The following links offer general overviews of services offered at various State Hospitals in Pennsylvania. Most pages include information about the location, counties served, services offered, and a history of the State Hospital. All the pages uless otherwise noted were found on the PA Dept. of Public Welfare website.
Allentown State Hospital
Clarks Summit State Hospital
Danville State Hospital
Harrisburg State Hospital
Mayview State Hospital
Norristown State Hospital
Torrance State Hospital
Warren State Hospital
Wernersville State Hospital
The following links are from various sources and in some cases include pictures along with an overview of the history of the hospital.
Allentown State Hospital – http://www.asylumprojects.org/allsh.html
Clark Summit State Hospital – http://www.asylumprojects.org/clarksh.html
Danville State Hospital – http://www.asylumprojects.org/dansh.html
Harrisburg State Hospital -
Mayview State Hospital – http://www.asylumprojects.org/maysh.html
Norristown State Hospital – http://www.asylumprojects.org/norrsh.html
Torrance State Hospital – http://www.asylumprojects.org/torrsh.html
Warren State Hospital – http://www.asylumprojects.org/warsh.html
Wernersville State Hospital -
Asylum Projects Includes some of the links found above, along with information about State Hospitals across the USA and other places in the world. it’s an interesting site to visit since reading the various histories of the different Hospitals can help you see the progress that has been made in the mental health system.
If anyone knows of any similar sites from other sourses, feel free to submit them to me for possible inclusion here.
I am trying to find information on Allentown Mental Institution when they had a children’s unit.
I know someone who spent about a year there and went through some heavy duty abuse by staff and other patients. He was just nine years old when he lived there. Who commits a nine year old with no mental health history to speak of?
Some of the incidents he remembers are horrific, at best. Do you know of any public inquests? The Allentown site itself states that they closed down the section because it became “less crucial.” I suspect otherwise.
My friend has had a hard time coming to terms with what happened to him there. I was just wondering if there was any history of lawsuits or public inquests that you know of. I have attached my email and any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
I don’t know of anything off the top of my head, but can keep an eye out for anything that might help. I know of another place that was closed because of the conditions and poor treatment of clients. I’m sure there are records somewhere, coving people who had been treated at the facility, but I’ve wondered if HIPPA and other rights to privacy have prevented such informetion from being made more public.I will keep an eye out for anything like this though and post links to anything I find here on the blog.
I also know that about the time that children and adolescent units were being shut down across the state, a place called Eastern State School and Hospital was shut down in I think I read 1995. It was a state hospital designed for kids upto I think age 18. It was one of the hospitals I was in as a teen, so I’ve been looking for more solid info about why it closed. Eastern State School and Hospital was located near Philadelphia. Like I said though, I’ll keep an eye out for anything about Alentown.
Thanks for posting a comment, I plan on using people’s comments for ideas on things to post on here, so it’s much appreciated.
Yes, I know about the place I was there for a short time myself and it was so bad i ran away from there 2 times once with a boy i knew there. I still wonder what all happen to alot of people i knew there. I was there in the 70s because my step father was very mean to me so my mom thought it was the best was to protect me yeah! right. What year was your friend there and a name if you dont mind.I stll to this day remember names of staff there and god help them if i ever found them.purpleroseangel3@aol.com contact me please
I am curious myself about a lot of information regarding eastern state school and hospital. I know personally about this place and what it became in the 90′;s before it shut down. I’m wondering about other people’s experiences. Would anyone care to share??
I was at ESSH in the early to mid 80’s It was quite challenging for me to be there, because most of the girls on the unit I was on, were “city” kids where I was born and raised in Warren County. So it was kind of a shell shock for me to be thrown in with a bunch of street smart girls. it was a place I wouldn’t have wished on anyone. I was eventually discharged, and the parting words of “encouragement” I received from the staff, were, “I’ll be awaiting your return”. I never did go back there, but did have a couple admissions on the Adolescent unit at Warren State, which was easier for me to understand the social rules or pecking order (so to speak) then it had been for me at ESSH was. I had promised the person who said they would wait for my return, that I would never set foot on ESSH grounds again, and somehow I managed to keep my word and steered clear of ESSH.
I was there in the 70s because my step father was very mean to me so my mom thought it was the most beneficial was to defend me yeah! Correctly. What year were your friend there and a name if you do not mind.
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james
Addiction Recovery New York
I was at Eastern State School and hospital in 1985. Coming from North East Pa it was difficult with the culture shock. Some of the staff were excellent. We had a priest in training there that tried molesting some kids. Myself included. The actual priest that was the everyday priest that worked there was a good guy although he talked me out of filing charges because it would bring bad publicity to me. I trusted him but think it was to protect them more than it was to protect me. Ms Dee was a very good teacher. There was some of the staff that were abusive but for the most part there was some great staff that really believed in the work they were doing no matter how misguided the directions were. A student got out of line they could plan on getting a shot of thorzine. It was probably the most tramatizing time of my life.
want to find info on a patient in Old Torrance State Hospital.Any ideas how to do this. Want answers about death of patient.
Hi Linda, Did you ever find out anything? My grandfather died in the and my mother would like to know anything Thank you.
With the help of Dave from paghosthunters.org , i was able to get some of my questions answered. I do believe everything he told me, as there were thing he could not have known. As far as getting info from the hospital, someone else contacted me from a forum, because of her grandmother. She tried to get info. All they will tell you is the date of admission and release(or death). Anything else you need a dr. or a court order.I did take a ride out to visit the place. A security guard came and asked why I was there, and i just told him my grandmother diedt there in 1965 and i just wanted to come back one more time. He was fine with it, and talked a while. I didn’t ask to go inside, but I’d like to. If you find anything out , let me know.
I have been trying to find 2 women who were friends of mine back at eastern state school and hospital. I was there back in 88-89 we made up the M&M&M’s. anyone who comes across gals with names of mickey o. or mindy w. please send them my way, thanks! also if anyone wants to discuss that place my memories are still vivid.