The Project (and a little History)

Northampton MA is a quiet little town not far from the University of MA Amherst. It is famous for its arts, among other things, and is considered "quintessential New England" by many books.


However, outside of the sunny streets and the artistic atmosphere downtown there lies the ruins of what was once one of the largest assylums on the East Coast. Opened in 1856, it was originally built to house 250 patients. Wings, and additions were made over the years, and at its peak it held over 2500 people.




Like most assylums of it's time, the people brought there were subjected to all sorts of "treatments," however it cleaned up as standards of psychological practice became for stringent. After a number of legal battles, etc. the hospital closed in 1993. According to rumor, they opened the doors and just let the patients go.



As of 2005 the buildings were demolished.

Interestingly enough, even though this hospitol was very large and important in its own right, it's not even mentioned in the brief history of Northampton on their website:
http://www.noho.com/townhistory.html

This project is a discussion about the effects of the asylum on the community, how mental health treatment relates to homelessness and what you can do to help. I am not an expert and have a lot to learn myself, so my goal is to educate other people as I educate myself. Aside from the above, which is easily found while googling for info, I want to learn about how the public has felt about the hospitol through the years. How it shut down, why it was shut down, what went on there, and how it affected the local community. I am also going to discuss the public image of mental health and it's treatment and why a disproportionate number of homeless are affected. Lastly: What can be done? How can we make treatment, safe, effective, and affordable with a realiable source available for those in need who can't afford insurance?

I feel strongly that by looking at our history we can identify where some current problems have stemmed from.

In the end, by my studying my own community I hope that someone will walk away with an appreciation that these issues are not just something in a book, taught in a class or that these things just affect "other people." This is real, and we can not only see it with our own eyes, but if we take it upon ourselves to educate each other than we may even be able to make a difference.

NOTES:
Both photos © www.opacity.us (allowed under their license for non-profit, educational use)