With the creation of legislation in 1867, an asylum – a place of refuge and care for those deemed mentally ill – was established in southeastern Ohio. Athens was selected to house the institution after citizens gave nearly 150 acres of farmland across the Hocking River from the town. Residents hoped to promote economic development throughout the Hocking Valley area with the creation of this asylum. In 1868 a large parade marched with great excitement and fanfare out of Athens across the river to the asylum site, with the groundbreaking ceremony and lying of the cornerstone. By January of 1874 the first patients were admitted into the facility with room for 572 patients. Patients came from all walks of life and could range from various ages.
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Dr. Thomas Kirkbride, who sought moral treatment for those afflicted with mental illness, developed the plan. He developed the theory of a restful treatment that would cure patients, aided by the architecture of the building and it's park-like surroundings. Kirkbride plan buildings are known for their spacious corridors, high ceilings, and large windows, installed to let much light in, as the sun was thought to be curative. The grounds were landscaped to calm the mind and soothe the soul, as a means of therapy. Both residents of the asylum and community members were encouraged to interact on the grounds, and with each other. When treatments of amusement, relaxation or physical labor found no avail curative, physicians administered other treatments such as hydrotherapy, common practice at the beginning of the twentieth century. The 1940s popularized electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or electric shock therapy as it was called then, and the 1950s brought the infamous …show more content…
Today the buildings of the old asylum grounds are once again used after Ohio University assumed lands of the state hospital in the 1980s. After renovations to the Administration building in 1993, Kennedy Museum of Art opened in 1996. Still, many other buildings on the original lands are being repurposed. Grounds too are being restored, including the asylum’s three commentaries to show reverence to the former inhabitance of the asylum. Deceased patients who were unclaimed by their families were buried at the asylum with gravestones marked only by numbers, over two thousand burials occurred. In recent years organizations have donated many hours to repair the commentaries: clearing brush and woods, mending hundreds of markers that had been displaced or broken, and placing names on marker only designated by
Dr. Thomas Kirkbride, who sought moral treatment for those afflicted with mental illness, developed the plan. He developed the theory of a restful treatment that would cure patients, aided by the architecture of the building and it's park-like surroundings. Kirkbride plan buildings are known for their spacious corridors, high ceilings, and large windows, installed to let much light in, as the sun was thought to be curative. The grounds were landscaped to calm the mind and soothe the soul, as a means of therapy. Both residents of the asylum and community members were encouraged to interact on the grounds, and with each other. When treatments of amusement, relaxation or physical labor found no avail curative, physicians administered other treatments such as hydrotherapy, common practice at the beginning of the twentieth century. The 1940s popularized electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or electric shock therapy as it was called then, and the 1950s brought the infamous …show more content…
Today the buildings of the old asylum grounds are once again used after Ohio University assumed lands of the state hospital in the 1980s. After renovations to the Administration building in 1993, Kennedy Museum of Art opened in 1996. Still, many other buildings on the original lands are being repurposed. Grounds too are being restored, including the asylum’s three commentaries to show reverence to the former inhabitance of the asylum. Deceased patients who were unclaimed by their families were buried at the asylum with gravestones marked only by numbers, over two thousand burials occurred. In recent years organizations have donated many hours to repair the commentaries: clearing brush and woods, mending hundreds of markers that had been displaced or broken, and placing names on marker only designated by