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Featured Article Of The Week
Atlantic County Insane Asylum
The county insane asylum is located at 201 Shore road, at Smithslanding, in the borough of Pleasantville. The building is of brick and was erected in 1895. At a meeting of the Board of Freeholders, in the early part of that year (January 9th) Tobias L. McConnell, steward of the almshouse, suggested to the board the wisdom of providing means for taking care of the insane patients of the county on the almshouse property. The question was discussed informally and referred to a special committee to inquire into the practicability of the suggestion and report at a subsequent meeting of the board. The reason behind this suggestion was to save county money housing the chronic and incurable insane of the county.
At the following meeting, held on March 13th, the committee reported through Freeholder John T. Irving, that they had visited the asymlums of Camden and Burlingotn Counties, and the results in both counties were very satisfactory, both as to the condition of the patients and the cost of maintenance. The committee was thereupon instructed to procure an approximate estimate of the cost of a building suited to the needs of Atlantic County. Two months later this committee reported an approximate estimate of the cost of maintaining the proposed county lunatic asylum at $3,500 annually after deducting the amount to be derived from the State. The following resolution was therefore adopted: "Resolved, That a committee of seven be appointed to secure plans, invite proposals and award a contract for the erection of an insane asylum and that work on the same be commenced and pushed to completion at the earliest possible date."
Mr. Irving offered a second resolution, which was also adopted, providing for an issue of county bonds, not exceeding $25,000 in the aggregate, to pay for the proposed asylum. Plan were prepared by William G. Hoopes, architect, proposals were invited and the contract awarded on August 13, 1895 to J. Summerill Smith, of Atlantic City, for the sum of $21,490. Click here for more...
