The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1878-08-24
The SHEPPARD ASYLUM FOR THE INSANE, NEAR

The SHEPPARD ASYLUM FOR THE INSANE, NEAR
TowsONTOwN-BRIEF SKETCH OF ITS FOUNDER
short distance beyond the end of Charles street
avenue, and between the road known as Charles
street avenue extended and the York road rise an
extended and handsome pile of buildings, white
marble facngs shining among the red brick and
beneath the sloping roof of dark slate, above
which several graceful towers and minarets raise
their heads. 1t is prominent feature in the land
scape from the York road, as well as from Charles
street avenue, and stands out gracefully above the
green trees between it and the Ridge road farther
to the north. Every one who drives by upon one
road or another asks what it is, and is told that 1t
is the Sheppard Asylum for the Insane, begun
many years ago, and not yet finished. Beyond
this very little is known by the general public-a
strange thing, for the charity is one of the most
bountiful and beautiful instances of philanthropy.
Its founder was one of the wealthiest men OF his
day in Baltimore, and the story of his life is one
full of romance and interest.
Moses Sheppard, member OF the Society OF
Friends, was probably born about the year l713,
but the exact date as well the place OF his ma
tivity, are matters of conjecture. 1t is known
that his parents were well to-dO Quakers, residing
in Montgomery county, Pa, when the Revolution
ary war began; that they were Royalists, and
hence were forced to leave the country, moving to
Nova Scotia. In their absence their property was
confiscated, and in short time they moved back
into the United States, taking up their residence
in Maryland. Dying when their son Moses was
very young they were buried in the Friends bury
ing ground ON East Fayette street. Their condi-
ton at one time must have been one OF very great
poverty, for Moses Sheppard's earliest recollection
of himself was, he sad "being on an earth floor
in log cabin in Baltimore county" The orphan
boy was given a place in the store at the Jericho
Mills, which at that time were owned and opera
ted by the late Jesse Tyson, and are situated at
the Little Falls of the Gunpowder river, about
seventeen miles from Baltimore. In 1898 he came
to Baltimore, and entered the grocery store kept
by John Mitchell, on Cheapside and as yearspass-
ed by was advanced more and more by his en-
ployer until in of time he succeeded to the
business, and became sole proprietor of flourish
ing establishment. He subsequently retired from
this line of trade, and after venture In the MAN.
ufacture of cotton seine Irvine, gave up active bus
mess, and devoted the remaining years of his life
to study and the employment of his fortune in jul
dicious and remunerative investments. He never
married, and his only relative, who lived with
him, was a brother, who died before him, leaving
him quite alone in home life. Very exact, careful
and economical in his habits, he amassed fortune
of about $500, 900, but all through life he seems to
have been most charitable and he himself said
that che had given away or lost more than he ever
expected to become possessed Of"
Naturally, his early education was very limi-
were large and extraordinarily minute and care
full. The library collected by him, and which is
now stored in one of the rooms of the Asylum is
q striking evidence of this, and this room, the on
ly one there now furnished is as curious and in
teresting place can be found anywhere.
1t appears that his idea at one time was to use
a large part of his means in the assistance and
ameloration of the cOlored race. He was devO-
ted friend to them and was of large assistance to
or nlxyf Of
the Liberian Colonization scheme Finally, how
ever his attention was directed towards the unfor-
tunate and deplorable condition of the INDECENT
insane, and the idea of founding asylum for
them early conceived and carefully elaborated.
In 1853 charter was obtained for the Asylum the
amount of the endowment not being named, and
the trustees appointed were j. Saurin Norris,
President; David NJ. Perine, Richard II. Town
send, DR.. VIM. Riley, Gerard II. Reese and Gerard
p Hopkins. The trustees are the same at the
present day, with the exception of David NJ. Pc
rine. who has been succeeded by his son, J. Glen
Perine.
In 1857 Mr.. Sheppard died, in the eighty fourth
year of his age, as near as can be reckoned, and
the estate, valued at very nearly 5000 1000, passed
into the hands of the above mentioned trustees,
whose duty it has been since then to administer
upon it for the benefit of the Asylum. This was
twenty years ago, and at'tirst sight it may seem
strange that the asylum is still unfinished 1t
should be known, however, and will be remember
ed that by the provisions of the will only the in
come of the estate can be used in prosecuting the
work This amounts to but $4,000 to $4,000
per annum, and within this sum all expenditures
are restricted Hence it is that year after year the
work has gone on, and is still incomplete. In
fact it is probable that the asylum will not be full
ly ready for occupancy before the year 1885, or
twenty eight years after the death of the testaor
1t seems pity that such a long delay is neces-
sary, until it is remembered that when the build
ings are completed the entire income can then be
devoted to the support of the INDECENT patients,
thus carrying out the main feature of the plan.
Mr.. Sheppard's chief desire was that the asylum
should be curative in its design and management,
and that no expense should be spread to secure
every requisite to fully test the merits of
tive system.
The first step of the trustees was the selection
of DIR. D. T. Brown, Medical Superintendent of
Bloomngdale Asylum, New York. to visit the best
hospitals in Europe, while they themselves person
ally inspected many similar establishments in this
country. On his return DR.. Brown furnished an
elaborate report of his examinations, with gen.
eral design of suitable buildings, and, in connec-
ton with Calvert Vaux, the architect, of New
York, prepared design which was finally accept
ed by the trustees, and ground was broken in
June, 1852. The design embraces two wings, one
for males and the other for females separated from
each other by space of 100 feet, each wing 1896
feet long, and from 172 to 40 feet averaging rs
feet in depth, from two to five stories high (be
sides basement and sub-cellars) and each capable
of accommodating in an extraordinarily comfort
able manner seventy-fve patients.
The buildings very graceful in appearance,
the pile rising irregularly from the outer ends of
the wings to the inner, and the interior arrange
ments promise to be most excellent. Each wing
is divided into four distinct and separate depart
ments, graduating from the unruly or noisy to the
convalescent ward, and each ward has parlors,
dining and amusement rooms of its own. Every
ward is approached Immediately from the main
hail. and each apartment has direct openings to
the external atmosphere. The walls are double,
twenty -four inches in thickness in all, with air
chamber between the two; the floors rest on iron
girders and brick arches; and the stairways are
of stone or iron, so that the inmates are secured
from fire. So far, one wing is under roof, and the
other is sufficiently advanced to be rooted by the
end of next year but the fitting and furnishing
of the interiors the building of the house for the
resident physician (Which will be placed about
midway between the two wings, but back of the
line) and other necessary work, will occupy some
years more. Mr.. Joseph Camp is the superin-
tendent of construction.
The place contains some 375 acres most all of it
fine farm land that is carefully cultivated. Atthe
east end of the place. at the York road and Chas.
street avenue, is handsome lougekeepers gate
and house of granite. A great deal of the gray
stone used in the construction of the buildings is
obtained from the quarries on the place, and all
of the brick used in the inner rough work is made
on the farm. The marble comes from the Hamp-
ton estate.-BaitinOre american.
SINGULAR AooIDENT.-Dr. Richard Willis, of
this town, met with a singular accident on Mon
day evening. He was returning from the city in
his carriage, accompanied with his wife and little
son. and when at the new stables of the York road
railway company, below Govanstown, he saw APP,
preaching him colored man riding a very large
mule and going at smart gallop. The mule
bore to the east side of the pike and DR., Willis
drove his carriage close up to the railroad track
and just as they were about passing the mule sud-
denly plunged towards the carriage, striking the
front wheel and smashing it. The shock also
broke the shafts off and the Dr.'s horse went on