Indiana State Sanatorium
| Indiana State Sanatorium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1907 |
| Construction Began | 1907 |
| Opened | 1911 |
| Closed | 2012 |
| Current Status | Closed |
| Building Style | Cottage Planned |
| Location | Rockville, IN |
| Alternate Names |
|
The Indiana State Sanatorium (1909-1968), also known as the "Indiana Tuberculosis Hospital", and formerly the Lee Alan Bryant Healthcare Facility (1978-2012), was a state-run institution designated for the treatment and care of Tuberculosis patients located in Rockville, Indiana. The facility was successful in its treatment of the disease, and the overall mortality rate decreased. The Sanatorium was shuttered in 1968 due to the low number of patients. In the mid-1970s, private investors proposed to convert the space into a nursing home. The facility now known as Lee Alan Bryant was opened in 1978, and gained a negative reputation due to understaffing which resulted the facility to be closed by the state in 2011. The property sat vacant for a decade before being purchased in December of 2020. The new owner hopes to reopen it as a mix-use facility.
History
In 1905 the state of Indiana appointed a committee to investigate the need of a state-run institution. By 1907 the state legislature appropriated $250,000 for the purchase of a site. A second committee was then created to determine where the site will should be located. The final decision was to purchase 504 acres of land east of Rockville. In 1909, the committee requested funds to build a hospital, which was soon followed by an administration building, power house, and two pavilions flanking the administration building, one for men, the other for women.[1] The main wards featured porches that stretched the entire length of the building for maximum exposure to fresh air (a common practice against Tuberculosis). By 1911, the facility was self-sufficient with a farm and workers. By 1918, a school was added to the facility. A superintendent's residence was added in 1922, which was followed by two small bungalow style houses for physicians.
The grounds underwent many changes throughout it's existence. The first major additions came in the 1950s with the addition of a chapel in 1950 and a new 5-story staff housing building (later converted into a psychiatric hospital) known as "Adams Hall." By the late 1950s, the number of patients fell considerably due to the discovery of a treatment to cure the disease. As a result, the facility could not admit enough patients to remain open and was shuttered by the state in 1968.
Lee Alan Bryant
By the 1970s, private investors and the state planned to repurpose the complex as an assisted living facility. They proposed that the build a modern new complex replacing an old Tuberculosis ward between the Administration Building and Adams Hall. This was completed in 1978, and soon opened. However, there was a lack of patients that plagued the facility. In an effort to gain more patients, the state transferred patients from other state mental institutions which resulted in the mixing of both patients deemed "mentally ill" and patients in need of assisted living care.
The mixing of patients garnered much negative attention toward the facility and became the site of numerous accidents and tragedies as a result of mistreatment and ill-conduct. In 2006, a patient reportedly went missing from the facility. Authorities later found him deceased in the woods. Another incident happened in 2009, when a disgruntled employee shot a fellow co-worker in the facility's power house. The assailant then took his own life following the murder. The facility would loose its license in 2011, only to close by 2012.
Today
The facility was purchased in 2020, and the current owner plans to redevelop the complex into a mix-use facility by restoring the 1908 Administration Building. Currently the facility offers both historical and paranormal tours.
References
- Carrington, Thomas (1911). Tuberculosis Hospital and Sanatorium Construction. New York: National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis. pp. 30–33, 60–62, 89–90.
- History of Parke and Vermillion Counties. Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen & Company. 1913. pp. 160–163.
- Matheison, Clele (1938). "Hospital Schools in the United States". Department of the Interior Bulletin (17): 13.
- "History of the Sanatorium May 3,1922". The Sanatorium Project. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- "State Sanatorium Covered Bridge (#1)". Parke County Covered Bridges. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- "History of the Sanatorium: February 2, 1950". The Sanatorium Project. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- "The Sanatorium Project". Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- "The Haunting of Indiana State Sanatorium". Youtube. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- Grunden, Ken (14 February 2006). "Man found dead three days after wandering from health care facility". Tribune Star. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- Boyce, Brian (8 August 2009). "Officials: Lee Alan Bryant employee shot coworker, killed self". Tribune Star. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- "Timeline". The Sanatorium Project. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- Hunt, Caitlin. "Parke County Sanatorium Will Be Made New Again". wthitv.com. WTHI. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- "Paranormal Investigations". The Sanatorium Project. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
