Difference between revisions of "Penetanguishene Mental Health Centre"
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Where the hospital differed from its neighbouring non-criminal hospitals for the insane was largely in its physical structure and security procedures. The building was small compared to most hospitals in the province with only 152 beds at opening, doubling in size later in 1957. It was a U-shaped design with four patient wards running the length of each of the two-storey wings. The exterior was of a simple brick design with little in the way of ornamentation. The windows featured metal bars and the yards were surrounded by high fencing. Patient rooms included a standard bed, desk, toilet, and sink with heavy prison-like doors.<ref>[https://historyexhibit.waypointcentre.ca/exhibits/show/origins/establishing-oak-ridge Bazar, J. L. (2015). Establishing "Oak Ridge." In J. L. Bazar (Ed.), Remembering Oak Ridge Digital Archive and Exhibit.]</ref> | Where the hospital differed from its neighbouring non-criminal hospitals for the insane was largely in its physical structure and security procedures. The building was small compared to most hospitals in the province with only 152 beds at opening, doubling in size later in 1957. It was a U-shaped design with four patient wards running the length of each of the two-storey wings. The exterior was of a simple brick design with little in the way of ornamentation. The windows featured metal bars and the yards were surrounded by high fencing. Patient rooms included a standard bed, desk, toilet, and sink with heavy prison-like doors.<ref>[https://historyexhibit.waypointcentre.ca/exhibits/show/origins/establishing-oak-ridge Bazar, J. L. (2015). Establishing "Oak Ridge." In J. L. Bazar (Ed.), Remembering Oak Ridge Digital Archive and Exhibit.]</ref> | ||
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| + | ==Cemetery== | ||
| + | From 1904 to 1970 this cemetery was the burial place for many of the long-term patients who lived out the latter part of their lives at the psychiatric hospital on this site. There are approximately 300 graves at the cemetery, now known as "Asylum Point Cemetery". | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
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[[Category:Ontario]] | [[Category:Ontario]] | ||
| − | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Preserved Institution]] |
[[Category:Cottage Plan]] | [[Category:Cottage Plan]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Institution With A Cemetery]] | ||
Revision as of 23:00, 6 December 2015
| Penetanguishene Mental Health Centre | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1859 |
| Construction Began | 1862 |
| Construction Ended | 1882 |
| Opened | 1903 (as a psychiatric hospital) |
| Current Status | Preserved |
| Building Style | Cottage Plan |
| Location | Penetanguishene , ON |
| Alternate Names |
|
History
In 1859 the government of Canada established a reformatory for boys as an alternative to imprisoning young offenders alongside adult criminals. The first young inmates were housed temporarily in an abandoned military barracks nearby and were put to work quarrying stone for their new quarters under supervision. They erected this building in four phases between 1861 and 1880.
On August 15, 1904 the Asylum for the Insane, Penetanguishene officially opened on the grounds of the former Reformatory for Boys. The first admissions consisted of 50 patients who transferred from the Asylum for the Insane, Mimico (today Etobicoke, Ontario). The institution - now known as the regional division of the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care - has remained in continuous operation since that time, adapting its practices as mental health treatments have changed.
The Asylum initially occupied the stone building complex that had been constructed by the boys of the Reformatory only two decades earlier. Minor alterations were made to the structure, including the addition of a slate roof. In stark constrast to earlier reports by Reformatory administrators, the building received high praise from Asylum administrators.
A 1930 report by the Royal Commission on Public Welfare - known as the "Ross Report" for Chairman P. D. Ross - identified a number of major weaknesses in Ontario's public institution system. Among these was the lack of segregation of different types of patients/inmates within the institutions and, especially, the need to provide a separate building for the criminally insane.
The hospital served as an active treatment center until 1972 the original building now houses the administrative offices of the mental health center. The remainder of the property is now used by the Central North Correctional Centre.
Criminal Insane Building
Oak Ridge opened on the grounds of the Ontario Hospital, Penetanguishene on February 21, 1933. It was known at the time as the "Criminal Insane Building" (C.I.B.) although was more often referred to as simply the "New Building." The first patients were all transfers from the psychiatric wing of the Guelph Reformatory.
A certain amount of apprehension went into the planning and preparation for the institution's opening. Given the high unemployment rate in the region due to the economic downturn of the 1930s and the macabre curiosity of viewing 100 "criminally insane" men, a large crowd was anticipated. In the weeks leading up to the transfer, administrators and provincial officials wrote back and forth daily to plan appropriate precautions. Road closures were coordinated and members of both the local and provincial police forces were enlisted to help with the transfer. The men were transferred from Guelph via a train that was specially commissioned for the event. They arrived in Penetanguishene at 1pm on February 21, 1933 in the middle of a snowstorm. The men were dressed in ordinary clothes and free of shackles.
In spite of their previous involvement with the criminal justice system, administrators in Penetanguishene assured the public that these men would be "treated as ordinary mental cases" ("Ontario Hospital addition," 1932, p. 5). In many ways they were. The day-to-day during the earliest decades of the institution was typical of psychiatric hospitals during the period. Patients were expected to take on (unpaid) employment, helping to clean the wards, serve meals, or maintain the gardens. Occupational therapy was provided with patients weaving wicker, making mattresses, and working in the woodshop. Recreation facilities - a baseball diamond in summer and a hockey rink in winter - were likewise made available along with regular religious services, movies, dances, and a school. Continuous baths were installed from the institution's opening and electro-shock treatments began in the late 1940s.
Where the hospital differed from its neighbouring non-criminal hospitals for the insane was largely in its physical structure and security procedures. The building was small compared to most hospitals in the province with only 152 beds at opening, doubling in size later in 1957. It was a U-shaped design with four patient wards running the length of each of the two-storey wings. The exterior was of a simple brick design with little in the way of ornamentation. The windows featured metal bars and the yards were surrounded by high fencing. Patient rooms included a standard bed, desk, toilet, and sink with heavy prison-like doors.[1]
Cemetery
From 1904 to 1970 this cemetery was the burial place for many of the long-term patients who lived out the latter part of their lives at the psychiatric hospital on this site. There are approximately 300 graves at the cemetery, now known as "Asylum Point Cemetery".
