The Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane

New York

Image was found on Google.

I have had a fascination with not only serial killers but old asylum and hospitals. The stories about what it was like in them, the history behind them, and what is left of them. Even the abandoned ones that are falling apart tell a story. You just have to know how to find the stories when looking at them or touring them. Here is The Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane.

The Willard asylum opened near Seneca Lake, New York, in the year 1869. This asylum was built as an alternative to prisons and poorhouses that typically housed patients who suffered from mental illness. Most poor houses back in that time usually had their residents chained to their beds, walls, or even locked in cages. That is pretty messed up.

The goal at Willards was for doctors and nurses to treat patients and to teach them skills they would need to rejoin society if and when they were able to. Doctors at Willards almost immediately saw the shocking changes in the patients who arrived there from other facilities. Patients health improved. They were able to explore the ground and interact with other residents. Which really does make a difference for people’s health.

Patient #1 Mary Rote. She was the first resident at Willards. She was suffering from dementia. Before arriving at Willards, she had spent 10 years in…