Northampton State Hospital

Northampton State Hospital

Author: J. Michael Moore

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 1467122262

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Northampton State Hospital, established in 1856, was built with the optimistic spirit of humanitarian reform. For many years, it was run by Dr. Pliny Earle, a champion of treatment that combined individualized care with manual labor, religious worship, recreation, and amusement. This vision was overwhelmed as the hospital was called upon to care for ever-larger numbers of people with varying needs. By the mid-20th century, the hospital was an isolated small "city," with hundreds of employees caring for more than 2,000 patients in overcrowded and inadequate conditions. It became a nationally important center of political and legal struggle over the role of state hospitals in the care of the mentally ill. After being gradually phased out, the hospital was closed in 1993, and the buildings, though listed in the National Register of Historic Places, were demolished in 2006. This volume brings to life the 135-year story of Northampton State Hospital through beautiful and haunting photographs drawn from the collections of Historic Northampton, the city's local history museum.


A Panorama Tour of the Northampton State Hospital

A Panorama Tour of the Northampton State Hospital

Author: Mark Roessler

Publisher:

Published: 2018-11

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781945473753

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Built in 1856 and demolished in 2006, the Northampton State Hospital (or Old Main, as it was known locally) was designed by pioneers in the field of mental health and treatment. Situated on a hilltop with views of the Connecticut River Valley, the hospital was intended as a retreat where people who were mentally ill could heal in a bucolic setting, working on a farm run by fellow patients. Eventually, though, over-crowding and underfunding threatened the founders' more honorable intentions. Through more than fifty panoramic images taken around and inside the historic building, this book offers a unique opportunity to explore this historic psychiatric hospital again. Wander the grounds at will. Circumnavigate the entire sprawling institution. Go inside. Walk the halls, visit the theater, look inside rooms, peer out windows, and climb the stairs to the attic. Explore what once was.


Hospital Hill

Hospital Hill

Author: Katherine Anderson

Publisher:

Published: 2016-01-01

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 9780692612842

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After almost three decades of living and working at Northampton Hospital for the insane, it's time for Valerie Martin to make a change and watch as the hospital closes its doors for good. But Northampton isn't done with her. Fifteen years later and weeks before retirement she finds herself back within its walls completing one last task for the department. A job that will uncover a dark and disturbing secret the hospital has kept hidden for years. As she digs further into the mystery, she must relive her memories and her own time at Northampton Hospital; something that may change her forever. Welcome back to Hospital Hill