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Occupational Therapy, 1958
The following history was compiled for the 75th Anniversary edition of the Oregon State Hospital Publication, The Lamplighter in1958. It was written by R. H. Miller. From Rags to Research [...]
OSH Campus according to Engineer Garson, 1958
The following is an interview with Engineer J.A. Garson published in the October 1958 edition of the Lamplighter, an OSH newsletter. The article coincided with the 75th anniversary of the [...]
Artifact T2011.001
T2011.001 A series of these mystery objects were found at OSH. Do you know what it is, what it does or where it might have been used in the hospital? Leave a comment below. [...]
Portland Theatrical Premiere of “Guilty Except for Insanity” coming this October
The documentary "Guilty Except for Insanity" will be premiering Sunday October 9, 2011 at the Cinema 21 Theater in Portland. The director and lead subjects in the film will be present for a Q and [...]
History of Nursing Education, 1958
The following was published in the 75th Anniversary edition of the Oregon State Hospital publication, The Lamplighter, as reported by Grace Carman. The article refers to the Senior Cadet Nurses program, a three month intensive [...]
DeWitt’s Hair Dressing
This bottle of DeWitt’s Fragrant Hair Dressing was found in a box of old medicine bottles from the Eastern Oregon State Hospital. E.C. DeWitt & Company was in operation as early as 1906. Trademark records [...]
America’s Asylums in Photographs
NPR featured a story on photographer Christopher Payne's book titled Asylum: Inside The Closed World Of State Mental Hospitals. Read the article here. You can see more of Payne's photographs of Asylums across [...]
Property Cards
Probably the most interesting and emotional thing I have found in inventorying historic materials at the Oregon State Hospital was a box of index cards. The orange box didn’t look like much, but the cards [...]
Here I Am in an Insane Asylum, 1936
The following is an account published in the Sunday Oregonian June 14, 1936. The piece was co-written by a staff reporter and a patient at the Oregon State Hospital. It offers a unique first hand [...]