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Dixmont State Hospital,
formally known as Western Pennsylvania Asylum for the Insane, was founded
in 1850 and is one of Pennsylvania’s oldest state hospitals. Dixmont was
named in honor of
Dorothea Dix, a social reformist who rallied for better
treatment for the mentally ill. In 1862 patients began to receive the
necessary treatment they needed. Dix had her hand in many of the
construction decisions at Dixmont including the location of the asylum and
the adoption of the
Kirkbride Plan. The hospital operated for 122
years until it closed in 1984.
I recently had a chance
to visit Dixmont State Hospital. It’s located half way up a hill
overlooking the Ohio River. With many years of neglect, vandalism, and
deterioration, the hospital is just a shell of its former self. However,
fire has severely damaged the administration part of the Kirkbride but the
wings are still affixed. I must say this was one of my most nerve racking
adventures I have ever been on due to the lack of windows, the weather
conditions and the constant rhythmic slamming of doors. Otherwise, I had a
blast. It appeared I had arrived there just in time because plans of
demolition were beginning to take place. This institution that once stood
before me will soon be lost forever as Wal-Mart feels the need to destroy
a piece of history to make room for the newest super store.
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