The Athens Asylum

 

When was this "asylum" opened, and what did it look like? Did it follow Kirkbride's design? 

The Athens Asylum for the Insane opened in 1874 and closed in 1993. It was a Kirkbride Plan mental hospital in Athens, Ohio. The main building included a central administration building that provided separate wings for men and women. The hospital had room for up to 572 patients, which was about double what Kirkbride recommended. The hospital included some supplementary buildings such as a Dairy barn but was not entirely self-sustaining. The grounds contained ponds, gardens, and fountains that were intended to enhance the mental health of patients. 

 

What was this institution's original intent?

The hospital originally served Civil War veterans suffering from PTSD (although at the time the diagnosis for this did not exist). The hospital also treated women, children, the elderly, the homeless, rebellious teenagers, and violent criminals suffering from a variety of mental illnesses and physical disabilities. The 44 women who were institutionalized in the first three years of operations were due to issues with childbirth, issues with life transitions, and menstrual derangements. Between 1874 and 1877 81 men and one woman were placed in the hospital due to masturbation-induced insanity. The asylum became well known for its practice of lobotomy, hydrotherapy, electroshock therapy, restraint, and psychotropic drugs. 

 

How many people lived, worked, and died there?

The hospital stared with 39 men and 44 women. By the 1950s the hospital housed 1800 patients. In the 1960s a record 2000 patients were being treated at Athens. By 1981 the hospital housed fewer than 300 patients. At least 2000 patients died at Athens during the years it was open. Only 1700 of the names were recorded. 

 

Were bad conditions ever exposed to the public? How?

The hospitals darker practices were not exposed to the public and the hospital did not gain much public attention until the 1970s when one of the patients, Margaret Schilling, mysteriously disappeared. Her body was found a month later in an unoccupied wing of the hospital naked and decomposing. Her body left a stain on the floor. The mystery surrounding her death made news headlines. 

 

 

Would you have wanted “treatment” in this institution?

Although aspects of this hospital were redeemable, including the fact that it followed a Kirkbride plan, had scenic grounds, and provided incredible freedoms to some of the patients, I do not think I would have taken my chances with this place. The fact that this asylum is best known for its practice of lobotomy is enough to scare me away. The fact that menopause was reason enough to be committed is also pretty disturbing to me. The hospital appeared to view women as crazy in general. Patients were often restrained forced to sleep in group bunks intended for one person. The staff to patient ratio was sometimes as high as 50:1. 

 

References

Beatty, Elizabeth, and Marjorie Stone. Getting to Know Athens County. Athens, Ohio: The Stone House, 1984. 

Ziff, Katherine. "Asylum and Community: Connections Between the Athens Lunatic Asylum and the Village of Athens, 1867-1893." Ph.D. diss., Ohio University, 2004. 

https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2018/summer/statement/the-athens-asylum-was-the-forefront-treatment-in-the-19th-century

http://www.weirdus.com/states/ohio/abandoned/ridges_asylum/