Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1845-02-27
REPORT
OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE SENATE. ON
THE EASTERN LUNATIC ASYLUM.
REP r Il


OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE SENATE ON
THE EASTERN LUNATIC ASYLUM.
Se
The Committee Of the Senate, appointed 20 vi
sit the State Institution in the city of Williams
burg. and report its condition to the Senate. hav
Ing performed that duty, submit the following
Report
On Friday, the 18th January, lhe Committee
reached the city of Williamsburg, and, on the
same day, made known their arrival, and the OBJ
Ject OF their visit, through Mr. Barzza, the Stew
ard, TO the President, Directors and Supetintend-
ent OF the Eastern Lunatic Asylum. On the next
day the President and Directors assembled at the
Asylum at an early hour, and upon being present.
ed with acopy of the Resolution Of tho Senate Of
the 18th December, 1914, the Court caused to be
delivered to the Chairman of your Committee,
Though DR.. Gait, the Superintendent of the In
stitution, the following order, viz:
cat meeting the Court of Directors for the Eas
tern Asylum ia the city OF Williamsburg, held the
18th day of January, lS45,
Asylum offer to the Legislative COMMITTEES, now in
Court, all such facilities will enable them TO accom-
Psh their object in the easiest most eaectua and salts
factory manner to exhibit them the condition of the
buildings and OF the patients under his care mi
nuteiy and thoroughly explain to them, fully
anu circumstances will admit the medical moral sys-
tenn he has instituted for their cure TO what extent
IT has been justified by results and especially,
pose TO them full, precise and detailed view Of the f.
of the Institution of its expenses for The preser
walton and improvement of the buildings grounds and
other public property under charge subsist
cnce, comfort medical and moral treatment of the pa
tents and for all objects which have been conside
by the Directors coming within the scope Of their au.
thority. copy-Testc,
"JAMEs LEE. Clerk
Upon the delivery of this order, the Committee,
accompanied by the Superintendent, the Steward,
and Judge Beverly Tucker one Of the Court OF
Directors, proceeded, forthwith, to view the build
1ngs and the various apartments therein, for the
n0ta attn rnftt ,oS thair 4
nurses. their Steward, and the other officers and
assistants Of the Institution. They also visited
the medical shop. the library, the rooms appropr-
ated for sitting and sewing, and The shops for
weaving, spinning, cabinet-work aud shoe-mak-
ing. They then went into the south yard, and
examined the clubhouse, consisting of kitchen,
servants houses. stables, the garden, and other
real estate attached thereto. The real estate con-
sists of house and lot bought by the Directors
as a residence for the Superintendent This
house is neat, comfortable and small wooden
building, TO the north of the Institution, but su-
hcient distance from it as not to endanger it
from fire. The lot upon which the Hospital
buildings are erected contains about four acres of
land in the city, and the garden about fifteen a.
ores, separated from the former by narrow street
on the south of the Institution. On the south
sido of this street, and upon the public grounds,
is a small but comfortable wooden building for
the accommodation of the principal matron
The Hospital buildings were erected at various
periods OF time, covering upwards of seventy
years, and in detached buildings, by men differing
In their taste, and views, but at this time, with
few additional buildings and some remodellnp
and repairing of the old ones, they have at length
been made to assume grand, imposing and beau
titul appearance-a structure of the most perma-
nent materials, being brick building rooted with
slate, and with steps of grante-a building now,
not only pleasing TO the eye externally, but inter-
nally admirably calculated to secure to its unfor-
,unae inmates all the comforts which can be ex-
tended to persons under restraint. The inteli-
gent Directory and their accomplished Superin-
tendent, who have, for some years past, had the
management OF this institution have availed them
selves OF all the lights Of modern times both in
the construction of the buildings for the insane,
as well as in their mode Of treatment. The adj
ditions lately authorised by the Legislature by a
]udicious location and arrangement, have enabled
the Directory to giveto the Eastern ASYLUM the
form and appearance, the conveniences and com
forts OF the State Lunatic Asylum for the Com
monwealth of Massachu sets, located at Worces
yer, under the superintendent of the celebrated
DIR. odward-which Institution, from its great
celebrity, the Directors of the Eastern ASYLUM
have Judciousy adopted as their model. The
Eastern Asylum now presents to a person enter
ing the yard from the north three sides of
square. In front formerly stood the old Hosp
building with its two stories above ground
erected so long ago as to have all the gloomy and
cherries marks of antiquity, with small windows
and though ninety feet long. it was only thir-
ty feet In breadth. These windows were enclosed
with iron grating, and wore the forbiding aspect
OF State prison to confne offenders of the most
attrocious character. On the right and left hand
OF the square, were erected at subsequent periods
TWO lateral buildings parallel to each other, each
two stories high, totally disconnected with the
centre building, and lily calculated. from the
mode oil their construction, to relieve the prison.
like appearance of the centre buding-rhese
buildings were erected in by-gone times, when
the confinement of the lunatic was the main object
In their erection, and when the curative system
practSed therein was chains and locks, the whip,
the ducklng.sool and the straight jacket, instead
OF comfort and cleanliness, and soothing and af.
fectionae kindness. In the progress OF medical
science 1t has been discovered that all these in
struments OF coercion and punishment tend 10
IlVet the disease upon the insane and render it
incurabe. The intelligent Directory of this In
sttution and their enlightened Superintendent,
Win the fostering aid of parental Legislature,
have, In the course of few years, worked COM
Plete metamorphosis in this building, and in the
CONDITION OF the insane therein confined. They
have added an additional story to the old centre
building; they have removed the iron grating from
the windows; they have increased the length
and the breadth Of the pediments and have placed
upon the top OF the old centre building a hand
some cupo.a; and they now erecting and have
nearly finished beautiful porico, with brick pill
lars and stone capitals, cut out of James River
granite, in the Doric order of Architecture The
wings lately erected to this building are two sto-
IIes high, and each ninety feet i'm length and
thirty feet in breadth and both terminating in each
story thereof in veranda thrty-six feet square
The lateral buildings are each one hundred and
twenty-eight feet in length and tbirty-tbree feet
IN breadth, exclusive Of The verandas before spo.
Ken OF, and with which they communicate i'm
each story Of The building, at the corners where
Inc lateral buildings unite with the main building