Victorian Lives : Victorian Hospitals for the Insane In Indiana

Portrait of a patient, Surrey County Asylum

Portrait of a patient, Asylum (Photo credit: National Media Museum)

The Indiana legislature planned for a 'hospital for the insane" in 1827. However, it would not be until November 1848 that the Indiana Hospital for the Insane opened its doors. The first hospital was a single building and only housed five patients. The hospital changed its name to Central Indiana Hospital for the Insane in 1889. It changed its name to Central State Hospital in 1926.

By 1928 the hospital had nearly 3,000 residents and occupied brick building on over a 100 acres of land on Washington St. on the west side of Indianapolis. The hospital grew quickly in its first hundred years of operation. By 1948 the hospital consisted of two very ornate Victorian buildings.

The hospital housed a large number of facilities for its growing patient population. They had a medical hospital, farm, bakery, and cannery all run by the residents. The hospital also had a large auditorium, bowling alley, and stately gardens among its vast facilities.

English: Looking west toward the front of the in , formerly the Pathology Building of the Central State Hospital. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The more ornate of the institution buildings was known as the known as the, "Seven Steeples "and was designed according the "Kirkbride"style of state institutions. The Victorian building fell into disrepair in the 1970's and were replaced by nondescript modern brick structures.

The hospital closed in 1994 as a result of widely reported patient abuse and poor housing conditions. A museum dedicated to medical history related to the hospital is housed on the grounds today.

English: The 1886 Power Plant on the Grounds of Central State Hospital in Indianapolis Indiana. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Logansport State Hospital is a mental hospital I in Cass County Indiana at Logansport. The hospital first opened its doors on July 1, 1888. It was known as Longcliff Hospital for the Insane at that time.The hospital mainly served patients with organic brain disease and those who had serve developmental disabilities.

Like Central State Hospital it was pretty much a self contained facility. The hospital had its own diary and farm run by the patients. They also raised their own live stock for the meat that the hospital used. Bread of course was manufactured on site in the bakery. The grounds also had an impressive greenhouse and gardens as well.

By the mid 20th century the hospital had a surgery where they performed a large number of lobotomies. They also had a separate unit for patients diagnosed with tuberculosis. The old morgue and pathology labs are now home of a museum dedicated to artifacts of the hospitals early history. The older building including the chapel remains on the grounds with most of the patients today housed in newer buildings.

It is now the home of a museum. They also had a chapel which is still in use.

The majority of the patients prior to 1960 were admitted for symptoms of organic brain syndrome. Some of the patients were born mentally incapacitated so the families would admit them to the State Hospital because they did not want to handle them at home. That is not true currently for most of the patients.

The last new building was built is 2005 and is called the Isaac Ray Treatment center. It is a forensic unit serving the criminally insane.