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Hospitals and Asylums

Historic buildings designed to lodge and care for the sick, injured, aged, infirm, disabled or mentally disordered. Medieval hospitals housing the poor, lepers, aged and infirm are included, even if medical care was minimal.

Sites in Hospitals and Asylums

LIRR State Hospital Spurs
Information on Long Island, New York state hospitals and how they were served by the Long Island Railroad.
Bartonville State Hospital
Page at Historic Peoria concerning this disused Central Illinois mental hospital's history and ghosts.
Hospitals and Hospices in the Maltese Islands
A history with references by Charles Savona-Ventura. Covers civil and military, midwifery, naval and seaman's hospitals and hospices for the elderly.
Poorhouse Story
Extensive site concerning the history of poorhouses.
Eloise: The Poorhouse that Became an Asylum
Illustrated article by Mary Bailey from Detroit News on the history of the Eloise hospital near Detroit, Michigan.
Kew Asylum Museum
The Australian Science Academy Project explains its creation of a museum to document the history of this 19th-century former asylum in Victoria. Includes an illustrated history by Daniel Cass.
Waupaca County, Wisconsin, Asylum
Page at a genealogy site with information on the founding of this institution.
Franklin County Poorhouse
History and photographic exploration of this 19th-century institution in Northern New York that sheltered paupers and the mentally ill.
Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center
History of this central New York State institution for the mentally ill located in Utica.
Lost Las Vegas - Insane Asylum
History page at Lost Las Vegas concerning the administration building of this New Mexico insane asylum.
Worcester Hospitals
Historic postcard images of the hospitals, asylum, and poor farm in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Manteno State Mental Hospital - Transform Art
Photo gallery by Dave Halbeck depicting disused Illinois asylum.
Newark State School
History of Newark, New York institution for the developmentally disabled, with historic postcard image.
Kings Park Psychiatric Center
Through articles, photographs, and video, this site documents the now-defunct Kings Park Psychiatric Center on Long Island, New York.
Metropolitan State Hospital
The Massachusetts Film Office presents this former Waltham mental hospital for use in films. Page contains color photographs.
History of South Carolina DMH
Illustrated history of South Carolina State Hospital and the State Department of Mental Health.
Western State Hospital History
History page at Western State Hospital (Virginia) site, with many historic images.
Fulton State Hospital History
History page at the Fulton State Hospital site. Includes a photo of building at this Missouri institution.
Dorothea Dix Hospital
Official site of mental hospital in North Carolina. Contains history section and many historic images.
The Building Design: Saint John Lunatic Asylum
Page describing the architecture of this 19th century Italianate insane asylum in Nova Scotia, Canada. Illustrated with floor plan.
Vshadow - Public Institutions
Illustrated Virginia university page describing the early history of two Virginia custodial institutions.
Fremantle Arts Centre and History Museum
History of this 1861 Gothic Revival building, once Australia's first lunatic asylum, now a museum.
Gloucester Asylums
History of former county asylums in Gloucester, UK: Horton Road and Coney Hill.
Hartwood Hospital
Illustrated history of Hartwood and other old Scotland mental hospitals.
Fairfield Hills State Hospital
Gallery of photographs of this former Connecticut mental hospital.
Diversatech - Manteno State Hospital
Recent aerial survey of the grounds of former Manteno State Hospital in Illinois.
Cane Hill
Page with historic photos, trivia and exploration reports concerning a huge former mental hospital in South London in the United Kingdom.
Binghamton State Hospital
Donna Thomas reports on the preservation prospects of this former mental hospital building in New York, designed by Isaac Perry.
Illinois State Institutions in the Early Days
Overview of historic Illinois state institutions for the mentally ill, developmentally disabled, and other populations.
Public Hospital in Colonial Williamsburg
Article about this early mental hospital in Virginia
Michigan Historical Hospitals
Intended as a resource for adoption research, this page contains a useful list of historic medical hospitals, sanitariums, and mental hospitals in Michigan.
DMHDD Milestones in Tennessee
Timeline containing milestone dates for Tennessee institutions
Pennsylvania State Hospital for the Criminally Insane
Brief architectural specification page concerning mental institution in Farview, Wayne County, Pennsylvania.
Livonia Struggles to Revive Site of Abandoned Ardmore
Detroit News article concerning the status of the Ardmore Center mental hospital complex near Detroit, Michigan.
Abandoned Asylum
Robert Foster's site featuring photos and historic images of abandoned asylums in the United States. Also featuring over 300 asylum postcards and a page on asylum books.
Rockland Psych
Photographs of dissused mental health building complex in New York.
Hastings Regional Center
Rootsweb page with history of Hastings Regional Center in Nebraska.
Glore Psychiatric Museum. Roadside America
Road report and review of the Glore Psychiatric Museum at the former mental hospital site St. Joseph, Missouri.
Eastern State Hospital Bat Project
Donna Hensley designs a bat house for Eastern State Hospital grounds in Medical Lake, Washington. Several photographs.
Early St. Louis Hospitals, Homes, and Asylums
History of several historic St Louis, Missouri institutions.
Salem County Almshouse and Asylum
Illustrated page with history and current preservation status of almshouse and asylum complex in Salem County, New Jersey.
International Network for the History of Hospitals
Promotes studies related to the historical evolution of hospitals from their beginnings to the present day. Conferences, advisory board, newsletters, membership form.
Investigation of Boyds Sanitarium
This ghost-hunting page provides a history and recent photographs of this one-time mountainside tuberculosis sanitarium near Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Hospitals in New Mexico, 1912
This page provides a list of New Mexico hospitals and institutions as of 1912.
Caring for the Mentally Ill
Long Island, New York history page concerning Kings Park and other mental hospitals.
Edgewood State Hospital
Railroad-oriented page features some building photos of this Long Island, New York mental hospital which has long since been closed.
Abandoned Hospital Info
Page of recent photographs of Brook Hospital, which dates to 1896, located in southeast London, United Kingdom.
The Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital Shrine
A "cyberspace shrine" for the abandoned Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital, Maidenhead, England.
Northville Tunnels
History of Northville mental hospital complex in Michigan, with many recent photos.
Manteno State Hospital
Paragraph and several recent photos of building exteriors at this abandoned Illinois mental institution.
Flint Timeline Project - St.Joseph Hospital
History of St Joseph medical hospital in Flint, Michigan; founded in 1920.
St. Joseph's Sanitarium and Bath House
Genealogy-related page with image and early history of medical/spa sanitarium in Mt. Clemens near Detroit.
Featured New York Postcards - Health Care
Images of vintage postcards of several hospitals, sanitaria, sanatoria, and eldercare institutions in the state of New York.
The Changing Face of Borgess
Early history including architectural information of Borgess Hospital, founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1889.
Pennsylvania Hospital: History: Virtual Tour
Illustrated virtual tour of hospital originally designed by architect Samuel Rhoads.
The History of Rotherham's Hospitals
Illustrated history of four United Kingdom hospitals.
History - Newark State Administration Building - Newark NY
Architectural history of administration building for institution for the developmentally disabled located in Newark, New York from 1873 to 1974.
Newark State School
Vintage photographs of Newark, New York institution for the developmentally disabled on fire.
Rossbret Asylums Website
Extensive index of asylums in the United Kingdom.
North Dakota State Hospital
History by Janell Cole of this state hospital opened in Jamestown in 1885.
Detroit Early Asylums
Genealogy-related page about the early institutions in Detroit, Michigan.
Old Hospitals of Greater Detroit - Index from 1967
Lengthy list of the names and addresses of hospitals and related facilities extant in the Detroit, Michigan area in 1967
Poorfarms and Asylums
Index page with web sites pertaining to poorhouses, sanatoria, and asylums
Medical Heritage of Great Britain
A gazetteer of historic hospitals, dispensaries, spas and other medical heritage from the Bath and Wessex Medical History Group, arranged by county.
Tales of Eloise
Very extensive site offering a wide variety of information on this mental hospital in Wayne County in Michigan.
Public Hospital
Official page for the museum in the reconstructed Public Hospital at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia; first opened in 1773.
History of Arizona State Hospital
Arizona state government page with history overview and sketch of this Kirkbride-like facility.
The Old Administration Building
Page at Public Health Museum site concerning main building of Tewksbury State Hospital, constructed in 1894 in the Queen Anne style to the design of Boston architect John A. Fox.
Hospitals of Hamilton, Ontario
Pre-World War I postcard images of medical hospital, asylum, and sanatorium postcards in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
World Of Lunatic Asylums
History, heritage and architecture former lunatic asylums and mental health care in the UK and the rest of the world.
Pilgrim State Hospital
Photographs of the abandoned buildings at Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center in Brentwood, New York.
St. Louis City Hospital
An online repository of photos, articles, records, and creative texts documenting the evolving life of the former City Hospital buildings in St. Louis.
The Old Operating Theatre Museum
Britain's oldest surviving operating theatre. Provides history of the museum, details of its facilities, a virtual tour and mailing list.
Norwich State Hospital
Gallery of modern photos.
BLOOM
A tribute project concerning the Massachusetts Mental Health Center in Boston.
Gatehouse Museum
In the grounds of Madison State Hospital has displays illuminating the history of this mental hospital, created by the Jefferson County Historical Society.
Verona Springs Sanitarium
The Verona Springs Sanitarium was built on Spring House road, near the town of Lowell in the town of Westmoreland, New York. In 1903 it burnt down never to be replaced. This site is dedicated to the memory of the building.
Clifton Springs Sanitarium History
Historic photos of medical/spa sanitarium.
Burleson Sanitarium History Page
History of Grand Rapids, Michigan sanitarium devoted to rectal disorders.
The Lost Asylum - Fairfield Hills State Hospital
Documentary of Fairfield Hills, Located in Newtown, CT., with images, interviews, history , message boards and
Bedlam: Custody Care and Cure 1247-1997
An old Museum of London exhibition telling the fascinating 750-year-old story of Bethlem Royal Hospital, popularly known as 'Bedlam', the world's oldest institution caring for people with mental disorders.
The Manteno Project
The Manteno Project, information and photographs about the history of the Manteno State Hospital (aka the Manteno Mental Health Center), in Manteno, Illinois.
Tearing Down the Secrets
Articles about demolition of Eloise Hospital near Detroit, Michigan.
World Asylums Foundation
Site by John Vermette containing comments, photos, and other mental hospital (asylum) information.
Western Lunatic Asylum
History and genealogy information for Western State Hospital in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
IJsselland Hospital photography
Photographs of people working in The IJsselland Ziekenhuis in Capelle a/d IJssel (Netherlands) by Janssen & De Kievith Fotografie
Hospital Architecture In Montreal
Mcgill University provides a searchable database of images, a case study of the Royal Victoria Hospital, and a bibliography.
The Run from Farm to Farm
History of Western Washington State Hospital (Fort Steilacoom)
Hudson River State Hospital
A Dark Passage expedition to the historic Hudson River State Hospital, a Gothic Revival mental institution dating from 1868.
Norwich State Hospital
Photos of Norwich State Hospital in Connecticut.
Abandoned Memories
Photos of abandoned children's asylum buildings in Northville, Michigan called Wayne County Child Development Center. Now totally demolished. Also added is Clinton Valley Center from Pontiac, MI and Northern Michigan Asylum in Traverse City.
Long Island Insane Asylums
Images of four mental hospital complexes in Long Island, New York.
Chris Payne - Asylums
Galleries of recent asylum photos by Chris Payne,an architectural photographer who specializes in industrial ruins and vanishing building typologies.
Owosso Sanitarium
Illustrated article about sanitarium at Gute Hill in Owosso, Michigan
Odd Notes on Asylum Architecture
Scholarly article from 1841 on the construction and management of hospitals for the insane.
Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum
BBC Beyond the Broadcast article about the history of an asylum constructed in the mid 19th century north of London, England.
The History of Oak Grove Hospital
Vintage account at a genealogy site of the early history of the Oak Grove mental hospital in Flint, Michigan.
New York State Inebriate Asylum
Founded 1858 and designed by architect Isaac Perry. Now known as Binghamton State Hospital. Contains recent and vintage photos, historical info, rare documents, links, and forum.

sub categories in Hospitals and Asylums

Byberry State Hospital Byberry State Hospital
Medieval Medieval
Kirkbride Kirkbride
Tuberculosis Sanatoriums Tuberculosis Sanatoriums

cross references

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