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 [...]
This straitjacket is thought to be from the Eastern Oregon State Hospital in Pendleton. It has a tag in the back that reads "Melrose 4000." It is well-worn, and there are patches on both shoulders [...]
Portable watchclocks like that on the left in the above photograph and key stations like the one on the right were basic tools used by security personnel at the Oregon State Hospital and many other factories and [...]
In the cataloguing process last week we came across an interesting little leather-bound book with an ink scrawled title: “OSIA Invitations to Dances and Entertainments.” Inside the book are guest lists for dances held at the Oregon State [...]
If you’re like me, Salem isn’t exactly the first place that comes to mind when you think of beer. But even before the dawn of Oregon’s microbrew industry, beer and hops were big business in [...]
Not all of the historic items housed at the Oregon State Hospital relate directly to psychiatry and medicine. The objects preserved at the hospital also provide a wider view of our past, like the history of truck [...]
This painting is one of the many treasures uncovered in the Gold Room. Painted by the Oregon artist Martina Gangle Curl, it depicts a man using a stethoscope to [...]
These vintage postcards of the Oregon State Insane asylum are part of a collection put together by OSH Director of Quality Improvement Ted Ficken. Postcards of important government buildings, like the Oregon State Hospital, were used for all sorts [...]
This wooden laundry cart was found in 35c. Does anyone know what "OMC" stands for? Or remember seeing this cart in use?
These miscellaneous parts were found during the inventory process. While they may look like junk (and many of them may turn out to be just that), the innocuous looking metal piece T2009.002.053 proved to be much [...]