Episode 27: Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

Curator's Choice

This week we meet with Bethany Cutright, Office Manager at the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Though known as one of the most haunted places in North America, it was originally designed to be a place of help and healing for the mentally ill. Bethany shares with us the intent of the Kirkbride plan and architecture of the hospital, the art programs designed to open communication and create a positive outlet for patients, and the exceptional work of the Irish, Scottish, and German immigrant stonemasons with their unique signatures and styles.

Stonemason Gargoyles

When construction began on the Hospital in 1858, many of the stonemasons were immigrants from Ireland, Scotland, and Germany. They each brought their own styles and skill, and their creativity is displayed in the form of 8 faces located on the original ward of the Hospital. Bethany was able to recover original payroll records from some of these workers: Mr. Wright who was born in Scotland and Mr. May who was born in Germany. To denote which stone block was crafted by which stonemason, they had their own “signatures”, which were series of patterns in hash-marks on the edges of each block.

Art Program

The art program at the hospital was designed to give patients the opportunity to express themselves in ways they couldn't otherwise; some individuals may have been unable to speak, but they could paint or draw as a form of expression. It was a creative way to open communications between patients and doctors, and it gave them something fun to do. They could also sell their artwork for some income. The hospital even had its own kiln for pottery projects.
Episode Links:

• Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum webpage: http://www.trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com/

• Dorothea Dix Biography: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/dorothea-dix

• Jacks, Kim, "Weston State Hospital" (2008). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 857: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1860&context=etd
  
• Lunatic: The Rise and Fall of an American Asylum by Edward S. Gleason: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/25954367-lunatic

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