Western State Mental Hospital Abandoned
The washington territory purchased the fort with the intent of turning it into a hospital for the insane.
Western state mental hospital abandoned. It was originally fort steilacoom asylum in 1871 but the building dates back to 1849 when it was part of the fort steilacoom army post. Fort steilacoom served as a military post from 1849 to 1868 when the federal government abandoned it. Western state hospital virginia history. Established 1871 western state hospital is located on the site of historic fort steilacoom.
In 1770 the public hospital for persons of insane and disordered minds was established in willamsburg virginia and was the first public institution devoted to treating the mentally ill in the u s. Western state hospital is a psychiatric hospital located at 9601 steilacoom boulevard sw in lakewood washington administered by the washington department of social and health services dshs it is a large facility with 806 beds and washington s second oldest state owned enterprise after the university of washington. The hospital was renamed western state hospital in 1894. In 1873 the general assembly of the state of tennessee realized the need for a hospital for the mentally ill.
In its early days the facility was a resort style asylum. The plan remained dormant although several sites were considered. The new hospital called the insane asylum of washington territory opened. One of two state owned adult psychiatric hospitals the other being.
The history of the hospital tells stories of frontal lobotomies mental wards that were secretly open for prostitution. Old western state mental hospital is one of the eeriest places in all of washington state.