Records of Western State Hospital, 1825-2001

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

As of September 11, 2019, medical records will be open 125 years after the date of creation or after date closed, whichever is later. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires that individually identifiable health information of a decedent be protected for 50 years following the date of death of the individual (45 CFR 164.502(f)).

Protected health information (PHI) as defined under the Privacy Regulations issued under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) includes, but is not limited to, personally identifiable information such as names, addresses, and social security numbers. Restricted material may include, but is not limited to: patient lists, patient admission registers, treatment registers and medical record files. Please contact Archives Research Services for further information.

Terms of access:

Confidential or personally identifiable health information less than 125 years of age that may be encountered during research will not be recorded, published, publicized, or re-disclosed to any other party for any purpose. If a request for copies is made for material containing protected health information (PHI) or any other form of confidential information, it is also understood that this information will be redacted from the copies, if it is possible to do so. If redaction is not possible, the records will be withheld. Researchers must also agree that no direct or indirect contact will be made with the individuals to whom any personal or confidential information relates. Improper use and/or re-disclosure of privacy protected information is a breach of confidentiality which could result in the loss of access to the archival collections housed and maintained by The Library of Virginia, and could result in legal penalties (Code of Virginia, 18.2-186.3).

For preservation purposes, please use microfilm for Admission Registers, 1828-1896 (Miscellaneous Reels 6295-6297).

Preferred citation:

Records of Western State Hospital, 1825-2000. [Cite specific accession number, box, volume and folder numbers], State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Summary

Creator:
Western State Hospital
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Records of Western State Hospital, 1825-2000. [Cite specific accession number, box, volume and folder numbers], State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

The Western State Hospital collection contains a wide variety of bound volumes and paper records spanning more than 170 years (1825-1998). Included are administrative records such as annual reports, correspondence, office and subject files, meeting minutes, newsletters, photographs, and reports, as well as a specific departmental and program records relating to the Community Hospital Industrial Rehabilitation Program (CHIRP), the DeJarnette State Sanatorium, and the Shenandoah Geriatric Treatment Center (SGTC). Also included are financial records such as auditor's books, budget files, farm production records, and supply inventories. The patient-related records include admission registers, commitment papers, medical records, and several types of patient lists. Also included in this collection are a variety of report books created and maintained by staff members regarding patient admissions, attendants' rounds, ward activities, and many other duties performed at the hospital. The records of the Western State Hospital document many facets of the institution's operational history, patient life and medical treatment, as well as the evolution of mental health treatment in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Biographical / historical:

In January 1825 the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation providing for the construction of an asylum in the western part of the state. A Court of Directors was commissioned by the Governor to serve as the asylum's governing body and charged with purchasing a site close to the town of Staunton, west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, on which to build an asylum to house the mentally ill of western Virginia. The institution, which became known as Western Lunatic Asylum, was the second mental health facility built in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The buildings and surrounding gardens were designed to embrace the idea of "moral therapy" for mentally ill patients by providing an aesthetically pleasing and tranquil atmosphere in which patients lived comfortably, exercised and worked outdoors.

Western Lunatic Asylum opened in 1828, accepting both male and female patients suffering from a variety of mental disorders. Common diagnoses included "hard study," "religious excitement," and "debility of the nervous system." The asylum was overseen by a Keeper, a Matron and a visiting physician during its earliest years. The hospital also employed attendants, gate keepers, night watch personnel, farm hands, and a steward who handled the day-to-day financial operations. The first superintendent appointed to oversee Western Lunatic Asylum was Dr. Francis T. Stribling. Dr. Stribling was a proponent of the moral therapy approach, and was a leader in the early mental health community. Dr. Stribling was one of the thirteen founders of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane, which later became known as the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Stribling served as the hospital superintendent and as a physician until his death in 1874.

It should be noted that the hospital underwent a short-lived name change between 1861 and 1865, when it was known as Central Lunatic Asylum. (It should not be confused with an asylum of the same name later built in Petersburg, Virginia to house African American patients). From 1865 to 1894 the name was again Western Lunatic Asylum. However, in 1894 the General Assembly passed legislation changing the name to Western State Hospital.

Another highly influential superintendent at Western State Hospital was Dr. Joseph S. DeJarnette. Dr. DeJarnette was hired as a physician in 1889 and was appointed superintendent in 1905. His tenure was the longest of any superintendent at Western State. Dr. DeJarnette was also responsible for founding the DeJarnette State Sanatorium, which housed patients with the ability to pay for their treatment. Dr. DeJarnette remained the superintendent of Western State for 38 years, retiring in 1943 with many accolades. He served as superintendent of the sanatorium from its formation in 1932 to his full retirement in 1947. Dr. DeJarnette's involvement in the eugenics movement and his support of the involuntary sterilization of mental patients has in more recent years earned him a less favorable reputation.

Many of Western State Hospital's original structures remain standing on what is referred to as the "Old Site." Many of these structures are historically and architecturally significant and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During the 1960s a newer hospital facility was constructed, and over the next decade patients and programs were slowly moved to the "New Site." Deinstitutionalization efforts and increased focus on localized community programs resulted in lower patient census numbers starting in the 1970s, and by the mid-1970s the Old Site had shut down completely. The Old Site was later converted into Staunton Correctional Center, which it remained until its closure in late 2002. The original grounds of Western State Hospital were eventually sold and are being converted into condominiums and retail space as part of an urban redevelopment plan.

Western State Hospital continues to serve the mental health needs of Virginia's citizens from the New Site in Staunton, Virginia. The hospital is part of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) and is governed by the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

Acquisition information:

Accession 31030 transferred by Frank Demory, Western State Hospital, 12 March 1981.

Accession 31353 transferred by Francis L. Demory, Western State Hospital, Box 2500, Staunton, Va., 11 March 1982.

Accession 31704 transferred by Francis L. Demory, Western State Hospital, 14 March 1983.

Accession 32451 transferred by Western State Hospital, Shenandoah Geriatric Treatment Center, P.O. Box 2500, Staunton, Va., 30 July 1985.

Accession 41253 transferred by Kim Burns, Western State Hospital, Administrative Office, P.O. Box 2500, Staunton, Va., 15 June 2004.

Accession 41283 transfer information unavailable, accessioned 30 June 2004.

Accession 41404 transferred by Kim Burns, Western State Hospital, Administrative Office, P.O Box. 2500, Staunton, Va., 25 August 2004.

Accession 44812 transferred by Michelle L. Porter, Health Information Management Department, Eastern State Hospital, 4601 Ironbound Road, Williamsburg, Va., 17 February 2010.

Accession 45553 transferred by Kim Burns, Western State Hospital, P.O. Box 2500, Staunton, Va., 8 June 2011.

Accession 50576 transferred by Kim Burns, Western State Hospital, P.O. Box 2500, Staunton, Va., 19 September 2012.

Accession 50989 transferred by Judy Ross, Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents, 1355 Richmond Road, Staunton, Va., 15 August 2013.

Accession 53601 transferred by Kim Burns, Western State Hospital, 29 April 2022.

Accession 53661 transferred by Kim Burns, Western State Hospital, 12 July 2022.

Processing information:

The Western State Hospital collection came to the Library of Virginia in multiple accessions over several decades. In many cases, the original order of the material had been disturbed or was unidentifiable. In other instances, the provenance was unclear and an educated guess was made as to which person or office created the records. Care was taken to maintain the original order when possible, but for the most part, the arrangement of this collection is artificial. The series names and groupings were devised by the processing archivist in an attempt to create logical divisions within this large collection. Cross-references can be found in many series descriptions that will point the researcher to similar material in other series.

Additionally, separate box and volume numbering systems were imposed by the processing archivist for finding aid and stack location identification purposes. The box and volume numbers should be used when requesting material, but are not always in strict numerical order.

Researchers should also note that Series VI. of this finding aid describes correspondence, contracts, agreements, buildings and grounds records and other miscellaneous documents that were found during a records transfer at Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia in February 2010. Many of the documents were created and used by building superintendent and architect Thomas R. Blackburn. According to records at Eastern State and Western State, these items were removed from the Western State Hospital archives in 1983 and used by researchers to accurately reconstruct the Public Hospital at Colonial Williamsburg. The records were never returned to Western State and were eventually found in a basement at Eastern State in 1987. The records were taken to the Eastern State archives where they were housed until the hospital transferred its historical records to the Library of Virginia in 2010. The records in Series VI. remain part of Eastern State Hospital accession 44812.

Accession 50989 came from the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents, which was previously known as the DeJarnette State Sanatorium. Because of the overlap between these records and the records found in the Western State Hospital records, as well as the fact that Joseph DeJarnette was the superintendent of both facilities, these records have been interegrated into this collection as Series VII.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into the following series:

  • Series I. Administrative Records, 1825-2000
  • Subseries A. Annual Reports, 1836-1994
  • Subseries B. Board of Directors Records (and State Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services Board Records), 1825-1991
  • Subseries C. Buildings, Facilities and Grounds Records, 1828-1994
  • Subseries D. Correspondence, 1825-1944
  • Subseries E. DeJarnette Personal Files, 1906-1965
  • Subseries F. Employment and Personnel Records, 1915-1981
  • Subseries G. Executive Committee Records, 1841-1903
  • Subseries H. General Files and Ledgers, 1828-1997
  • Subseries I. Meeting Minutes, 1944-1991
  • Subseries J. Newsletters, 1940-1996
  • Subseries K. Photographs and Slides, circa 1880s-2000
  • Subseries L. Policies and Procedures, 1854-1983
  • Subseries M. Press Material, 1949-1998
  • Subseries N. Reports, 1828-1991
  • Subseries O. Theses and Papers, 1968-1990
  • Subseries P. Publications, 1905-1948
  • Series II. Departmental and Program Records, 1942-1983
  • Subseries A. Community Hospital Industrial Rehabilitation Program (CHIRP) Files, 1962-1979
  • Subseries B. DeJarnette Sanatorium Files, 1942-1947
  • Subseries C. Shenandoah Geriatric Treatment Center (SGTC) Files, 1970-1983
  • Series III. Financial Records, 1838-1985
  • Subseries A. Accounts for Board, 1838-1936
  • Subseries B. Auditor's Books, 1841-1930
  • Subseries C. Budget Records, 1927-1984
  • Subseries D. Expenditure and Purchasing Records, 1840-1985
  • Subseries E. Farm and Sewing Production Records, 1860-1945
  • Subseries F. General Financial Ledgers and Journals, 1884-1921
  • Subseries G. Indices (Miscellaneous), undated
  • Subseries H. Patient Account Records, 1851-1957
  • Subseries I. Sales Books, 1894-1936
  • Subseries J. Special Funds Records, 1850-1958
  • Subseries K. Steward's Records, 1853-1936
  • Subseries L. Supply Inventories, 1847-1968
  • Series IV. Patient Records, 1826-1996
  • Subseries A. Admission Records, 1828-1996
  • Subseries B. Application Registers, 1859-1943
  • Subseries C. Case Books, 1828-1910
  • Subseries D. Commitment Records, 1826-1900
  • Subseries E. Indices (Miscellaneous), 1906-1907; undated
  • Subseries F. Lists, 1828-1949
  • Subseries G. Medical Records, 1897-1980
  • Subseries H. Personal Effects Registers, 1855-1976
  • Subseries I. Postal Records, 1939-1945
  • Subseries J. Transportation Records, 1882-1970
  • Subseries K. Death and Burial Registers, 1828-2001
  • Series V. Report Books and Other Registers, 1847-1988
  • Subseries A. Admission Report Books, 1966-1975
  • Subseries B. Attendant's Report Books, 1868-1944
  • Subseries C. Day Reports, 1867-1882
  • Subseries D. Diet Lists, 1907-1915; undated
  • Subseries E. Entertainment Registers, 1939-1942
  • Subseries F. Guestbooks, 1967-1988
  • Subseries G. Library Records, 1865-1971
  • Subseries H. Medical Procedure and Supply Registers, 1923-1965
  • Subseries I. Nightly Report Registers, 1851-1944
  • Subseries J. Officer of the Day Books, 1939-1950
  • Subseries K. Out Books, 1888-1944
  • Subseries L. Ward Reports, 1866-1947
  • Subseries M. Wash Lists, 1887-1888
  • Subseries N. Visitor Registers, 1847-1878
  • Series VI. Records Found at Eastern State Hospital, 1825-1918
  • Subseries A. Correspondence, 1835-1918
  • Subseries B. Subject Files, 1825-1873
  • Subseries C. Volumes, 1856-1859
  • Series VII. DeJarnette Sanatorium Admission Registers
Physical description:
115 cubic feet of records (260 boxes) and 1065 volumes.