nth_i.pdf
Inventory No:NTH.I
Historic Name:Northampton State Hospital - Main Complex
Common Name:
Address:
City/Town:Northampton
Village/Neighborhood:Northampton
Local No:
Year Constructed:
Architect(s):
Architectural Style(s):
Use(s):Other Medical
Significance:Architecture; Community Planning; Health Medicine;
Social History
Area(s):
Designation(s):
Building Materials(s):
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This file was accessed on: Tuesday, December 17, 2019 at 3:36: PM
FORM A - AREA SURVEY
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
Office of the Secretary, State House, Boston
Form numbers in this area Area no.
A-0 i
1. Town Northampton
Name of area (if any)
2. Photo (3x3" or 3x5'^
Staple to left side of form
Photo number
Main (Vmipl PIT
3. General date or period_
IR1? 6-1938
4. is area uniform (explain):
in Style ? mostly "Elizabethan"
in condition? mostly "fair"
in type of ownership? yps - comm. of Mass.
---------- in use ? yes - institutional, now mostly
vacant,
5. Map. Use space below to draw a general map of the area involved. Indicate any historic
properties for which individual reports are completed on Forms B thru F, using corres-
ponding numbers. Show street names (including route numbers, if any) and indicate north.
Indicate with an "x" existing houses not inventoried on Form B.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS SPACE
USGS Quadrant
MHC Photo no.
6. Recorded by Ed Lonergan
OrganizationNorthampton Historical Commission
Date February, 1981
(over)
5M-2-75-R061465
7. Historical data. Explain the historical/architectural importance of this area.
The Main Complex contains the Administration Building, ten ward buildings,
a rear "working" wing and the Main Kitchen. The core of this complex is the
original "Northampton Lunatic Asylum", the third State Hospital in Massachusetts.
Dating from the late 1850's this original complex is important both for its
historical and architectural associations. Historically, the State Hospital
has played a major part in Northampton's development during the last 125 years.
The Northampton State Hospital was undoubtedly the largest single construction
project ever attempted in the region up to that time; moreover its regional
and statewide significance is broadened by the fact that it was and remains the
only such institution constructed in Western Massachusetts. On the national
level, less than forty asylums were in existence at the time of construction here, J
and the survival of most of the original structure makes it even more important.
Architecturally, the "Elizabethan" style is very rare in mid 19th century buildings
and gives the original building national significance.
*********************
The first hospital for the treatment of the insane in Massachusetts was the
McLean Asylum, a private institution which opened in Somerville, in 1818. Before that,
those afflicted had been kept in jails, almshouses, or as "shut-ins" at home. In
1832 the first State Hospital opened at Worcester, this was followed in 1854 by one
at Taunton.
In 1854 a commission on lunacy was created through the State Legislature. This
was to examine the number and condition of all "the insane and idiots" in the state,
as well as their present accommodations, and to propose the best plans for their
future management. The major recommendation of this group was that a hospital
be established in the western part of the state.
Three years earlier a report from several Western Mass. towns, including
Northampton had been sent to the State Commission on site selection for the second
State Hospital. The report has stressed the area's salubrity of air, water and
scenery. This was of importance inasmuch as the State Legislature had instructed that:
the site should be in a healthy, fertile and pleasant section of the country
and in the midst of a moral and intelligent community. The natural and
artifical scenery should be of an agreeable character; the landscape view
should be cheering; and the neighborhood should possess attractive objects
for the exercise, excursions, and vistas of the patients.*
8. Bibliography and/or references such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records,
early maps, etc.
Annual Reports: 1856-1940 Forbes Library
1945-1970 NSH Library
Daily Hampshire Gazette: NSH listings in index - Forbes Library
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
Office of the Secretary, Boston
Community:
Northampton
Form No:
A-0
Property Name:
Main Comply * *"
Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below.
7. That time Taunton had been selected, but now it was to be western Mass's turn.
In July of 1855 the committee on location of the newly created State Commission
on Lunacy visited Northampton. The State Legislature had appropriated $200,000 for
the construction of a third hospital for the insane, and Northampton was selected
because of the healthfulness of its location, beauty of its surroundings and con-
vience of access. The site chosen in town was located on the brow of a hill over-
looking the Mill River, over a mile west of the center of town. The property sloped
north and east from the brow of the hill to valuable meadowland along the river.
In this relatively undeveloped, agricultural area the 100 acre homestead and farm of
George EJ^l^wqrth and 76 additional, adjacent acres were purchased. This would
provide the new hospital with the adequate space for a working farm, as well as the
necessary privacy. The land was bounded north by the Mill River, south by the high-
way (Route 66), west by "Rocky Hill" (now known as the "drumlin") and east by farmer
Samule Day's property.
The plans for the 250-patients hospital were drawn up by Jonathan Preston, a
noted Boston architect. , The hospital was conceived of as a "kirkbride"-type of
institution", in which activities were seperated and no large structures used. The
"Elizabethan" style had been chosen to distinguish this building from the "gloomy
and prison-like styles" in which public buildings of this type had been built before.
The style, named after Elizabeth I, Queen of England during the second half of the
16th century, and prevalent during that period,had been revived in England about
1830. In America, Alexander Jackson Downing had produced designs in this manner in
his highly influential pattern books, however, the style didn't actually catch on
until the end of the 19th century. Actual buildings in the style from the mid 19th
century were rare, and their preservation even rarer.
The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1856 amidst much ceremony. The address,
delivered by Dr. Edward Jarvis, the author of the J.854 report on "Insanity and Idiocy
in Massachusetts", gave good evidence of the respected attitude of the day on the
insane: "fit subjects for hospital care, either because their diseases were of
recent origin and they could be restored by proper means, or because they were
excitable or violent and should have the protection and the restraints of a hospital
for their own security and for that of the community". Only forty years before
there had been only one hospital in the United States devoted exclusively to the treat-
ment of the insane. This had increased to 37 with four others in preparation by
1855. Northampton was selected mostly due to the "healthfulness of location, beauty
of prospect and convience of access."
It was said that "insanity is one of the most curable of severe diseases", but
the insane must be removed from the causes of the malady as they cannot usually
be healed at home. Thus, hospitals were the proper place for the insane. It was
important to detect the disease early as insanity was thought to be most curable
in its early stages. "Insanity, like the common evils of life, should be met and
removed promptly."
taple to Inventory form a' Votum
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
Office of the Secretary, Boston
Community: Form No:
A-0
Property Name:
Main Complex p3
Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below.
7. Under the cornerstone were placed: contemporary documents and paper of Northampton
(selectmen's report, school committee's report, newspapers, etc.), a copy of Dr.
Jarvis' "Insanity and Idiocy in Massachusetts", a copy of the plans and specification
of the Northampton hospital, the first report of the Hospital Building Commissioners,
and the report of the "Special Committee of the Legislature appointed to inquire
into the expediency of continuing the building, 1856". On a silver plate within the
box is inscribed:
The Corner Stone of an edifice for the Third State
Lunatic Hospital; established under Act of the
Legislature of Massachusetts; passed May 21, 1855;
Laid by the most worshipful Winslow Lewis, Grand Master
of the Grand Lodge, on the fourth of July, 1856,
the 80th anniversary of the Declaration of
American Independence. Henry J. Gardner, Governor
of the Commonwealth. Commissioners, Luther V. Bell,
Henry W. Benchley, Samuel S. Standley.
Stone for the foundation was drawn from Florence by horses, and the lumber, 2h
million feet in all, was obtained from Samuel Day, the West St. farmer and owner
of a sawmill, and from Mr. Williams of Ashfield. Six million bricks were required
of local brick yard merchants, Potter Nutting and the Day Brothers. Seven thousand
casks of lime for the mortar were supplied by the Berkshire Co. Construction con-
tractors and masons were Robert Mayers and Charles Tufts of Boston. They sublet the
carpentry to Colonel Coffin, also of Boston.
The central block was four stories high and capped by a cupola "from which the
most magnificient prospect in the Connecticut Valley can be obtained." This was
intended for the superintendent's residence and business offices, and contained a
large central rotunda.
Three-story wings extended from the main building's northern and southern ends,
giving a total length of 512 ft. Each wing was composed of three wards, the first
parallel to the facade of the central building, but stepped back; the second a
continuation of the first, but stepped back to the west again; and the third set
perpendicularly and extending westerly. The wings were segregated by sex, with the
males in the north wings and the females in the south wing. Each ward had a dining-
room on each floor, as well an an attendants room, sittingrooms and rooms with water-
closets, sinks and bath. Nearest the main block were rooms where patients might
receive their visitors, as well as rooms for the physically ill patients.Each ward has a
Staple to Inventory for™ at bo^on
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
Office of the Secretary, Boston
NTH,X
Community:
Northampton
Form No:
A-0
Property Name: Main Complex pM
Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below.
three-story bay or bow window to bring extra light into the corridors, which were
also made very wide. The 74 angular points on the building's outline affords ample
means of light and circulation of fresh air.
To the rear of the central block was a rear wing, 105 ft. in length. This
contained the kitchen, laundry, chapel and a diningroom and sittingroom for the
hospital staff.
Dr. William Henry Prince was appointed Superintendent of the "Northampton Lunatic
Hospital" in August of 1857, and oversaw the completion of the construction. On
July 1, 1858 the first patient was admitted and by October 1st of that year 228
had been admitted. Of these 16 came from the four western counties, and the others
had been transferred from the State Hospital at Worcester and the Municipal Hospital
in South Boston. Dr. Prince was assisted by a board of five trustees, and had a
staff of five salaried employees - an assistant physician, clerk, treasurer,
engineer and farmer.
Within a few years the number of patients rose to 400, the original "maximum".
In 1864 Dr. Prince resigned and was replaced by Dr. Pliny Earle. Dr. Earle had
formerly been in charge of the private Bloomingdale Asylum in New York, and had
traveled widely throughout Europe and America visiting asylums and had published
his observations and studies in several books. His "History, description and
statistics of the Bloomingdale Asylum for the Insane", published in 1843, was
the first such publication in this country. In 1860 he served as the expert
editor for the U.S. Census "Statistics of Insanity", and wrote an introductory
chapter on the causes, treatment, and curability of insanity with a special history
of the improvements in this country. Dr. Earle's best known work, "The Curability
of Insanity", grew out of his experiences at Northampton, and most of it was
first published in the Northampton State Hospital's annual reports. This book was
the most extensive collection of statistics on the insane in English and demon-
strated the complete fallacy of easy curability. Proper methods were given for
reporting recoveries, and other useful statistics.
Dr. Earle served at Northampton from 1864 until his retirement in 1885 at the
age of 76, and the institution was completely transformed under his supervision.
When he arrived the hospital was in debt and most of the inmates were paupers of
foreign parentage (predominately Irish). He believed in labor as a "genial, whole-
some and curative exercise", and by employing the patients on the farm, in the
kitchen and in the shops, he was able to reduce the cost of their support. By
1868 the hospital was out of debt, and by 1885 enough had been saved from the
Staple to Inventory form at bott om
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
Office of the Secretary, Boston
Community: Form No:
Northampton A-0
Property Nams: Main Complex p ^
Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below.
7. boarding price allowed by the state to pay $200,000.00 in expenses for land,
buildings and repairs. During this period it was reported that three-fourths
of all the work done at the hospital was done by patients.
At the beginning of the 20th century new ideas and new programs were trans-
forming public attitudes towards the mentally ill. The science of neurology had
stressed the need for mental hygiene. Non-institutional programs were believed
to hold the key to the problems of overcrowding and purely custodial care. Out-
patient clinics were set up in several towns and cities in Western Mass. to make
contacts easier. School clinics were also begun, as well as home visits by a
physician attached to the State Hospital. This physician also helped procure
homes to board out patients and probationary periods away from the hospital
were established for many patients.
However these advances couldn't stop the ever increasing admission rate. The
State Hospital increasingly became an institution for the elderly, many of them
in need of constant care. During the first five years of this century two
infirmaries were built, one at the end of each wing's second ward. These were
attached to the main complex by long corridors. Further increases in the number
of patients led to the construction of two new ward buildings, one at the end of
each wing's third ward. These were the final ward additions to this complex.
Already, attempts had been made to sell the property, because of the age of the
buildings and begin anew. Instead, construction was begun in 1925 on a new com-
plex of buildings on the southside of Prince Street.
The construction of the new Memorial Complex brought the hospital population
to over 2000. This was quite beyond the capacity of the old kitchen, located
in the Main Complex's rear wing. A new main kitchen and diningroom was con-
structed in the late 1930's to meet this problem. No longer were patients fed
in ward diningrooms.
After World War II there were repeated pleas to replace or renovate the
Main Complex, now almost a century old. In the late 1950's a total plan of
renovation begun with the South Infirmary. This proved to be so expensive, that
it was decided to totally rebuild. In 1962 the final drawings were in process
for the first building of this proposed 8 to 10 million dollar replacement com-
plex. These plans were scrapped because of the new federal programs oriented
towards Community Mental Health Centers.
Staple to Inventory form at boi-tom
1
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
Office of the Secretary, Boston
Comrnunity:
Northampton
Form No:
A-0
Property Name: „ . „
Main COT aplex f» ^
Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below.
7. The hospitals population peaked at slightly over 2500 in the late 1960's and
during the 1970's the process of de-institutionalization caused a steady drop
in numbers. The Main Complex was closed except for the administration building
and main kitchen.
: Hampshire Gazette - August 26, 1851 p.2
•* Address delivered at the Laying of the Corner Stone of the Insane Hospital
at Northampton, Massachusetts, Edward Jarvis, M.D., Northampton 1856
Staple to Inventory form at bo11om
FORM l4 - BUILDING In Area no. Form no.
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
Offip.fi of thfi Sfinr-fitarv St.at.fi TTnnsfi Rostnn
Route 66 at the intersection less of West, Chaoel, & Burt's
' Fit
\ Northampton State Hospital
UTH.X1
Northampton
M use State hospital
snt owner Comm. of Massachusetts
ription:
1856
4. Map. Draw sketch of building location
in relation to nearest cross streets and
other buildings. Indicate north.
Daily Hampshire Gazette
urce February 26. 1856
Gothic
Architect Jonathan Preston
Exterior wall fabric bri ck
Outbuildings (describe) .numerous
Other features 5 stories (central);
stone lintels; numerous elaborate
gables; wings. .
Altered additions to Date various
sides and rear Moved no Date
5. Lot size:
One acre or less Over one acre
Approximate frontage 1/4 mile on
pO NOT WRITE IN THIS SPACE
USGS Quadrant
EVLHC Photo no.
Approximate distance of bui'f&ng3from street
%mile from West Street
6. Recorded by Q. Dubie
ED
Organization Northampton Historical
Commission
Date August 30, 1975
ff 8 6 ^76 (over)
20M-5-73-075074
MASS
7. Original owner (if known) Cnnimnn^l-^S of Massachusetts
Original use State mental hospital
Subsequent uses (if any) and dates same
8. Themes (check as many as applicable)
Aboriginal
Agricultural
Architectural
The Arts
Commerce
Communication
Community development
Conservation
Education
Exploration/
settlement
Industry
Military
Political
Recreation
Religion
Science/
invention
Social/
humanitarian
Transportation
and
as
9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above)
The state hospital at Northampton, built in 1856, was the
third state mental institution in Massachusetts, tne Worcester
Taunton facilities having preceded it. Northampton was chosen
the site for the hospital, as well as for the county House of
Correction in 1851, because of the pleasant environment and
accesssibility of the town on the '-onnecticut River. The capacity
of the "Northampton Lunatic Hospital" was 250 at its opening; patients,
employees, and supervisors were housed in the single four story
building. Since the last quarter of the nineteenth century various
additions have been made to the original structure and numerous new
buildings have been built on the grounds of the state hospital.
The original structure is one of two important institutional
structures built in Northampton in the 1850's. G. F. J. Bryant designed
the House of Correction for the county in 1351; Jonathan Preston, also
from Boston, designed the Gothic Lunatic Hospital in 1856. The
massiveness and what the modern viewer would term the grimness of the
Victorian structure were calculated to instill in the inmate a sense
of security and stability. While the angular qualities of the design
were intended to secure abundant light and air for all inmates, local
architectural tastes,which ran to the smooth and the symmetrical, were
at odds with the gothic design.
The original design included a central structure with two wings
three stories in height. Stone was used in the window areas and at
the cornice line. The roof line of the complex is exceptionally
irregular and well set against the sky as the hospital buildings are
located atop a hill.
10. Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records,
early maps, etc.)
1858-1952,"
Daily Hampshire Gazette, February 26, 1856;
The Northampton Book, "Northampton State Hospital,
p. 371-376.
3/73
MHC INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET
MHC Inventory scanning project, 2008-2011
MACRIS No. rJTH