Inside the State Asylum at Steilacoom
A rare, firsthand look at the daily operations, patient care, and humanitarian philosophy of the Washington State Asylum for the Insane.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
I visited the asylum of Western Washington last week. Early experiences led me to associate such places with clanking chains and torture, but I was pleasantly surprised. The institution, established in 1871 at the former Fort Steilacoom, now houses 366 patients in sturdy, well-ventilated brick buildings on the Nisqually plain. The asylum is a self-contained world with its own bakery, laundry, and power plant. Inside, the wards are kept meticulously clean, with polished floors and comfortable bedding. While the 'disturbing ward' requires strict supervision, the overall tone is one of humane treatment, where attendants engage with patients in activities like music and dance. Patients are encouraged to work on the farm or pursue crafts. The asylum operates on a daily cost of 50.4 cents per patient, covering all medical care and food, and the facility maintains a strong sense of order through kindness rather than force.
“None of the attendants ever thought that kindness would have its effect upon an insane being, yet kindness is the only treatment that prevails in the hospital.”
Western State Hospital in Steilacoom evolved from these original, brutal, yet 'progressive' 19th-century beginnings. Today, Washington continues to struggle with the challenge of providing humane, adequately funded mental health care, often cycling back to the same debates about institutional capacity and patient dignity that the writer observed in 1892.
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