Inverness County Asylum
| Inverness County Asylum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Opened | 1889 |
| Closed | 1961 |
| Current Status | Closed |
| Building Style | Single Building |
| Location | Mabou, NS |
| Alternate Names | |
History
From 1889 to 1961 the Municipality of Inverness County, as required by provincial statute, operated an institution for individuals with intellectual disabilities, colloquially called the Inverness County Asylum. It was located on farmland just south of Mabou. From 1893 onward, Richmond and Victoria county also sent their “harmless insane” (as they were called at the time) to the facility, which was expanded several times to accommodate the more than 100 “inmates,” as of the late 1890s.
Conditions were often rough at the facility, with overcrowding and high rates of sickness and death. Before being destroyed by fire in 1947, more than 450 people are believed to have died at the facility during its lifespan. At that time, the surviving inmates were moved to Mulgrave where the facility remained in operation until about 1961.
