Difference between revisions of "Portal:Featured Article Of The Week"

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|Title= Wood County Asylum
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|Title= Chicago State Hospital
|Image= WoodAsylum1915.jpg
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|Image= Chicago.jpg
 
|Width= 150px
 
|Width= 150px
|Body= Norwood Health Center got its beginning in 1909 when the Wood County Board passed a resolution to build a "County Insane Asylum" at a cost not to exceed $130,000. After reviewing several sites, the County Board approved a site in Marshfield. The city's newspaper announced with pride that Marshfield was indeed fortunate to be awarded the site. The site, located along County Highway A, adjacent to the current industrial park, was awarded "due largely to the fact that it is located on two lines of railroad..." The Marshfield News, November 25, 1909.
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|Body= The constantly increasing number of insane cases in the wards of the poorhouse soon made manifest the necessity of providing separate and suitable quarters for this class of county charges. Accordingly in 1870 the insane asylum was built. This institution was erected on the county far, a little over a block northeast of the infirmary, on the ground dotted with forest trees and gradually sloping to an artificial lake. L. B. Dixon, of Chicago, was the architect.
  
It included 640 acres of prime farm land. Work began on the County Asylum on June 10, 1910 and was completed the following year.
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The asylum building had a frontage to the east of 272 feet and was divided by a center building, in which the offices were situated; the two wings were divided into wards. Each ward was 116 feet long from north to south. The central building had a frontage of 50 feet. At each extreme end of wings was a projection 20 feet to the rear for bathroom, water closets and stairs to the yards. The building was of brick, with cut stone trimmings, and was three stories high above the basement. Each wing had a center corridor 13 feet wide, with three windows on each end. The patients' rooms were on each side of the corridors. Especial pains were taken to secure a thoroughly efficient system of warming and ventilation. The heating was by high pressure steam, and ventilation was forced by two double-bladed iron fans, eight feet in diameter. The water closets were at the end of each ward. The bathrooms were adjoining at the end of each wing. There was a soiled clothes drop from each bathroom to a room in the basement. There were two bathtubs and three water closets on each floor. Each wing had a dining-room on each floor with attendants' each room adjoining. A dumb waiter extended to the basement from each dining-room. There was a linen room for each story of each wing near the attendants room. At the end of each wing there was a separate stairway with separate exits into yards for inmates.  [[Chicago State Hospital|Click here for more...]]
 
 
Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Gilson were appointed the first Superintendent and Assistant. The building, which had a capacity of 250 mental patients, was staffed with 19 employees. Much of the care in the early days could be viewed as "protective" in nature. In addition, "work therapy" was utilized to a great extent as psychiatric medicines had yet to be developed. Many patients were expected to work at the facility performing daily farm chores. They were not paid. Over the years, this farm became one of the more respected operations in the county.
 
 
 
As the field of mental health progressed, psychiatrists, psychologists, and nurses became more prominent caregivers. As such, the name of the "Wood County Asylum" was changed to "Wood County Hospital" in 1938. The number of patients cared for at the facility remained relatively stable for the first fifty to sixty years. Many were transported via the railroads from other counties who did not have a county hospital.  [[Wood County Asylum|Click here for more...]]
 
 
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Revision as of 03:22, 7 October 2013

Featured Article Of The Week

Chicago State Hospital


Chicago.jpg

The constantly increasing number of insane cases in the wards of the poorhouse soon made manifest the necessity of providing separate and suitable quarters for this class of county charges. Accordingly in 1870 the insane asylum was built. This institution was erected on the county far, a little over a block northeast of the infirmary, on the ground dotted with forest trees and gradually sloping to an artificial lake. L. B. Dixon, of Chicago, was the architect.

The asylum building had a frontage to the east of 272 feet and was divided by a center building, in which the offices were situated; the two wings were divided into wards. Each ward was 116 feet long from north to south. The central building had a frontage of 50 feet. At each extreme end of wings was a projection 20 feet to the rear for bathroom, water closets and stairs to the yards. The building was of brick, with cut stone trimmings, and was three stories high above the basement. Each wing had a center corridor 13 feet wide, with three windows on each end. The patients' rooms were on each side of the corridors. Especial pains were taken to secure a thoroughly efficient system of warming and ventilation. The heating was by high pressure steam, and ventilation was forced by two double-bladed iron fans, eight feet in diameter. The water closets were at the end of each ward. The bathrooms were adjoining at the end of each wing. There was a soiled clothes drop from each bathroom to a room in the basement. There were two bathtubs and three water closets on each floor. Each wing had a dining-room on each floor with attendants' each room adjoining. A dumb waiter extended to the basement from each dining-room. There was a linen room for each story of each wing near the attendants room. At the end of each wing there was a separate stairway with separate exits into yards for inmates. Click here for more...