Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (Weston, VA)
by Liz Colby
by Liz Colby
When was this "asylum" opened, and what did it look like?
Trans-Allegheny Insane Asylum opened in 1864 and remained open until 1994, 130 years later. In 1913, its name was changed to Weston State Hospital. Trans-Allegheny’s positive contributions to history are that it is the largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America and it is the second largest building of its kind in the world, behind the Kremlin. Trans-Allegheny Sanitarium
Did it follow Kirkbride's design? Yes. Mental hospitals (i.e. sanitariums or asylums) in the Kirkbride design had the common feature of the ‘bat wing’ style floor plan, housing numerous wings that sprawled outward from the center. Buildings were also designed to have lots of light and good air flow, believed to aid in patient recovery.
Trans-Allegheny Insane Asylum opened in 1864 and remained open until 1994, 130 years later. In 1913, its name was changed to Weston State Hospital. Trans-Allegheny’s positive contributions to history are that it is the largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America and it is the second largest building of its kind in the world, behind the Kremlin. Trans-Allegheny Sanitarium
Did it follow Kirkbride's design? Yes. Mental hospitals (i.e. sanitariums or asylums) in the Kirkbride design had the common feature of the ‘bat wing’ style floor plan, housing numerous wings that sprawled outward from the center. Buildings were also designed to have lots of light and good air flow, believed to aid in patient recovery.
Images from Google.com
What was this institution's original intent? It was intended to be a sanctuary for the mental ill with sprawling grounds, spacious rooms, open air design, with comfortable furnishings. Patients, or residents, could work the farm and gardens on the grounds (if they were capable of work) contributing to the hospital ‘community’ . The hospital also served the purpose of generating jobs for nearby individuals to work there, and the livestock and vegetables grown could be sold to the local people, generating a revenue stream to keep the facility self-sufficient. In addition, there was a water treatment facility and coal mines on the grounds, which encompassed over 600 acres.
Who were the patients there? Do narratives of their experiences exist? Several stories, confirmed or otherwise, exist regarding Trans-Allegheny. Overcrowding led to cases of violence, including murder. One such story told was of two patients who tried to hang a third using bed sheets. He did not die, so they cut him down, and beat hi to death with the metal frame for the bed.
What was this institution's original intent? It was intended to be a sanctuary for the mental ill with sprawling grounds, spacious rooms, open air design, with comfortable furnishings. Patients, or residents, could work the farm and gardens on the grounds (if they were capable of work) contributing to the hospital ‘community’ . The hospital also served the purpose of generating jobs for nearby individuals to work there, and the livestock and vegetables grown could be sold to the local people, generating a revenue stream to keep the facility self-sufficient. In addition, there was a water treatment facility and coal mines on the grounds, which encompassed over 600 acres.
Who were the patients there? Do narratives of their experiences exist? Several stories, confirmed or otherwise, exist regarding Trans-Allegheny. Overcrowding led to cases of violence, including murder. One such story told was of two patients who tried to hang a third using bed sheets. He did not die, so they cut him down, and beat hi to death with the metal frame for the bed.
What was the patients' experience like in that institution, and did that change over the course of the institution's history? When it first opened, and patient numbers were down, it was. A place for all sorts of people, from women who had ‘domestic problems’ to people with epilepsy and mental illness. In the years theta followed, populations increased and patients with alcohol and drug disorders, as well as those prone to violence were also patients. As the population increased, staff were unable to manage. Attempts to control patients turned to the use of locking patients in cages. For those with extreme mental illness, lobotomies were performed with ice picks in less than sanitary or sterile environments. Neglect overtook the building and those inside. Conditions deteriorated to abhorrent conditions. Stay and patients were attacked and some killed.
Did the institution, its services, and patients change over time? Yes. The conditions of those admitted increased, and conditions decreased as staff were unable to manage. Money from self-sufficient means began to dwindle. Portions of the hospital (farm, garden) fell to disrepair.
How many people lived, worked, and died there? Originally designed to house 250, by its closure it expended to housing over 2,400. Thousands of deaths, from poor health to disease to murder, occurred over the 130 year span.
Were bad conditions ever exposed to the public? How? Local newspapers, like the Charleston Gazette, investigated the hospital and reported on the deplorable conditions.
Would you have wanted "treatment" in this institution? No. The methods used were for “treating” people were arcane and were not conducted with patient input. Patients rights were squashed and their well being placed at risk.
Add references where you deem appropriate..in case your classmates want to follow up and read more about your institution.
allthatsinteresting.com/trans-allegheny-lunatic-asylum
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Allegheny_Lunatic_Asylum
mobile.trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com
The aproaches used did not address the patient's wishes and needs. The clubhouse model as we saw in the video has been in operation for about 65 years. It was based on the Fountain House in NYC. It got a huge boost when the National Institute of Mental Health funded a clubhouse training project in 1977 which provided funds for expanding the approach used at Fountain House. Through the daily work called work-ordered day( WOD) members choose to contribute to the daily operation of the clubhouse.
ReplyDeleteNancy
As I read these stories of the varied institutions across the nation, I keep coming back to the question of why some facilities provide treatment that is "humanely and kindly" (or at least what we can find in historical research), while others use the archaic methods you illustrated from the photos. It does not seem geographical, as we see from the Vermont State Hospital and Brattleboro Retreat, or necessarily when they began. Is it all around who is actually providing the treatment and daily interventions, and how individuals are trained? The lobotomies referenced appeared to be an accepted treatment at one time, which is now viewed as a horrific intervention. This leads me to wanting research around how individuals were trained for working in facilities, and what, if any, standardized education was required at that time for the unit workers. I found this interesting article from the New York Times in 1981 that speaks to the some of the reasons why individuals working at the state institutions are not as well trained or of the highest caliber of professional (https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/10/science/state-psychiatric-hospitals-forced-to-change-or-close.html).
ReplyDeleteThe Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum also coined phrased as the Weston State Hospital this particular asylum in Weston, West Virginia took care of the mentally ill beginning the mid – 1800’s, originally like the Northampton State Hospital in Massachusetts it was originally configured to house 250 souls. Designed by Richard Andres met the Kirkbride plan standard, this plan was apparently an important plan at the time of architecture, as you mentioned it featured the “bat wing”. As you posted the pictures of this facility it has a striking European architecture. Amazing that the Asylum that was opened on 1864 closed its doors in 1994. This institution succumbed to what the other Asylums went through overcrowding and not enough staff to tend to its patients. This is far from a clubhouse model that exists today as thousands of deaths occurred at this asylum. Enjoyed reading your post.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com/main/history.html retrieved 7/29/2018