Information Presented: Thi s s i te contai ns s cores of historic asylum postcard images, along with many other photos ( historic and modern) . Most of the pages contain postcard images or photos, while some of the pages contain only text at this time. Also included are some architect or planner sketches of the hospitals as they were supposed to look (drawn before construction) , and the intended floor plans. Some photos or other renditions of famous figures from this part of mental health history are included with the entry for the institution that the person was associated with. These hospitals with their imposing main buildings are quickly vani s hi ng from the Ame ri c an landscape. The Kirkbride State Hospitals This excerpt was based on annual reports wri tten by Dr. Thomas Story Ki rkbri de, who served the Pennsylvania Hospital as superintendent from 1841 1883. Dr. Kirkbride's progressive therapies and innovative writings onhos pi talde s i gn and manage me nt be c ame known as the " Ki rkbri de Plan, " which influenced, in one form or another, almost every American state hospital by the turn of the century. Dr. Kirkbride created a humane and compassionate environment for his patients, and he believed that the beautiful setting described below restored patients to a more natural balance of the senses. " quoted from the Pennsylvania Hospital Newsletter of the Fri ends of the Hos pi tal Dr. Kirkbride spoke of his plan as linear. Buildings were arrangeden chelons. The center bui ldi ng was more i mpos ing than theothers and had a dome, in agreement with the classical tastes of the time. From the center building, used for administration offices, extendedwings right and left for patients. From the ends of the wings, short cross sections dropped back to connect wi th more bui ldi ngs , for pati ents , whi c h we re paralle l to the ori gi nal wi ngs . Eac h ward was enough out of line so that fresh air could reach it from all four sides and it was not under observation from the other wards from Dr. Kirkbride and his Mental Hospital by Earl D. Bond You can read more about Thomas Story Kirkbride inThe Art of AsylumKeeping : Thomas Story Kirkbride and the Origins of Ame ri c anPs yc hi atry See the following historic images of historic state hospitals from across the nation (states and territories) . Hospitals that are known for sure to be Kirkbride hospitals are indicated with an asterisk . The images include photographs, sketches, and floor plans. Note: Image sizes range from 30K to over 300K: these larger ones may take some time to load. Terminology and Names Over the years, factors such as changes in the mission of the state hospital, changes in philosophy, and even changes in terminology has left these facilities with many names. Some state hospitals have had several names, and it seems like any institution that lasted from the 19th century into the 20th century had at least one name change. Examples of Names ( tending from earlier to recent) • Lunati c Hos pi tal • Lunati c As ylum • As ylum for the I ns ane • Insane Asylum • State Hospital • Mental Health Center • Ps yc hi atri c Hos pi tal • Regional Center • Retreat • Developmental Center • Center Ke y to Symbols Starred entries have a lot of information; at least four images and/or substantial text. Type: Kirkride Entries with this symbol of a large building with a tall central wing and wings attached on either side in a symmetric fashion are known Kirkbride hospitals. Entries with this symbol areasylums based on a plan of scattered cottages. Hospitals which started as Kirkbride, but later added cottages are included under the Kirkbride category above instead of this cottage category. Entries with this symbol are asylums that consisted mainly of one singlewing building. Entries with this symbol are asylums that consist of a large rambling building that is not on the Kirkbride plan. Entries with this symbol have the main asylum building intact ( or mostly intact) , or the cottages pretty much remain in the case of cottagebased hospitals. Preserved hospitals canstill be i n us e as ps yc hi atri c hos pi tals , us e d for anothe r purpos e , or abandoned. Entries with this symbol are in danger of demolition at this time. Entries with this symbol are asylums of which little remains Entries with this symbol are for asylums that have lost their most significant historic structures, but many of the other buildings and the grounds remain. Entries with this symbol are for asylums buildings that are currently undergoing some sort of remodeling or renovation. Institution entries with this symbolhave "Asylum Tourist" information, with information on museums at statehospitals ( and former state hospitals) and other sites open to the public, and general information on viewing the sites.