Inside the Territorial Asylum
A rare firsthand look at the conditions, characters, and daily routines of patients at the Washington Territorial Insane Asylum.
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.
The purpose of this company is not to laud or criticize, but to note some of the salient features of the Territorial Asylum. Of the patients under treatment, a large percentage are men, a large portion noticeably gray-headed. Some have spent many years in the asylum. On the occasion of the picnic of the Seattle M. E. Sunday school, I visited the asylum. The buildings are long, one and a half stories, facing to a common center, the main ward being near the Superintendent's residence. The superintendent's residence stands between the wards. A pleasant carriage road passes before these seven buildings. A low fence protects the grounds with fruit and shade trees. While but a few of the wards have carpet or matting, there is a good degree of cheer and comfort. While none are forced to work, it is best for all to do so. In the general sitting room, I saw a dancing ballot-girl of winsome, airy movement, who followed us about the room, singing and accompanying her song with antics. This light-hearted woman came recently from Puyallup. A more sorrowful woman referred to has an eventful history. As a young woman, she was an attendant of Mrs. Lincoln in a private Illinois home. She is the 'Queen of Sheba,' as she calls herself, who sends her script through the mails, and I saw one addressed to Judge Jacobs, Seattle Port, 'The Soul of the Kingdom.'
“One poor fellow laughs when spoken to. Another stutters until he hits the right oath which shames him.”
This 1883 account offers a sobering glimpse into the early history of mental healthcare in Washington Territory, long before the modern de-institutionalization movement. The 'Territorial Asylum' mentioned preceded the current state hospital system, reflecting an era where the boundary between public care and social confinement was often blurred.
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