page_title: Harrisburg State Hospital
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Harrisburg State Hospital / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Former Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital, one of the older buildings, now called the Dorothea Dix Museum. Listed on the NRHP on January 8, 1986. Located off Cameron Street, Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. .
context_page_description: Harrisburg State Hospital, formerly known as Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital from 1851 to 1937, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County, on Cameron and Maclay Streets, was Pennsylvania's first public facility to house the mentally ill and disabled.
context_section_description: The Harrisburg State Hospital was created as the Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital and Union Asylum for the Insane in 1845 to provide care for mentally ill persons throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 
  The hospital was the result of the successful lobbying efforts of 19th century social reformer, Dorothea Dix. A nine-member board of trustees was empowered to appoint a superintendent, purchase land, and construct facilities near Harrisburg. This board of trustees received no compensation for their work. In 1848, the name of the future hospital was changed to the Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital when $50,000 was appropriated to begin construction. In 1851, construction of the Main Building was completed, which was initially the only building for the hospital, housing the administration, staff, and patients. It was designed following the Kirkbride Plan, which was a very popular building style during the late 19th century. The original capacity of the building was 250 patients, but was later expanded with the removal of dining rooms and the addition of the North and South Branch Buildings. Patients from all parts of the state would be accepted at the hospital, at the expense of the counties that they belonged; or, if able they would pay for themselves at a cost of $2.50 per week. This cost included board and medical attention.
  A 130-acre (53 ha) farm was located adjacent to the hospital and provided work therapy for the patients and also enabled the hospital to be self-supporting, by growing its own food, and raising its own livestock. When the first patient was admitted on October 6, 1851, every poor district was charged a $2.00 weekly maintenance fee for the care of each indigent patient. The boarding charges for private patients were scheduled to vary between $3.00 and $10.00 based upon ability to pay. In 1869, the Board of Public Charities was created to inspect all public and voluntary charitable institutions in the Commonwealth and to report to the legislature with recommendations concerning their operation. For four decades this unpaid Board and its small staff had no authority to correct the conditions it found within state institutions. Nonetheless, by persuasion and publicity they were able to improve the quality of care in public institutions. A major objective was the removal of the insane from almshouses to the Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital and other state hospitals. A Committee on Lunacy was created within the Board of Public Charities in 1883 to oversee the operations of these mental institutions.
  The early 20th century was a time of extensive change for Harrisburg State Hospital. The Main Building had become outdated and was in need of replacement. Between the years 1893 and 1912, the hospital was rebuilt following the "Cottage Plan", which became popular at the beginning of the 20th century. At its peak, the hospital consumed over 1,000 acres (400 ha) and included more than 70 buildings. Designed and constructed by Pennsylvania architects Addison Hutton and John A. Dempwolf, the campus and buildings were meant to represent an Italianate window. The buildings on the male and female sides of the campus mirrored each other until the addition of new buildings in the 1930s.
  In 1921, the name of the hospital was changed to the Harrisburg State Hospital. Also that year, the Board of Public Charities was abolished and the Department of Public Welfare was created to administer all state hospitals. With the completion of the new "Cottage Plan" buildings, the hospital had grown considerably larger. Its patient capacity was 2,019, but at one time it held as many as 2,441 with 437 on parole. The hospital was self-sufficient, with its own farm, power plant, and stores; it became known as the "City on the Hill". During wartime there was a 50% shortage of attendants, at the lowest level of employment there were as few as one nurse to 166 patients. In June 1945, only 26 of the 92 authorized positions on the male side were filled. The manpower shortage resulted in widespread curtailment of services to both 
caption: The Dix Museum (now closed) on the grounds
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