The Weston State Hospital

1864—1994

The Weston State Hospital, now known widely as The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, began its life as one of the popular Kirkbride asylums of the mid-19th Century. At the time of the letter pictured below, the psychiatric hospital went by the name the West Virginia Hospital for The Insane. This piece is particularly important to me, as I have been told throughout my life that my great uncle spent the majority of his life and died in this hospital. As I am also pursuing clinical psychology as a career, this letter is of significance to the history of psychiatry and clinical psychology as fields. Many awful, inhumane “treatments” were performed in this hospital, and it serves a vital role in reminding us of how far we have come and yet how far we have to go.

Please see the bottom for a transcription of the letter.

West Virginia Hospital for the Insane letter small.jpg

Transcription

July 14, 1893

Hon. H.C. Henderson, Charleston, WV

My dear Sir,

I see by the daily papers that the committee have submitted their report which is perfectly satisfactory to me, if the paper gives a true synopsis of it. Will you kindly—send me half dozen copies of the reports. If there is any matters of interest to myself or the institution transpiring down there would be glad to have you communicate with me.