Crownsville Mental Hospital History
Established in 1911 as the hospital for the negro insane the hospital was a place to treat and house african american patients separate from white patients.
Crownsville mental hospital history. But by 1959 45 percent of the staff was african american and the crownsville hospital was moving to desegregate faster than other maryland mental institutions. But just beyond the fairgrounds lies a relic of a darker part of maryland s history. The facility was enabled by an act of the maryland general assembly on april 11 1910 as the hospital for the negro insane of maryland this act also explicitly specified that the facility should not be located in baltimore on december 13 1910 the board of managers purchased land which had formerly been farmed for willow and tobacco located at crownsville maryland for. With jackie allsup lisa clements maryalice davis carlos fenwick.
The facility opened to patients in 1911 as the hospital for the negro insane of maryland at a time when very little was known about mental illness. Crownsville hospital center was founded in 1911 as the hospital for the negro insane a place to house african american psychiatric patients separately from white patients in the other state hospitals the first patients helped build the hospital s first buildings on land that previously was a farm. From lunacy to legacy is a feature length documentary film highlighting the history of the crownsville state mental hospital in crownsville md. The first african american.
From lunacy to legacy is a feature length documentary film highlighting the history of the crownsville state mental hospital in crownsville md. From lunacy to legacy is a feature length documentary film highlighting the history of the crownsville state mental hospital in crownsville md. People could be taken to a facility like crownsville because they had alcohol abuse issues because they had a genetic condition or because they had another disorder like epilepsy. Directed by todd stevens.
The hospital for the negro insane of maryland changed its name to crownsville state hospital in 1912 just two years after it was built on 566 acres of old tobacco farmland the state bought for. Some patients weren t even mentally ill and scores who died at the hospital were. Drawing on many documentary works such as the thin blue line and night and fog for inspiration the film utilizes archival footage animation and original music to unfold the story and evoke a mood.