Pictou County Asylum
| Pictou County Asylum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Opened | 1886 |
| Demolished | 2015 |
| Current Status | Demolished (original building) |
| Building Style | Single Building |
| Location | Stellarton, NS |
| Alternate Names |
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History
The original site for the Pictou County Asylum for the Harmlessly Insane opened in 1886 and was located between the current buildings of Valley View Villa and Riverview Home Corporation Adult Residential Center in Riverton. The large wood frame building became home to 86 individuals known as ‘paupers’, ‘inmates’ and ‘insane’ people. These individuals were committed to the home by two Justices of the Peace on the order of the Municipal Warden or Town Mayor, along with a certificate from two duly qualified medical practitioners indicating that these individuals were ‘harmlessly insane’.
The site was a working farm and, for many individuals, it was the only ‘home’ they ever knew. The municipal overseers of the poor, town clerks and/or relatives were responsible for the individuals upon death. In 1920 a large brick, three-storey structure was constructed on the farm site, beside the old asylum, and became the Pictou County Hospital for the mentally ill. The new facility cared for individuals that could not be cared for at the Nova Scotia Hospital. Subsequently, the old wooden Asylum became a home for the poor and the aged. The farm became known as The Pictou County Home and Hospital with an approximate capacity of one hundred and forty individuals.
The new brick building had three floors with a central core basement and crawl spaces. The first and second floors were divided into four large wards. Each ward had a metal wire extending from wall to wall and floor to ceiling with doors that were closed and padlocked at night. Each ward contained approximately thirty cots and provided no privacy. Each of the four wings also had sitting room areas and twelve strong rooms. The strong rooms were used to lock up individuals considered to be a danger to themselves and others, and for individuals that did not respond to early psychiatric medications. The third floor of the building was used for lodging the farmer, the cook and the ward attendants.
During the 1950s and 1960s care began to change with the introduction of anti-psychotic medications. This resulted in the ability to better regulate mental illness and aggressive behaviors. A holistic approach to care and normalization were discussed and seen as cutting edge. In the 1970s funding for the home changed from being the responsibility of the County and five Towns to the Social Services Department accompanied by the name change to the Home for the Disabled. Additional renovations were implemented including partitioning of the large wards to make bedrooms, conversion of strong rooms to appropriately furnished bedrooms and renovations to bathrooms. At this time many individuals who had been court ordered to live at the home became ‘decertified’. Subsequently, custodial care was abolished and independent living was introduced, with some individuals accessing alternate living arrangements.
Riverview Home underwent a major multi-phase construction project between January, 2011 and December, 2014. Renovations and expansion of the south wing were completed in November 2012 while completion of the center core occurred in December 2014. In 2013 the Department of Community Services issued its Roadmap document to guide its services for persons with disabilities over the next ten years. As a result of this change in philosophy, a decision was made not to complete phase 3 of the renovation project and the north wing of the building was demolished in 2015. Today the name Riverview Home Corporation depicts an organization that provides care to individuals and their families across a continuum that includes community outreach, independent living, community homes, and the adult residential center. [1]
