Cherokee State Hospital
| Cherokee State Hospital | |
|---|---|
 Historical postcard image of the administration. | |
| Construction Began | 1884 |
| Opened | 1902 |
| Current Status | Active/Preserved |
| Building Style | Kirkbride Plan |
| Architect(s) | Henry F. Liebbe |
| Location | Cherokee, Iowa |
| Architecture Style | Kirkbride Plan |
| Peak Patient Population | 1,725 in 1945 |
| Alternate Names |
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The Cherokee State Hospital is a psychiactric hospital located in Cherokee Iowa. It is currently the fourth and last institution to be built in Iowa. It is still in operation with a special treatment program for drug addicts and alcoholics. It is preserved to look like it did when it first opened.
History
This hospital was the last of the four state mental hospitals to be built in Iowa and the only one where the main building, a connected complex in Kirkbride plan, was fully completed before the hospital was opened to patients. The architects were an Iowa firm, Josselyn and Taylor, and the overall form and massing of component portions of the building suggests a French chateau, while the small-scale decorative motifs are those of the Queen Anne Revival Style. The functional arrangements reflect a moderately conservative approach for the times in the care of mental illness.
From the "BOARD OF CONTROL OF STATE INSTITUTIONS, From Iowa Official Register 1909-1910" pages 262-269 Superintendent-M. NELSON VOLDENG, M.D. First Assistant Physician-BENJAMIN R. McALLASTER, M.D. Second Assistant Physician-T.L. LONG, M.D. Third Assistant Physician-HARRY D. EARL, M.D. Woman Physician-LENA A. BEECH, M.D. Steward-A.J. RAE Matron-ELLA McNIVEN
The allowance for support is $15 per capita until population exceeds 600, then $14 per capita per month until population exceeds 750, when it is reduced to $13 per capita per month. When the population exceeds 900 the per capita per month allowance is to be $12. The excess over $12 per capita per month is paid from the state treasury.
This institution was the place where Dr. Walter Freeman, "The Lobotomist" had killed a patient when he stepped back for a photo.[1]
Images of Cherokee State Hospital
Main Image Gallery: Cherokee State Hospital
