Medfield State Hospital National Historic Site
On the same day I visited Peak House Heritage Center, I went down the road to Medfield State Hospital National Historic Site. Established in 1892 as Medfield Insane Asylum, the Queen Anne-style red brick buildings stand at the top of hill near a large field. A family event was going on during my visit, but few people were walking among the shuttered buildings. The grounds have been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1994.
According to the Medfield Historical Society, about 316 acres of land for the hospital were purchased in 1890. An additional 109 acres were purchased, while the first buildings were completed by 1895. The hospital was built on the cottage plan, also known as the linear plan. Buildings were large to house a large number of people and workshops, since these organizations were often self-supporting. Medfield State Hospital was originally intended to house 1000 people in dormitories with other buildings including a water tower, a powerhouse, a chapel, a laundry, and a kitchen with two large dining rooms. The intended population size was exceeded after a year with the organization operating at 150% capacity after ten years, and 200% after about thirty years. Multiple epidemics in combination with abusive hospital employees led to a patient death rate of four per week. When the Hurricane of 1938 hit the campus, it is noted that “patients in general remained calm”. A lethal storm was no worse than their terrible daily lives.
During the 1950s and 1960s, a shift in health care and improvement in medications led to the gradual release of patients from institutions to independent living. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the state house patients deemed “criminally insane” in a secure building despite protests from town residents. The hospital did not close until 2003. The property stood vacant even after it was purchased by the town in 2014. Currently, the property is in the beginning of transforming into Bellforge Arts Center, which was hosting the family event during my visit. The Chapel and Infirmary/Research building will be renovated and connected by a new Annex to become a performance venue and classroom space.
The rest of the campus is slated to be redeveloped for housing by Trinity Financial, which specializes in improving community-driven urban sites in the northeast and then hands over to its property management company, Trinity Management. One of their past projects was in the Blackstone River Valley: Glenark Mills Apartments in Woonsocket, RI was a textile mill constructed in 1865, expanded in 1885, and listed on the National Register in 1989. Industrial cities like Lowell and Lawrence have also received mill renovations. While the buildings await a significant facelift, local artists have added poetry boarded up windows, including “Perception” by Thea Iberall, “Snow Dreams” by patient Mike F., and a sign reminding the visitor “Remember us, for we too have lived, loved and laughed”.
At this time, the site is free and open to the public from dawn to dusk. Parking is located near the entrance on Service Drive off of Hospital Road, and on the far side of the property along Garden Street. Current areas of construction are clearly marked by green fences. Informational signs describe the future of the performing arts center and provide a drone shot of the property with each building labeled by its original name, along with a description of who lived and worked in each building using modern terminology. If you are interested in late 19th century architecture, mental health history, or talking a quiet walk through an abandoned site, this is an ideal location.
