The Washington Times
  • Subscribe
  • Times News Services
  • RSS
  • Mobile Headlines
  • e-edition
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • REGISTER
  • LOG IN
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • WELCOME
  • Your Profile
  • Log Out
  • Front Page Image
  • Classifieds
  • Autos
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Customer Service
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA/WNBA
    • MLB
    • NHL
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Motorsports
    • Soccer
    • NCAA
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Other
  • Culture
    • Home & Living
    • Family & Kids
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Washington Visitors
    • Books
    • Military History
    • Life
    • Auto
    • TV Listings
    • Movie Listings
    • Death Notices
    • Entertainment
  • Themes
  • Communities
  • Marketplace
    • Autos
    • Jobs
    • Real Estate
    • Classifieds
    • Shopping
    • Dining Out
    • Education
    • TWT Store
  • Videos
    • Two Guys
    • Birnbaum on Washington
    • Liz Glover
    • Amanda Carpenter
    • Morning Briefing
    • Documentaries
    • Joe Giganti
    • Video Game Minute
  • Podcasts
    • About Headlines
    • Audio and Radio
    • America's Morning News
  • National

    Michigan's cannabis college is quite a joint

  • Politics

    Obama looks to avoid pitfalls in Asia

  • Politics

    Kennedy's proposal could stall health bill

  • National

    Veterans eager to continue service at home

  • Local

    D.C. sniper executed in Virginia

  • World

    Stalled talks may kill Israel's Labor Party

  • Security

    Obama: No religious faith justifies Fort Hood shootings

Monday, June 28, 2004

Historic mental hospital closes

Rate this story

Average 0.00
after 0 votes
Login or register to rate this story

  • Font Size -+
  • Print
  • Email
  • Comment
  • Tweet this!
  • Share
  • Article
  • Comments ()
  • Click-2-Listen
  • Videos

More Stories

  • Obama: 'No faith justifies' Fort Hood rampage
  • Blackouts plunge Brazilian cities into darkness
  • Cashing in big on viral videos
  • Clinton pushes Dems to pass health bill

By

When the last handful of mentally ill patients leave Crownsville Hospital Center today, the state of Maryland will close the doors on a nearly century-old facility, leaving behind an empty building -- and a potter's field of unmarked graves holding the remains of the hundreds of mostly black patients.

"The graves and the burial site will be retained, maintained and treated with the kind of dignity and respect that one would expect," said state Health Secretary Nelson J. Sabatini.

He said the Anne Arundel County hospital, formerly known as the Hospital for the Negro Insane, will historically preserve roughly 500 acres of the 1,200-acre campus, where 1,800 graves of the hospital'spredominately black former patients are located.

The hospital -- which at one time housed 1,300 patients annually with a ratio of one doctor to 225 adults and children in buildings meant for 1,100 -- is shutting its doors this week to save taxpayers $12 million a year.

Its patient population peaked in 1955 at 2,719.

Today, the last of its 200 patients will be transferred to the state's two remaining treatment facilities at Spring Grove Hospital Center in Baltimore County and Springfield Hospital Center in Carroll County -- largely because of advances in psycho-pharmaceutical medicine that enables a shift away from warehousing those with mental illnesses.

"This is about restructuring the delivery system to make it more efficient," said Mr. Sabatini, who added the mental health system will continue treating the same number of patients.

He said the remaining nonprofit organizations renting space on the hospital grounds will be allowed to stay until government officials exercise first options on the land or until a private company buys the land.

The hospital, established by the General Assembly in 1910, began operation the next year, and was renamed Crownsville State Hospital in 1912.

Although the hospital was built to be a service to the mentally ill, patients who were lost, were homeless or had syphilis and tuberculosis also ended up there. After death, many of the bodies either were claimed by family, buried in private cemeteries or sent to Baltimore for brain experiments.

12Next »

Post a comment

There are comments on this article, submit your opinion!

Commenting is disabled for this entry.
If you feel there is still something worth mentioning about this entry please contact the author or the site admin.

Ask a Question

You Report

Do you have another point of view, photos, audio, video or more information about a story?

Top Stories

Most Read

  1. KELLNER: New Apple mouse really is 'Magic'
  2. EXCLUSIVE: Warner: Obama misplayed health care debate
  3. EXCLUSIVE: Rare virus poses new threat to troops
  4. PRUDEN: Fatal reluctance to see evil
  5. Families meet as sniper's execution nears
More Top Stories »
  1. Deer dies after leap into D.C. zoo lion exhibit
  2. Federal Reserve opposed as big bank savior by odd allies
  3. Court refuses to halt sniper's execution
  4. High court refuses to halt sniper execution
  5. Parents buying homes for kids at college

Most Shared

  1. PRUDEN: Fatal reluctance to see evil
  2. KELLNER: New Apple mouse really is 'Magic'
  3. Defense nominee won't reveal potential conflicts
  4. 'Fuzzy math' could drive health bill cost higher
  5. EDITORIAL: Too scared to recognize terrorism
More Top Stories »
  1. The siren call of Shariah
  2. EXCLUSIVE: Rare virus poses new threat to troops
  3. Deer dies after leap into D.C. zoo lion exhibit
  4. Sinking dollar fuels new gold rush
  5. Parents buying homes for kids at college

Most Commented

  1. PRUDEN: Fatal reluctance to see evil
  2. 'Fuzzy math' could drive health bill cost higher
  3. Defense nominee won't reveal potential conflicts
  4. EDITORIAL: Too scared to recognize terrorism
  5. Lieberman vows probe of Hood rampage
More Top Stories »
  1. Jihadists in the military
  2. Health bill faces roadblocks in Senate
  3. 'Anti-vaccine' attitude hampers H1N1 effort
  4. Hood suspect earlier came under FBI scrutiny
  5. EDITORIAL: Mr. Obama, stay away from this wall

Listen to Washington Times Radio

  • America's Morning News

    with John McCaslin and Melanie Morgan

Blogs & Columns

  • POTUS Notes

    New Dem talking point on Obama approval doesn't wash

  • The Back Story

    12 arrested at Pelosi's office

  • Belief Blog

    New Vatican constitution released

  • Out of Context

    Foods that might kill libido

  • Technology

    Facebook wins round against phishing spammer

  • On the Fly

    United lifts some 'award' blocking

  • Redskins 360

    Hall, Portis on radio

  • Tara's Two Cents

    On their way to summer vacation..

  • SNOBlog

    Beyond 'Woody'

Videos

Advertising Links
TWT Store
  • e-edition
  • Print Edition
  • Weekly Washington Times
TWT Affiliates
  • Middle East Times
  • Golf
  • UPI
  • Arbor Ballroom
  • Washington Times Global
  • About TWT
  • Press Room
  • F.A.Q.
  • Work for TWT
  • Advertise
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

All site contents © Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC.