Taft State Hospital
| Taft State Hospital | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1930 |
| Opened | 1934 |
| Closed | 1970 |
| Current Status | Active |
| Building Style | Cottage Plan |
| Location | Taft, OK |
| Alternate Names |
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History
Opened in 1934 to treat only African-American patients, and was unique in the country as it was run entirely by African American staff. Taft State Hospital is one of seven psychiatric facilities in the U.S. built exclusively to care for “insane and idiotic negroes,” where the homeless and downtrodden are housed alongside the criminally insane and diseased, completely in violation of all state and national psychiatric standards. In 1941 the institution housed 738 patients in 11 wards. The chief medical officer was Dr. E. P. Henry and was assisted by Dr. E. E. Bowser & Dr. C. E. Ford. In a report in 1941, the hospital employed 3 nurses and used treatments such as; hypoglycemic shock, metrazol shock, and fever therapy.
The institution had its own laundry on site, as well as a butcher, bakery, dairy, and farmland where most of the foods used were grown and cultivated by patients.
In 1949 the State Government determined the consolidation of The Institute for Colored Blind, Deaf, and Orphans, The State Hospital for the Negro Insane, and The Training School for Negro Girls; all near Taft. The institution was then integrated in 1950.
Closed in 1970 and converted into a correctional facility.
