Difference between revisions of "Portal:Featured Article Of The Week"

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|Title= Dixmont State Hospital
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|Title= Chicago State Hospital
|Image= Dixmont_Vint_09.jpg
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|Image= Chicago.jpg
 
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|Body= The Western Pennsylvania Hospital was founded in Pittsburgh in 1848 as a general hospital that treated all types of illnesses and became the first institution in western Pennsylvania to offer treatment for the insane. When the Insane Department of the Western Pennsylvania Hospital was moved to a new building in Kilbuck Township outside of Pittsburgh in 1862 it was renamed the Western Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane at Dixmont to honor the memory of Dorothea Dix, an advocate for reforming the treatment of mental patients. The Dixmont Hospital was legally separated from the Western Pennsylvania Hospital in 1907 when it was individually incorporated as the Dixmont Hospital for the Insane. Supported by private contributions since 1852, it was primarily state appropriations that enabled the hospital to expand its facilities and care for an increasing number of mentally ill persons over the first nine decades of its existence. Despite receiving state appropriations, it nonetheless continued to operate as a private corporation until 1945 when it was taken over by the Department of Public Welfare. From that date, it operated under the name Dixmont State Hospital until it closed in July 1984.
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|Body= In 1851, the county poor farm was established at the town of Jefferson, Ill., about 12 miles northwest of Chicago. The farm consisted of 160 acres of fairly improved land and was formerly owned by Peter Ludby, who located it in 1839. Additional land was purchased in 1860 and in 1884. In 1915, the land consisted of 234 acres. By November 1854, the county poorhouse was nearly finished. The building was of brick, three stories high and a basement, and cost about $25,000.
  
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital was one of the earlier asylums built on the Kirkbride plan, with three crooked wings stretching to each side of administration; one wing for male and the other for female patients. By the end of the 1800's, the resident population grew to over 1,200 and a nursing school was established in 1895. As with most asylums, Dixmont became overcrowded to the point that it was not accepting new admissions. During the Great Depression, the hospital tried to sustain itself by paying employees only with room and board, not salaries, and sold any crafts made by patients for extra income. By 1946, the state had to step in, and the institution became known as Dixmont State Hospital.  [[Dixmont State Hospital|Click here for more...]]
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In 1858, Dr. D. B. Fonda served as the physician for the poorhouse and the insane departments. At the time, the building of the insane asylum, 200 feet south of the almshouse hospital, was contemplated.  [[Chicago State Hospital|Click here for more...]]
 
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Latest revision as of 11:54, 18 January 2026

Featured Article Of The Week

Chicago State Hospital


Chicago.jpg

In 1851, the county poor farm was established at the town of Jefferson, Ill., about 12 miles northwest of Chicago. The farm consisted of 160 acres of fairly improved land and was formerly owned by Peter Ludby, who located it in 1839. Additional land was purchased in 1860 and in 1884. In 1915, the land consisted of 234 acres. By November 1854, the county poorhouse was nearly finished. The building was of brick, three stories high and a basement, and cost about $25,000.

In 1858, Dr. D. B. Fonda served as the physician for the poorhouse and the insane departments. At the time, the building of the insane asylum, 200 feet south of the almshouse hospital, was contemplated. Click here for more...