City on the Hill

Establishing & constructing Pennsylvania's first public asylum

In the spring of 1845 state legislature appointed a group of five men to a commission, their names were Jacob M. Halderman, Luther Reily, Hugh Campbell, Charles B. Trego, and Joseph Konigmacher. These five men were given the responsibility of establishing and constructing the first public asylum for the insane in Pennsylvania. They were instructed to select and purchase a tract of land not less then 100 acres, situated within ten miles of the city of Harrisburg, at a cost of no more than $10,000. In 1848 the commissioners purchased the Sales Farm, a 130 acre tract of land that was about a mile north of the city. The commissioners then traveled to Philadelphia to visit the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane. The commissioners were given an extended tour of the hospital and grounds by Dr. Thomas Kirkbride, there they gained "much valuable information with regard to the plan, arrangement, and internal economy of a well constructed building." Upon their return to Harrisburg the commissioners adopted a resolution that the state asylum would be a hospital of "Kirkbride-design".
	The Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane

On April 25th of 1848 Aaron Bombaugh, John A. Weir, and James Fox were added to the commission. A month later, the now larger commission appointed architect Samuel Holman of Harrisburg to design and over see construction of the hospital. However only two months later the commission dropped Samuel Holman as the architect and instead adopted the plan and specifications furnished by John Haviland at the estimated sum of $100,000. The switch appeared to of been based on Haviland's reputation and experience rather than any dissatisfaction with Samuel Holman. Holman would later build some of the out buildings, including the wash house and the carriage house. Dr Thomas Kirkbride, though not publicly involved with the commissioners, may of also had a hand in getting Haviland's (a fellow Quaker) plan adopted. John Haviland opened his practice in Philadelphia in 1816 and had several major structures in the city to his credit, including Eastern State Penitentiary and the Franklin Institute.

According to the 1845 legislature the new hospital building was to be "plain and substantial, with all modern improvements, to accommodate 250 patients." The new hospital was to be called the Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital and Union Asylum for the Insane. However a later supplementary act of the 1848 legislature shortened the name of the hospital to the Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital. In July of 1848 the commissioners went out to the farm and agreed upon the location of the building, marking it's corners with stakes. On October 18, 1848 architect John Haviland was paid $2,500 for the work he had completed to date. On April 7, 1849 the corner stone of the new hospital was laid by Governor Johnston. Haviland estimated that the building would be completed by November of 1850 at a cost of $50,000. However by the time the commissioners paid him a final installment of $55,800 in December of 1850, it became obvious that the hospital was not going to be completed by the January 1851 contract date. The commissioners threatened Haviland with legal action if the hospital was not completed by April. In March of 1851 the commissioners unanimously agreed that Haviland's provisions for heating the hospital were insufficient and they relinquished that part of the contact from him so that they could pursue other options. The construction of the hospital was completed on June 19, 1851.

On the afternoon of February 14, 1851 a group of "Trustees", appoined by the governor, met at the Coverly's Hotel in Harrisburg. This group of nine men would be responsible for properly running the hospital. The hospital trustees included Luther Reily, M. D., Aaron Bombaugh, John K. Mitchell, M. D., Joseph Konigmacher, Jesse R. Burden, M. D., Hugh Campbell, M. D., W. W. Ruthford, M. D., E. W. Roberts, M. D., and Thomas S. Kirkbride, M. D. In the spring and summer of 1851, the newly appointed superintendent of the hospital, Dr. John Curwen, was over seeing the completion of the new building and getting it ready to receive it's first patients. Much of the furnishing for the hospital, such as bedding, clothing, utensils, and furniture came from Philadelphia. On October 1, 1851 the new Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital was opened and ready to receive patients.

Superintendent John Curwen


The new hospital consisted of once large building which housed all the patients and the administrative staff. This building became known as the Main Building. The Main Building was constructed following the "Kirkbride Plan", a building style set forth by Dr. Thomas S. Kirkbride who was the superintendant of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane in Philadelphia. The Main Building consisted of a center administration section with a set of "wings" extending in a linear direction on either side. The wing to the right of the administration section was designated for female patients and the left for male patients. The total length of the building was 680 feet, and there was no basement or cellar below the ground floor. The building's wings, which housed the patient wards were arranged so that the second wing receded twenty feet behind the first, and the third the same distance. The arrangement of the wings was to insure that the most fresh air and sunlight possible was allowed into the building. The administration section was four stories tall with a large Tuscan portico and a flight of twenty steps leading to the main entry doors. Topping off the administration section was a large dome from which you could see for miles in any direction. On the ground floor of the administration section were apartment for the steward and matron as well as a kitchen. On the second floor, which was also the main floor, were offices and reception rooms for visitors. On the third floor were apartments for the superintendant and his family. The forth floor contained a chapel and six more bedrooms.
	Ground Floor Blueprint


	A lithograph image of the Main Building

The wings immediately adjoined to the administration section were three stories tall. The ground floor contained accommodations for hospital employees. The second and third floors contained wards for the patients, the patient wards had long corridors with rooms on either side. The second set of wings was also three stories tall and contained patient wards on all three floors. At the junction point between the first and second sets of wings was a fourth floor which contained an infirmary. Crowning the very top of the junctions, above the infirmary, was a tower which contained large storage tanks for water. State appropriations for the third set of wings was not made until 1851, when completed in 1852 they were two stories tall and contained wards for 300 violent and noisy patients. Until the third set of wings was completed uncontrollable patients were not admitted to the hospital.

Eighty feet behind the administration section was a building for the bakery and the laundry. Located in cellar of this building were boilers for heating the hospital and a room for storing up to 150 tons of coal. The steam created by the boilers was delivered to the Main Building through underground tunnels. The tunnels ran from the entire length of the Main Building and were simply dirt with no concrete reinforcement, the steam coils were hung on wooden brackets. These tunnels also served as air ducts to bring fresh air into the building. The hospital was lighted throughout with gas from the Harrisburg Gas Company.

[Previous Page] [Back] [Next Page]