The Virginia Lunatic Asylum at Williamsburg was the first mental hospital in North America, admitting its first patient on October 12, 1773. The hospital was a two-story brick institution. In its early history, it is known to have had mistreated its patients. Patients endured long periods of confinement and isolation. The 24 cells were small, barred, and had a single small window for light. The cells were reserved for dangerous individuals or for persons who might be treated and later discharged. The cells were designed for the security and isolation of the patients. Patients were shackled to the walls, slept on the floor on straw-filled mattresses, and were forced to take large amounts of drugs. Some were dunked in cold water with their hands and feet tied in order to clear their systems of “issues.” Others were jolted with electricity to remove the negative energies from their bodies. The treatment of mental disorders began to change in the late 1790s. Fences, 10 feet high and 80 feet long, were added to each end of the facility so patients could exercise. By 1836, restraints were replaced with a more moral management that emphasized kindness. Cells were furnished with beds and other conforts. But, William Love had died 20 years earlier. (The source of this information is website dealing with the History of Colonial Williamsburg: Public Hospital.)

 

Contact person for this website is Susan Snyder: susanleachsnyder@gmail.com