Difference between revisions of "Burn-Brae"

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{{infobox institution
 
{{infobox institution
| name = Bur-Brae
+
| name = Burn-Brae
 
| image =  Burn Brae 1885 Report.jpg
 
| image =  Burn Brae 1885 Report.jpg
 
| image_size = 250px
 
| image_size = 250px
Line 16: Line 16:
 
| location = Clifton Heights, Delaware County
 
| location = Clifton Heights, Delaware County
 
| architecture_style =
 
| architecture_style =
| peak_patient_population =  
+
| peak_patient_population = 40
 
| alternate_names =<br>
 
| alternate_names =<br>
 
* Burn Brae Retreat for the Insane
 
* Burn Brae Retreat for the Insane
 +
*Burn Brae Hospital
 +
*Burn Brae Asylum
 
}}
 
}}
  
Burn Brae was a private 40 bed hospital for mental and nervous diseases which operated in Clifton Heights, a suburb of Philadelphia. It was founded by Dr. R.A. Given, opening in 1860. The hospital continued to serve as a mental hospital until 1969 when it closed. When originally opened it was 8.5 miles from the city of Philadelphia and located near the Oak lane station of the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore RR.  
+
'''Burn-Brae Hospital for the Insane''' was a private 40-bed hospital for 'mental and nervous diseases' which operated in Clifton Heights, a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. It was founded by Dr. R.A. Given, and opened in the spring of 1860. The hospital continued to operate as a psychiatric hospital until 1969, when the changing atmosphere of mental healthcare caused it to close. When it was originally opened in the late 19th century, it was 8.5 miles from the limits of the City of Philadelphia, and located near the Oaklane station of the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroads.
  
In the summer of 1859, Dr. R.A. Given erected buildings near the village of Clifton, and established a private hospital for patients afflicted with nervous and mental diseases. It was designed to accomodate forty patients, twenty male and twenty female. The main building was originally constructed of stone, three stories high with a basement. Shortly after construction a mansard was added giving the building a fourth floor in which the amusement hall was located. Each department contains four wards, a parlor, a hallway 60' long and 8' wide, and a bath room. Though both sexes were originally housed in the same building. Many improvements have been made from time to time in different halls, rendering the accomodations more perfect and attractive. On the ladies' side an an annex building measuring 30'x 50' had been erected by 1885, rendered necessary by the enlargement of the rooms in the main structure. The hospital's grounds were originally 25 acres but by 1885 had been expanded to 43 acres. The 25 acres dedicated to patient recreation are handsomely laid out and planted with a variety of ornamental trees, evergreen and diceduous. A farm of thirty two acres, part heavily wooded, capable of being converted into drives and walks of great attractiveness has been added; thus, besides escuring to the patients perfect privacy, affording them in their walks, the pleasing variety of hill and valley, meadow, brook and woodland. No efforts have been spared to render the building fire proof. Fire escapes are attached to both wings and in addition arrangements exist on each floor to enable the occupants to pass readily from side to side without resort to the stairs. The building throughout is thoroughly heated with steam and lighted by gas. Hot and cold water is abundantly distributed throughout the entire establishment.
+
==History==
 +
 
 +
Dr. Robert A. Given, an Irish immigrant and formally an assistant physician at the [[Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital]], erected buildings near the village of Clifton in the summer of 1859. There he established a private hospital for wealthy patients afflicted with, what was then known as, 'nervous and mental diseases'. It was designed and licensed by the commonwealth to accommodate forty patients, twenty male and twenty female. The main building was originally constructed of stone, three stories high with a basement. Shortly after construction a mansard roof was added giving the building a fourth floor in which the amusement hall was located. Each department contained four wards: a parlor, a hallway 60' long and 8' wide, and a bath room. Though both sexes were originally housed in the same building, many improvements were made from time to time in different halls, rendering the hospital's accommodations more attractive.  
 +
 
 +
In the women's department, an annex building measuring 30'x 50' was erected in 1885, which was it necessary because of the enlargement of the patient rooms in the main building. The hospital's grounds were originally 25-acres, but by 1885 they had been expanded to 43-acres. The 25-acres dedicated to patient recreation were handsomely laid out and planted with a variety of ornamental trees, evergreen and deciduous. A farm of thirty two acres, partially heavily wooded, was also found on site. The wooded grounds, besides for ensuring the patients perfect privacy, affording them to take leisure walks, crossing the pleasing variety of hills and valleys, meadows, brooks and woodland. No efforts were spared to render the hospital building fire proof. Fire escapes were attached to both wings of the facility; and in addition, arrangements exist on each floor to enable the occupants to pass readily from side-to-side without the use of the stairs. The building throughout was thoroughly heated with steam and lighted by gas.  
 +
 
 +
After running the hospital for thirty years, Dr. Given died on January 10, 1888. Following his death, Dr. Given's former assistant physician, Dr. J. Willoughby Philips, was appointed as chief psychiatrist. The hospital continued to operate for the next century, albeit with a dropping census, until the summer of 1968 when it was forced to shut its doors, citing financial stressors. The current site of the property is a local indoor bazaar and a Pizza Hut.
 +
 +
For much of the 19th century the facility maintained close ties to Pennsylvania Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania.
  
 
==From the 1884 Philadelphia Medical Registry==
 
==From the 1884 Philadelphia Medical Registry==
 +
 
"This institutional although not within in the city limits, is so near them as to be properly mentioned in connection with the objects of this work. It is a private Hospital for mental disease, and derives it support from the payments made for board and medical care of patients.
 
"This institutional although not within in the city limits, is so near them as to be properly mentioned in connection with the objects of this work. It is a private Hospital for mental disease, and derives it support from the payments made for board and medical care of patients.
No patient is received for a less period than three months. A certificate of insanity, signed by two physicians, and acknowledged before a magustrate, is invariably required.
+
No patient is received for a less period than three months. A certificate of insanity, signed by two physicians, and acknowledged before a magistrate, is invariably required.
A lady, well educated and of unexceptionable manners and deportment, resides in the same apartments, and devotes her time to lady patients, thus securing them on all ocasions a pleasant companion and a watchful friend.
+
A lady, well educated and of unexceptionable manners and deportment, resides in the same apartments, and devotes her time to lady patients, thus securing them on all occasions a pleasant companion and a watchful friend.
 
A limited number of cases of Opium habit can be admitted."
 
A limited number of cases of Opium habit can be admitted."
 +
 +
== Local Listing of the Hospital, as of 1902 ==
 +
*James C. Allen - Cook
 +
*Charles Barnes - Engineer
 +
*Robert T. Bell - Domestic
 +
*David Bird - Watchmen
 +
*Annie Bird - Attendant
 +
*Robert Bird - Waiter
 +
*Bella Brodlax - Laundress
 +
*Carrei Burrows - Attendant
 +
*Everett Davis- Attendant
 +
*Mary Garry - Patient
 +
*Frederick A. Given - Administrator
 +
*E.L. Given - Owner and Operator
 +
*Mattie Green - Laundress
 +
*Alexander Hamilton - Attendant
 +
*Rose Hand - Laundress
 +
*Alfred Hansen - Attendant
 +
*Lucy Hopkins - Laundress
 +
*William James - Attendant
 +
*Martha Keyser - Attendant
 +
*Daniel Lyons - Farmhand
 +
*Joseph Mangin - Attendant
 +
*S. A. Mercer - Patient
 +
*Kirk Minchon - Farmhand
 +
*Arley T. Munson - Assistant Physician
 +
*William Norton - Waiter
 +
*Ellwood Pearce - Attendant
 +
*John L. Peebles - Patient
 +
*E.M. Philips - Patient
 +
*M. Philips - Patient
 +
*J.W. Philips Patient
 +
*Louis Rode - Coachmen
 +
*Henry Schaeffer - Gardener
 +
*John Scheule - Farm Hand
 +
*James G. Scott - Domestic
 +
*Joseph Smith - Attendant
 +
*Annie Taylor - Waitress
 +
*James Taylor - Farmer
 +
*Harriet Washington - Domestic
 +
*Agnes Williams - Patient
 +
*Sarah Wilson - Attendant
 +
*N.S. Yawger - Hospital Superintendant
  
 
== Images of Burn-Brae ==
 
== Images of Burn-Brae ==
 +
{{image gallery|[[Burn-Brae Image Gallery|Burn-Brae]]}}
  
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
File:Burn Brae 1885 Report.jpg
 
File:Burn Brae 1885 Report.jpg
 
File:BurnBraePrivateRetreatfortheInsane.jpg
 
File:BurnBraePrivateRetreatfortheInsane.jpg
 +
File:Burn Brae 1892 Atlas.jpg
 +
File:Burn Brae 1889 RR Map.jpg
 +
</gallery>
 +
 +
== Related Links ==
 +
*[http://whenlifewasblackwhite.blogspot.com/2009/09/burn-brae-clifton-heights.html Short Article on Burn-Brae]
 +
*[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70C16F73E5D12738DDDAC0A94D1405B898CF1D3 New York Times Article from 1909]
 +
*[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00A1EF63C5A12738DDDAF0A94DA415B868CF1D3 New York Times Article from 1906]
 +
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=ocxTNAgtaBUC&pg=PA416&lpg=PA416&dq=burn+brae+asylum&source=bl&ots=izOm_957h-&sig=lmeMRmeausDbHzO1EBigQ31d3o4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wwDmULedHoj-0gHZ1YG4Cw&ved=0CF8Q6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=burn%20brae%20asylum&f=false Death Notice of Dr. Given, 1888]
  
</gallery>
 
  
 
[[Category:Pennsylvania]]
 
[[Category:Pennsylvania]]
 
[[Category:Single Building Institutions]]
 
[[Category:Single Building Institutions]]

Latest revision as of 13:42, 4 February 2014

Burn-Brae
Established 1859
Construction Began 1859
Opened 1860
Closed 1969
Demolished 1971
Current Status Demolished
Building Style Single Building
Location Clifton Heights, Delaware County
Peak Patient Population 40
Alternate Names
  • Burn Brae Retreat for the Insane
  • Burn Brae Hospital
  • Burn Brae Asylum



Burn-Brae Hospital for the Insane was a private 40-bed hospital for 'mental and nervous diseases' which operated in Clifton Heights, a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. It was founded by Dr. R.A. Given, and opened in the spring of 1860. The hospital continued to operate as a psychiatric hospital until 1969, when the changing atmosphere of mental healthcare caused it to close. When it was originally opened in the late 19th century, it was 8.5 miles from the limits of the City of Philadelphia, and located near the Oaklane station of the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroads.

History[edit]

Dr. Robert A. Given, an Irish immigrant and formally an assistant physician at the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital, erected buildings near the village of Clifton in the summer of 1859. There he established a private hospital for wealthy patients afflicted with, what was then known as, 'nervous and mental diseases'. It was designed and licensed by the commonwealth to accommodate forty patients, twenty male and twenty female. The main building was originally constructed of stone, three stories high with a basement. Shortly after construction a mansard roof was added giving the building a fourth floor in which the amusement hall was located. Each department contained four wards: a parlor, a hallway 60' long and 8' wide, and a bath room. Though both sexes were originally housed in the same building, many improvements were made from time to time in different halls, rendering the hospital's accommodations more attractive.

In the women's department, an annex building measuring 30'x 50' was erected in 1885, which was it necessary because of the enlargement of the patient rooms in the main building. The hospital's grounds were originally 25-acres, but by 1885 they had been expanded to 43-acres. The 25-acres dedicated to patient recreation were handsomely laid out and planted with a variety of ornamental trees, evergreen and deciduous. A farm of thirty two acres, partially heavily wooded, was also found on site. The wooded grounds, besides for ensuring the patients perfect privacy, affording them to take leisure walks, crossing the pleasing variety of hills and valleys, meadows, brooks and woodland. No efforts were spared to render the hospital building fire proof. Fire escapes were attached to both wings of the facility; and in addition, arrangements exist on each floor to enable the occupants to pass readily from side-to-side without the use of the stairs. The building throughout was thoroughly heated with steam and lighted by gas.

After running the hospital for thirty years, Dr. Given died on January 10, 1888. Following his death, Dr. Given's former assistant physician, Dr. J. Willoughby Philips, was appointed as chief psychiatrist. The hospital continued to operate for the next century, albeit with a dropping census, until the summer of 1968 when it was forced to shut its doors, citing financial stressors. The current site of the property is a local indoor bazaar and a Pizza Hut.

For much of the 19th century the facility maintained close ties to Pennsylvania Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania.

From the 1884 Philadelphia Medical Registry[edit]

"This institutional although not within in the city limits, is so near them as to be properly mentioned in connection with the objects of this work. It is a private Hospital for mental disease, and derives it support from the payments made for board and medical care of patients. No patient is received for a less period than three months. A certificate of insanity, signed by two physicians, and acknowledged before a magistrate, is invariably required. A lady, well educated and of unexceptionable manners and deportment, resides in the same apartments, and devotes her time to lady patients, thus securing them on all occasions a pleasant companion and a watchful friend. A limited number of cases of Opium habit can be admitted."

Local Listing of the Hospital, as of 1902[edit]

  • James C. Allen - Cook
  • Charles Barnes - Engineer
  • Robert T. Bell - Domestic
  • David Bird - Watchmen
  • Annie Bird - Attendant
  • Robert Bird - Waiter
  • Bella Brodlax - Laundress
  • Carrei Burrows - Attendant
  • Everett Davis- Attendant
  • Mary Garry - Patient
  • Frederick A. Given - Administrator
  • E.L. Given - Owner and Operator
  • Mattie Green - Laundress
  • Alexander Hamilton - Attendant
  • Rose Hand - Laundress
  • Alfred Hansen - Attendant
  • Lucy Hopkins - Laundress
  • William James - Attendant
  • Martha Keyser - Attendant
  • Daniel Lyons - Farmhand
  • Joseph Mangin - Attendant
  • S. A. Mercer - Patient
  • Kirk Minchon - Farmhand
  • Arley T. Munson - Assistant Physician
  • William Norton - Waiter
  • Ellwood Pearce - Attendant
  • John L. Peebles - Patient
  • E.M. Philips - Patient
  • M. Philips - Patient
  • J.W. Philips Patient
  • Louis Rode - Coachmen
  • Henry Schaeffer - Gardener
  • John Scheule - Farm Hand
  • James G. Scott - Domestic
  • Joseph Smith - Attendant
  • Annie Taylor - Waitress
  • James Taylor - Farmer
  • Harriet Washington - Domestic
  • Agnes Williams - Patient
  • Sarah Wilson - Attendant
  • N.S. Yawger - Hospital Superintendant

Images of Burn-Brae[edit]

Main Image Gallery: Burn-Brae


Related Links[edit]