Known as "Old Main," the New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica opened in 1843 as the first institution of its kind to treat madness as a medical illness, not a curse. A series of groundbreaking administrators sought to save mentally ill New Yorkers from lives of confinement in sordid conditions and create a safe haven. A sense of normalcy was established for patients through Old Main's Asylum Band, the Opal monthly publication and other arts programs. The infamous Utica Crib was invented at the asylum, and visitors from around the world sought to tour the facility and its utopian structure. Though closed in 1978, Old Main was placed in the National Register of Historic Places, and its iconic columns still mesmerize the public today. Author Dennis Webster charts the history of the New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica.

Known as Old Main, the New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica opened in 1843 as the first institution of its kind to treat madness as a medical illness, not a curse. A series of groundbreaking administrators sought to save mentally ill New Yorkers from lives of confinement in sordid conditions and create a safe haven. A sense of normalcy was established for patients through Old Main's Asylum Band, the Opal monthly publication and other arts programs. The infamous Utica Crib was invented at the asylum, and visitors from around the world sought to tour the facility and its utopian structure. Though closed in 1978, Old Main was placed in the National Register of Historic Places, and its iconic columns still mesmerize the public today. Author Dennis Webster charts the history of the New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica.

Old Main, the New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica, opened in 1843. It was the first asylum in NYS and the second in the United States. Dr. Amariah Brigham was the first superintendent and brought his moral treatment to the asylum. People with mental illness would be rescued from a life of chains, confinement, and isolation to come to Utica. They would work on the asylum farm, print shop, garden, among other occupations. The patients would have their own Asylum Band, perform stage shows, and write, edit and sell the most popular asylum publication ever conceived: The Opal. The infamous Utica Crib would hold severe patients in its caged confinement. The asylum would average 2700 visitors a year in the 1850's making it among the most visited locations in the United States. Old Main closed on September 28, 1978. The building, with its iconic Greek Doric columns, was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Old Main still attracts large crowds and is considered one of the most haunted buildings in the United States.

Excerpt from Rules, Regulations and by-Laws of the New York State Lunatic Asylum, Utica The very first impulses Of insanity are met at home and amongst friends, by resistance and opposition from those who before yielded willing Obedience to requirements, or who have acquiesced with cheerfulness in every reasonable indulgence. The apparent difference in the conduct and feelings of their friends excites collision, arouses the passions, and awakens the prejudices of the victims of delusion. They now feel that the friends whom they loved have turned against them - that these friends purposely thwart all their plans, oppose all their desires, and resist what they conceive to be their own best efforts to promote the happiness of both. They oppose their friends with violence, and indulge in wrath and bitterness against them. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.