Taunton Hosptial of Massachuetts - Emily Gobi

Let's talk about...Taunton State Hospital in the early 20th century. 

When was this "asylum" opened, and what did it look like? Did it follow Kirkbride's design?  
This hospital opened in 1854 under the name "State Lunatic Hospital at Taunton". The original building - which did follow Kirkbride's design - was erected on a 154-acre farm alongside the Mill River in town. Over the years, the complex was further developed to eventually consist of forty different buildings across the acreage. 

From asylumprojects.org: "The building boasted all of the modern conveniences: central heat, running water, sewer and central ventilation. It contained a chapel, kitchen, bakery, laundry, dining rooms, apartments for staff, washrooms, parlors, open-air verandas and "patient" rooms. Some patient rooms were dormitory style and others private. Private rooms were an innovation and reflected the institution's concern for its inhabitants who would now be called "patients" and not "inmates." (https://www.asylumprojects.org/index.php/Taunton_State_Hospital)

(You can find more pictures from 2008, of the hospital in disrepair, here: https://www.abandonedamerica.us/taunton-state-hospital)
 

What was this institution's original intent?
Taunton Hospital was commissioned in 1851 by the Massachusetts General Court to help relieve the overcrowding at Worcester Hospital, which at the time was the only mental health hospital in the state. Because it was a Kirkbride building, it also aimed to provide the most current services to individuals suffering from mental illness. 

Who were the patients there? Do narratives of their experiences exist?
One of the most famous patients of Taunton Hospital was Lizzie Borden, who claimed she was held in the asylum after being accused of murdering her parents in Fall River in 1892; records show she was only held in the complex's jail. In 1902, a nurse by the name of Jane Toppan (sometimes known as 'Jolly Jane'; here's a fascinating article on her life: https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/jolly-jane-toppan-killer-nurse-obsessed-death/) was convicted of killing 31 one people. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and was subsequently committed to Taunton for the rest of her life, dying in 1938. I was unable to accounts of her specific time in the hospital, and there were no accounts on other patients either.

Jane Toppan

 









What was the patients' experience like in that institution, and did that change over the course of the institution's history?
Taunton was said to be different in many ways from other institutions at the time, encouraging patients to go outside, get fresh air, and engage in "occupational therapy" tasks such as working on the complex's farm (http://spookysouthcoast.com/a-look-at-the-taunton-state-hospital/). Still, the hospital was a product of the times and still used things such as water therapy - dunking patients into freezing water and then exposing them to extreme cold to help them "snap out of" their ailments. In addition, electroshock therapy was quite popular and used for a variety of diagnoses. (https://www.tauntongazette.com/article/20120129/NEWS/301299942). 
As science discovered more about mental illness, the treatments changed to reflect what was believed to be most effective to heal patients. Still, most people, once committed, spent the remainder of their lives in hospital. 
There are rumors and unverified documentation that states unwilling patients were often brought into the basement by nurses and doctors to engage in Satanic rituals. This is the basis to the theory that Taunton was one of the most haunted institutions in the country (http://www.the13thfloor.tv/2016/12/20/america-most-haunted-asylum-taunton-hospital-of-massachusetts/). There is even documentation stating that Satan himself once showed up (http://www.hauntedtravelsusa.com/me/haunted-travels-usa/taunton-state-hospital-9013.html). Make of that what you will! 


Did the institution, its services, and patients change over time?
Beginning in the 1930s, Taunton added  juvenile facilities, crisis centers, sick wards, and group homes to the complex, thereby expanding the type of patients they would accept - and the type of treatments they would offer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taunton_State_Hospital). 

How many people lived, worked, and died there?
Within two months of opening, Taunton received 250 patients. By 1873, there were 500 patients housed at the complex. There are no reports of suspicious deaths within the hospital, but many people died of "natural causes" after spending their lives in the asylum. In 2012, shortly before final closing, there were 169 patients in the facility. (https://www.telegram.com/article/20120124/NEWS/120129750). I was unable to find information about numbers of staff.

Were bad conditions ever exposed to the public? How? 
The 'bad" conditions at Taunton were the same treatments being used in other hospitals, and there are reports of exposes. However, the main buildings were shut down in 1978 following rumors of abuse and neglect (http://spookysouthcoast.com/a-look-at-the-taunton-state-hospital/). I was able to find vague descriptions like, "the people who ran the place were more terrifying than the patients" but no stories or details. Strange. 

Would you have wanted "treatment" in this institution? Overall, this institution seemed to be aimed at true healing and recovery, even if they didn't always go about this in the best way. Being in an institution in the late 1800s/early 1900s seems like it was terrible everywhere, so no - I would not have wanted to be a patient, especially given reports that once admitted, most people were never released. 

Sources:
https://www.newbedfordguide.com/the-lunatics-mentally-ill-and-ghosts-of-the-state-lunatic-hospital-in-taunton/2018/10/30?print=print
https://www.tauntongazette.com/article/20120129/NEWS/301299942
http://www.the13thfloor.tv/2016/12/20/america-most-haunted-asylum-taunton-hospital-of-massachusetts/
http://spookysouthcoast.com/a-look-at-the-taunton-state-hospital/
http://www.hauntedtravelsusa.com/me/haunted-travels-usa/taunton-state-hospital-9013.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taunton_State_Hospital
https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/jolly-jane-toppan-killer-nurse-obsessed-death/
https://www.telegram.com/article/20120124/NEWS/120129750