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 Experts
in the psychological field would never have predicted we would medicate people
rather than have them in controlled environments. The Norwich State Hospital
opened its doors in 1904 to the insane with ninety-five patients in one building
on over 100 acres.
One of the hospital’s first superintendents believed that mechanical restraint
of patients was preferable to medication and believed in hydrotherapy as a
treatment measure. The Board of the hospital quickly realized the population was
exceeding what was safe. In 1905, two patient buildings were built with a third
opening in 1907.
Thirteen buildings were erected for patients during the next eight years and in
1913 with a population of 998, an administration building, three cottages for
physicians, a carpenter and maintenance shop, a main kitchen, garage,
laboratory, staff house, and an employees’ club house had been erected and the
inebriate farm and the Colony had been established.
Seven new buildings were built between 1920 and 1930 and another building was
purchased for patients’ use. In 1929, the hospital peaked with 1,115 patients
while in 1930 the average daily census reached 2,422. At this point, in addition
to new patient facilities, two more cottages were erected for physicians, a
female employees’ home, a paint shop, a greenhouse, a superintendent’s
residence, and two garages were built.
Tubercular patients were housed between 1931 and 1939 in one patient building
called Seymour which led to the closure of the “Pines” buildings. Two more
cottages for physicians, male employees’ home, and a nurse’s home were also
built. World War II had impact on the staff at Norwich State Hospital with the
nursing staff being reduced by more than 57 percent, a loss of 30 nurses, and
146 aides. Nursing employees for the first time only made up 44 percent of the
total staff.
Non-nursing staff increased by more than 32 percent while the daily census
fluctuated slightly and increased to 2,574 by 1945. In 1941, affiliations for
occupational therapy students lead to the increase of the number of occupational
therapists to 28 by 1945. The average daily census climbed to 2,799 by the end
of 1950 while many new buildings were added to the complex hospital between 1950
and 1962.
During this era, each time a new patient building was constructed, an old
building was closed. It is important to realize all the buildings currently
standing at Norwich State Hospital were never fully occupied at the same time
and many of them left abandoned even before the hospital officially closed. In
1956, the Lodge building was completed which resulted in patients from Butler,
Cutter, and Dix were transferred and these buildings no longer used for
patients. [
Read more ]
Source:
Associated Content
Abandoned Asylum
Associated Content
Associated Content - The Future of NSH
Asylum
Projects - Norwich State Hospital
Connecticut State Library - NSH Archives
Netalive - NSH
for the Insane
New
England Ruins
Norwich Bulletin (8-11-2007)
Norwich Bulletin (8-12-2007)
Opacity.us - Norwich State Hospital
Wikipedia
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