Flush with Thanksgiving
I had the opporunity to tour the new Harbors Facility at OSH last week. For someone who spends a lot of time dwelling in OSH's past, touring the new, clean and spacious facility was an [...]
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2010/11/24
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2010/11/10
In Memoriam: Robert W.B. Riggle
Veterans Day is tomorrow. On the day that we remember the sacrifices made by members of our armed forces, here is the story of one veteran who is a reminder that not all causalities of war [...]
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2010/09/14
1917 View of the OSH Campus
Hand drawn schematic of the Oregon State Hospital Campus found in a Daybook with information dating October 31,1917-November 6, 1918 with transcription below. The drawing illustrates the “J-Building” and other out buildings. (T2009.002.409)
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2010/09/08
Exodus of the Insane/Safe Arrival In Salem, 1883
The following two accounts of the transfer of patients from the Oregon Hopsital for the Insane in East Portland to the newly built Oregon State Insane Asylum (OSIA) in Salem appeared in the Oregonian October [...]
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2010/08/31
Oregon Hospital for the Insane, Portland 1861-1883
The first institution in Oregon devoted to the care of the mentally ill was the Oregon Hospital for the Insane. Drs. James C. Hawthorne and A.M. Loryea opened the private hospital in September of 1861 [...]
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2010/08/10
By the Numbers: Oregon State Insane Asylum — Year One
Within the first year of operation of the Oregon State Insane Asylum (October 1883-October 1884): 541 Patients were admitted (396 men/145 women) 127 Patients were discharged 42 Patients died 17 Patients escaped (only 12 returned) [...]
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2010/08/04
Now that’s Entertainment
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 [...]
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2010/07/02
What to Wear, 1890
The following are transcriptions from two 1890 entries in the Oregon State Hospital Patient Clothing Inventory ledger, now housed at the Oregon State Archives (2/10/7/7). They offer an unusually intimate view into the personal wardrobes [...]
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2010/06/16
Then and Now
Remnants of the past, you can still find several stone pillars used to support gates on the grounds today. There are pairs standing at the corner of Center and 24th streets (see below) and a pair at the [...]
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2010/05/26
Youngsters Volunteer as Hospital Aides This Summer, 1964
The following are excerpts from an article appearing in the Oregon Statesman on Sunday July 12, 1964. The Junior Volunteer Program was started at the Oregon State Hospital as a service program for high-school aged youths. By 1968, the program had [...]