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Featured Article Of The Week
Northern State Hospital
The institution was established in 1909 on a tract of land at Sedro-Woolley and was originally a farm for harmless patients under the direction of the superintendent of the Western Hospital at Fort Steilacoom. In 1911 the hospital was separated from the Western Hospital and quickly became the largest in the state. The new hospital opened April 1, 1911. Dr. A. H. McLeish was the first superintendent. He served until August 5, 1913 when he resigned and was succeeded by Dr. W. E. Cass. On February 1, 1914, Dr. Cass was succeeded by superintendent, Dr. J. W. Doughty, who was promoted from the position of first assistant physician at the Western Hospital for the Insane.
The hospital consisted of four cottages or ward buildings. They are two stories in height, with basement, of concrete construction, with tile roofs; strictly fireproof and arranged in accordance with the most modern and approved plans for hospital buildings of the time. Special attention was given to heating, lighting and ventilation, in order to afford the greatest degree of comfort to the patients. The kitchen building was of comprises several departments, including attendants' dining room, bakery, kitchen, refrigerating and store rooms.
A reinforced concrete tunnel, 5 feet 6 inches inside measurement, carried steam and electric lines from the power house to the patient buildings. A large amount of work was put into cleaning and cultivating additional land, building roads, grading, laying drains and sewers, cutting wood and repairing barns. Much of the construction work done up to 1914 was done with the assistance of patient labor. The population of the hospital on September 31, 1914, was 287, of which 94 were housed in temporary buildings. Click here for more...
