As noted above, 'General' patients were treated in the middle sections of the building, and the wards that housed the convalescent patients were closest to the hospital building's main entrance. (This represented more than a four-fold increase in the size of its acreage when compared to its original size of 136 acres. Join us for a walk around the Spring Grove Hospital Center campus to see this partially abandoned historic facility where, among other things, the first and longest government-run psychedelic drug research program took place. community-based housing and outpatient services. (It should be noted that locked door seclusion was still permitted, and reports from the period indicate that, usually, one or two patients were 'confined' to their rooms at any given time. Jamison Building in 1981. Between 1798 and 1807, according to at least one source, Captain Yellott and his associates may have continued to manage the hospital, under an agreement with the City of Baltimore. [2] Only the Eastern State Hospital which was founded in 1773 in Williamsburg, Virginia, is older. Although today it is difficult for some of us to understand why the historic significance and architectural merit of the Main Building didn't save it from the wrecking ball back in 1963, the fact is that, in 1963, the building was structurally unsound, was justifiably considered to have been a "firetrap," and was felt to have been beyond reasonable repair. We travel to different venues and event spaces to host parties and private functions. On the other hand, the limited information that is known about the founding of the hospital indicates that construction was started shortly after the site was selected and purchased in May of 1798 -- and that the building was occupied later that same year -- a set of circumstances that would indicate that either a entirely new building was built very quickly or the 'new construction' actually involved an expansion of the existing structure; i.e., the Retreat. Mackenzie and Smythe, the hospital was usually able to accommodate 'about 40 lunatics [i.e., patients with mental illnesses] and 150 [other] patients, with general diseases.'. It should be noted that later references to the 'original building' (later, a part of the west wing) do not suggest that it was comprised of more than one original section, a circumstance that, in turn, would argue against any assertion that the earlier Retreat building was somehow incorporated into the 'original' 1798 structure. However, the hospital's annual report of 1875 does note that a ward of the hospital was set aside specifically to treat 'inebriates.'. However, several annual reports from the end of the 19th-century Few additional details about the Retreat are known. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the hospital expanded its land holdings and constructed new buildings. But the biggest problem turned out to have been the above-noted problem with the facility's sewage disposal system. Instead, records suggest that certain patients were admitted and remained primarily because they were poor, homeless, elderly or physically ill. Contact us. (Note: The old 'Joppa' or 'Philadelphia Road' in this part of the City was abandoned in the 1840s. unless the organs involved were found to have been diseased. The men's industrial shop produced durable goods such as trousers, coats, vests, overalls, boots, shoes, wicker settees and other pieces of furniture, brooms, baskets and tents. Nevertheless, because the demand for fresh water by the hospital was so great, approximately three-quarters of the streams flow was diverted into the hospital's water system, and the streams remaining flow was inadequate to efficiently carry the sewage on downstream. In 1852, the hospital's name changed again, at least informally, this time to The Maryland Hospital for the Insane at Baltimore. In the following year, 1871, the General Assembly did pass a law that provided Mr. Hopkins with the protection that he requested, on the condition that the property be used as a hospital and for no other purpose. The Maryland Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved the sale of the Spring Grove Hospital Center's 175-acre campus in Catonsville to the University . The purchase was completed in 1853, but construction of the new buildings was delayed by the Civil War, and the hospital was not finally completed until 1872,[5] when it was described by one contemporary as "one of the largest and best appointed Insane Asylums in the United States".[6]. To a large extent, the near-explosion of new construction that occurred at Spring Grove in the 1950s and early 1960's stemmed from a series of expose's that were published inthe Baltimore Sun newspaper in 1949. As noted above, politics came to the fore again when the original commissioners were reappointed (Acts of 1868). However, it is possible that the Hospital did operate simultaneously at both locations for at least a a brief period of time until all the patients, furniture and equipment could be transferred. Tawes Building (originally called 'the Infirmary') in 1962; and the The State also maintained ownership. Founded in 1797 as a general medical and psychiatric retreat, Spring Grove Mental Hospital is the second oldest continuously operating psychiatric hospital in the United States. Presumably, if any additional patients remained at the Baltimore location after the new hospital at Spring Grove officially opened on October 7, 1872, these patients were transferred to Spring Grove fairly quickly afterwards; most of the old hospital had been razed by the end of 1873. Work on the building stopped in 1862 and was not resumed until 1868. To see a summary of the Hospital's 1951 Report to the Governor (includes information about treatments, staffing levels, new construction, and census) click HERE. Note: Spring Grove wishes to gratefully acknowledge that much of the above information was provided through the courtesy of the Maryland State Archives. Spring City, PA 19475. The Center is also the host site of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, a world-renowned research institution that focuses on identifying the causes and cure for schizophrenia. It held 362 patients by 1880, and 461 by 1893. Although certainly not suggested in the 1857 report, an alternative explanation for the much higher 'cure rate' for the private patients could have been , of course, that they may very well have received better care and treatment than the public patients -- and, just like today, the private patients were probably more likely to have had housing available to them in the community. Although the completion of the Foster-Wade Building was the major construction project at Spring Grove in the 1920s, it should be noted that a large (100 bed) addition was added at the south end of the Main Building in 1926. Records indicate that as early as 1848 the Governor of Maryland had asked for a proposal to substantially expand the existing hospital. [8] Additional plans include expansion of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County campus south of Wilkens Avenue to the Spring Grove campus, where the university still has the rights to a portion of the property. Read more 0 Founded in 1797, Spring Grove is the nation's second-oldest psychiatric hospital, though until recently operated as a medical and surgical hospital as well. Of note is the fact that the referenced portion of the west wing was the structure that had been the original, c. 1798 building. Records from the period indicate that a number of children were admitted to the Maryland Hospital, although most patients were adults. At end of the nineteenth century more than 1000 mentally ill persons in Maryland were being kept in prisons and in almshouses, and, although a number of steps had been taken over the years to increase its capacity at Spring Grove well beyond the 325 beds for which it had originally been designed, admission to Spring Grove was not possible for many of the mentally ill persons in prisons and almshouses individuals because the hospital had reached -- and often exceeded -- its capacity. Jointly operated by the City of Houston and Harris County, Jefferson Davis was the first publicly-owned hospital to accept low-income patients however, it only did so for the next 13 years. Spring Grove Hospital Center in Baltimore, MD is not nationally ranked in any specialty. Main Building (1853) had been built in accordance with the previous era's 'Kirkbride' plan of institutional design -- a plan that led to the construction of hospitals that consisted essentially of a single, imposing, often immense, even monolithic building. I worked three twelves normally but would pick up overtime and picked up a night shift. Note: Despite his 'founder' status, despite Dr. Steuart's many other contributions, and despite the fact that he held the title of 'President of the Maryland Hospital' for many years (almost to the time of his death), there has never been a 'Sprigg-Steuart Building' at Spring Grove. The Main Building had a The Red Brick Apartments were constructed in 1951, and the The Springfield still operates as a mental health facility. At that point the Retreat was either abandoned or restyled as The Public Hospital (of Baltimore). This house built in 1739 is said to be haunted by two families. Springfield was built according to what was called the 'cottage' plan, a scheme that called for a series of relatively small, often modest, patient 'cottages' that, while separate from each other, were frequently interconnected by covered walkways or porticos. The fear is real at Pennhurst! A heavy emphasis was placed upon the healing power of restful sleep, and, accordingly, patients were segregated by illness and level of activity so that the more disturbed patients were less likely to interrupt the rest of those patients who were recovering. Despite further appropriations of $15,000 in 1856; $25,000 in 1858; another $25,000 in 1859; and $100,000 in 1860 (Acts of 1858, and Acts of 1860), construction progressed slowly -- and had stopped completely by the onset of the Civil War. A second Maryland state psychiatric hospital, originally called the 'Second Hospital for the Insane' (now known as In the first place a new Hospital would require more time before it could be made useful than a colony directed from this place. It may originally have been referred to as the 'Maryland State Lunatic Asylum [at] Spring Grove.' New buildings provided stables and other farm buildings; a laundry; upholstery, shoe, tin, and metal shops; dormitories; and employee housing. For example, it Baltimore, MD 21228-4663. It looks like your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. 3,120 were here. An For example, a report made to the House of Delegates by 'The Committee on the Part of the House of Delegates Appointed to Visit and Inspect the Maryland Hospital' (1834) indicates that the west wing of the building was in such bad repair that it was not being used. The report also indicates that there was significant disagreement over funding for furnishings and operating costs. ), It should be noted that J. Crawford Neilson not only was the architect that designed the Main Building, he oversaw its construction during the 19 years that passed between the start of construction, in 1853, and its completion, in 1872. Enoch Pratt was among the distinguished local citizens who were affiliated with the Maryland Hospital in its early days. They should not be considered safe or appropriate for modern consumption. the Main Building. . However, records from the early 1890s indicate that the Spring Grove executive staff lobbied against the creation of a second administratively independent State psychiatric hospital. Of course the hospital's main 'business' was farming. In view of the fact that a substantial sum of money ($18,000) was appropriated to the hospital in 1799, it seems unlikely that the whole of the new building was completed by the end of 1798. However, as seen in the hospital's annual reports, a wide variety of other articles were also produced. [Roh, George H. 'The Relation of Pelvic Disease and Psychical Disturbances in Women. The additions were probably completed in stages, but the order of completion is not known. *This four-year absence refers to the fact that the Board of Visitors of the Maryland Hospital had been replaced in 1864, during the third year of the Civil War, after most members refused to sign an oath of loyalty to the Union. On October 27, 1852 the commission purchased 136 acres of land, near the town of Catonsville, Maryland (five miles southwest of Baltimore City). Their efforts were rewarded when, on November 2, 1797 (Spring Grove's official 'birthday'), the Legislature passed an act to authorize the erection of the facility. That figure represented 8% of the total number of the 130 patients at the Hospital on that date. Records indicate that the Catonsville facility was originally intended to house 200-250patients (Acts of 1852), but, by the time of its completion, it was said to have been able to comfortably accommodate a maximum of 325. (See below. To view one of the records of an African-American patient of Spring Grove from the hospital's Centennial year, 1897, click on the image to the above right. (Note: Dr. John Mackenzie continued to serve as one of the hospital's treating physicians after 1834, and so, presumably, he did not stop admitting his private patients to the facility. Also in 1853, one of the just four new 'public' patient admissions in that year was an African-American female. In an 1896 the Hospital's new superintendent, Dr. J. Percy Wade, wrote: 'A local telephone, connecting the main office with all the wards, stable, carpenter shop and engine-room, has been installed and gives complete satisfaction. When established, it was remote from the City, now it is surrounded by buildings on every side, subjecting the patients to the noises and excitements around them; and they, in their turn, disturbing the population by which this building is surrounded. In 1911, the hospital treated 597 patients (though not all at one time). Please enable JavaScript in your browser. Reportedly, his original intent had been to build his hospital on his 330 acre country estate, Clifton, north of the 19th-century Baltimore City limits. The The new building was built in the Italianate style and was originally designed to hold 250 patients. The hospital's annual report to the Governor in 1876 indicates that restraints were applied to about 2% of the patient population. It would seem that the lobbying efforts of Dorothea Dix in this regard provided the extra 'push' necessary to get the General Assembly to act. [10] The Maryland Board of Public Works voted 21 to approve the sale of the campus, with Hogan and Treasurer Dereck E. Davis supporting the lease agreement and Comptroller Peter Franchot dissenting, on May 15, 2022.[11][12]. For about a period of time after the State resumed full control in 1834, physician services at the hospital were provided by a number of Baltimore physicians, including John Mackinzie -- each of whom were to have served gratuitously for one year. This accusation was made in the literary work, Despite the new construction and other improvements, by 1839 the facility had become badly overcrowded. From the beginning, the Main Building had running water, flush toilets, gas lighting and forced air central heating. One of the structures that had been part of Sunnyside Farm when it was purchased by Spring Grove was a building that became known as 'The Dairy House.' Between 1836 and 1840, the patient population expanded rapidly. However, early histories of the hospital indicate that all remaining patients were all transferred on October 7th. An annual report published in December 1877 (five years after the new facility opened at Spring Grove) notes that as of that time, the Maryland Hospital for the Insane at Spring Grove was treating 18 African-American patients, and by1896 it was caring for 45 African-American patients (24 male and 21 female).. Installation of the Hospital's 'Electric Light Plant' (a steam-powered electric generator) was begun in 1896 and was completed in the following year. Spring Grove Hospital Center was founded in 1797 and is the second oldest psychiatric hospital in the United States (The oldest being Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia, which was founded in 1773). Get Directions CONTACT I was working in the NICU which happened to also be on the fourth floor but on the opposite side. A somewhat ironic, and perhaps stigmatizing, passage from report reads: 'Spring Grove is not, and never has been, and may never be, an Asylum for the Insane. and that, at the same time, a significant amount of uncollected money was owed to the Hospital. The source of the funds for the purchase price are not known, although they may have been charged against the $8,000 that was appropriated by the General Assembly in January 1798. It was cut off from the rest of the world and it very quickly became overcrowded and out of control. Nevertheless, there is implied evidence that the Retreat's building temporarily became the new hospital immediately after the property was purchased for that purpose from Captain Yellott by the City of Baltimore in May of 1798 (see below). (The Annual report of that year suggests that, unlike any of the other units in the hospital, the single African-American ward served both male and females patients.) A group of commissioners was appointed by the Maryland General Assembly. According to a 'History of Baltimore, Maryland', published in 1898, the 1794 Retreat was considered to have been 'the first hospital established in Baltimore.' While the problems cited in the 'Maryland's Shame' articles existed in all of the state hospitals and custodial institutions (such as facilities for the mentally retarded) the problems seems to be particularly severe at Spring Grove -- in part because approximately a third of its patient population was being cared for and treated in the aging Main Building, a structure that in 1949 was nearly 100 years old and considered by all to be a firetrap. Convenient to DC, Baltimore and BWI airport, our 180-acre wooded campus feels more like a college setting. Plays on the grounds of Spring Grove Hospital Center at the, This page was last edited on 5 April 2023, at 20:16. The 'lodges' themselves, two of which are still standing (see In 1797, the same year that Baltimore was incorporated as a city, Captain Yellott and his associates petitioned the Maryland General Assembly for assistance in upgrading the Retreat to a larger hospital. 5932 Colonial Valley Rd Spring Grove, PA 17362 Get directions Edit business info Sponsored Paint & Enjoy 1 10.9 miles away from Kim's Krypt Haunted Mill At Paint and Enjoy, we offer a fun time for everyone - regardless of your previous painting experience. The Hillcrest Building (see above) wasalso constructed in the 1920s. Laundry Building. X. . This action, of course, raised the specter of the State losing its entire investment through foreclosure should the General Assembly continue to refuse to appropriate additional funding. His recommended plan for hospital design called for a monumental 'centre building' (in accordance with the classical tastes of the time). Although construction was started in 1853, the Main Building was not substantially completed and ready for full occupancy until 1872. For example, he reportedly donated billiards tables in the years 1863 and 1879. For example, records indicate that during the yellow fever epidemic of 1819, 145 yellow fever 'victims' were admitted to the City Hospital of Baltimore (the then contemporary name for Spring Grove), 85 of whom died. All rights reserved. ', According to historic information obtained from Johns Hopkins Hospital, the old buildings of the Maryland Hospital for the Insane at Baltimore were mostly demolished by the time that John Hopkins died, on Christmas Eve, 1873 - although reportedly Mr. Hopkins never saw formal plans for the hospital that would eventually bear his name. Accordingly, following legal actions initiated by neighbors, the hospital was forced to abandon its original, rather simplistic, sewage disposal system shortly after the Main Building opened. ), Between 1909 and 1922, under the superintendence of Dr. Percy Wade, the hospital's land holdings were systematically expanded to 506 acres. Rehabilitation Services Social Work Volunteer Services Main Number (Operator/Page) 410.402.6000 Toll Free Number (Operator) 866.734.3337 Chief Executive Office: 410.402.7455 Fax: 410.402.7094 Admissions Office ( 24-hour): 410.402.7398 Hospital Police: 410.402.7937 Medical Student Office: 410.402.7455 Fax: 410.402.7094 Questions, Ideas or Concerns? Dr. Sprigg-Steuart, who at the time held the title of President and Medical Superintendent of the Maryland Hospital for the Insane , contributed $1000 of his private funds towards the purchase price. Accordingly, despite oral history that supports its existence at Spring Grove, it is not clear if the 'Inebriate Asylum' ever actually operated at the site. For that reason, May 18, 1798 (the date that the property was purchased) is sometimes considered to be the anniversary of the founding of the hospital, since that seems to be the date that 'the Retreat' officially became a hospital and public psychiatric facility. These include the original Subsequently, the hospital was formally renamed as the Maryland Hospital for the Insane at Spring Grove, and it was placed under a new board of managers appointed by the governor (Acts of 1876). However, this also proved to be unsatisfactory because odors from the cesspools easily found their way into the interior of the building, and, understandably, the patients and attendants complained. This page was last edited on 12 July 2020, at 11:19. Of 1868 ) normally but would pick up overtime and picked up a shift... 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