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Welcome to Asylum Projects,
A historic asylum wiki anyone can edit.
2,520 articles and counting
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Mission Statement


The Mission

The mission of this site is to archive both historical and current information on asylums across the United States and around the world.

The Statement

This site is dedicated to the history of asylums in all forms. The term of asylum is applied to not only what is commonly thought of: mental hospitals, but can also be applied to sanatoriums, state training schools, reform schools, almshouses, and orphanages. These institutions have and continue to play a major part in today's society.

Everyone throughout the United States and in many other countries has in one way or another felt the touch of these institutions. These places have both directly and indirectly affected people and their families. They have shaped lives and created many popular myths about them.

With all that in mind, this site was created to help in the historical research of any institutions that can be classified as an asylum. It was created for both serious researchers, those who are doing genealogical research, and people with an interest in asylums.

Featured Article Of The Week

Mt. Vernon Insane Hospital


Constructed by the US Army in 1828 for making munitions originally. In the late 1880s, the arsenal was used to confine captured Native Americans, including Geronimo. The land was deeded to the state of Alabama in 1895, and the hospital was built in 1902 to relieve overcrowding at Bryce State Hospital.

Mount Vernon Hospital for the colored insane, now known as Searcy Hospital, was opened in May 1902. Prior to the opening of the Mount Vernon facility, African American patients were maintained in segregated quarters at Bryce State Hospital in Tuscaloosa, which opened in 1860. The 1863 annual report reflects an all-white patient population. However, by 1868, annual reports indicate that the Freedmen’s Bureau paid $1,900 to care for the 26 African American patients at the facility. By the end of 1902, four hundred African American patients were at the Mount Vernon facility. Click here for more...

Featured Image Of The Week

Established in 1843, the United States Marine Hospital of Mobile has served a variety of purposes, ranging from providing care for United States servicemen to a tuberculosis hospital. From 1861 to 1865, the hospital was even used by an occupying force of Confederates for use as a military hospital for soldiers who fought against the United States during the Civil War.

Recent Message Board Posts

Hello,

In this space you normally would see our forum. This had been a hold over from earlier days before we had a Facebook page. Just prior to our server issues regular users had been barely using the forum with the majority of new posts from anonymous users asking genealogy questions or spammers. The old forum software does not work with our new version while the new forum software does not carry over old comments to the new forum. As a result, the forum will be discontinued in favor of our Facebook page. If you have questions or comments you can ask them there.

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If you have genealogical question here is an information page to help you.