Glore Psychiatric Museum facts for kids
| Established | 1967 |
|---|---|
| Location | 3406 Frederick Ave., St. Joseph, Missouri, United States |
| Type | Psychiatric history |
| Founder | George Glore |
| Public transit access |  St. Joseph Transit |
The Glore Psychiatric Museum is a unique museum in St. Joseph, Missouri. It is part of a group of museums there. This museum shows the 130-year history of a nearby state mental hospital. It also teaches about how people have treated mental health issues over time. Many people think it's one of the most unusual museums in the United States.
History of the Museum
The museum's collection started in 1966. A man named George Glore worked for the Missouri Department of Mental Health. He built life-size models of old tools used to help people with mental health problems. He showed these models during a Mental Health Awareness Week.
These models and other items soon became a museum in 1967. The museum's goal was to show how mental health treatment has changed. George Glore believed we need to see the past to understand how much progress we have made. He kept adding to the collection for 41 years. After he retired, he stayed on as the museum's curator until he passed away in 2010. Scott Clark then became the new curator.
The Hospital's Story
At first, the museum was inside the original "State Lunatic Asylum No. 2." This hospital was built in 1874 and looked like a strong fort. In 1899, its name changed to the "St. Joseph State Hospital."
The hospital started with only 25 patients. By the 1950s, it grew to almost 3,000 patients. In the 1990s, the old hospital building became a state prison. A new, smaller hospital opened nearby. The Glore Museum then moved to a different building. This building was built in 1968 and used to be a clinic for the hospital's patients.
Museum Exhibits
The museum shows many items from the old mental hospital. These include medical tools and staff uniforms. You can also see photos and art made by patients. One exhibit tells the story of a man who lived at the hospital for 72 years.
Old Treatment Devices
Some of the most interesting exhibits are the full-sized models George Glore built. These models show treatment devices from the 1500s, 1600s, and 1700s. They help us understand how different treatments were back then.
- The Tranquilizer Chair: This chair had a hood and straps for hands and feet. It even had a built-in toilet for long sessions. It was invented by Benjamin Rush, who is called "The Father of American Psychiatry." He wrote the first American book about mental illness in 1812.
- The Bath of Surprise: This was a platform that could quickly dunk a patient into a bath of ice water.
- The Giant Patient Treadmill: This large wheel was meant to make restless patients tired. The idea was that they would stay still to avoid getting exhausted from moving the wheel.
- The Lunatic Box: This was a tall, coffin-like box. Patients who were hard to control were put inside until they calmed down.
- O'Halloran's Swing: This device was like a hammock. It was used to calm a patient who was upset or to help them fall asleep.
See also
- Emotional mental health in the United States
- History of psychiatric institutions
- Psychiatric hospital
