Spring Grove Hospital Center facts for kids

The Spring Grove campus as it appears today.

Spring Grove Hospital Center is a special hospital in Catonsville, Maryland. It helps people with their mental health. It used to be called Spring Grove State Hospital.

This hospital started in 1797. It is the second oldest hospital in the United States that has continuously helped people with mental health. Today, Spring Grove Hospital has 425 beds. About 800 people are admitted and discharged each year. The hospital helps adults and teenagers who need mental health care. It also provides long-term care and helps with research. The University of Maryland, Baltimore has owned and run the hospital since May 2022. It is also home to the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, which studies conditions like schizophrenia.

A Look Back: Hospital History

An architect's drawing from 1853 for new buildings at Spring Grove. They were finished in 1872 but later taken down in 1963.

Richard Sprigg Steuart helped make the hospital at Spring Grove possible.

How It Started: The 1700s

Spring Grove Hospital began in 1797. It is the second oldest hospital for mental health in the country. Only Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia, which started in 1773, is older. Over the years, this hospital has had many names. These include The Baltimore Hospital and The Maryland Hospital for the Insane.

It was first built to help people with Yellow Fever who did not have much money. This was done to keep them away from the city. In 1840, the hospital started to focus only on caring for people with mental illness. The first buildings were taken down in 1873. The hospital then moved to its current location. The original site is now where the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is located.

Growing Bigger: The 1800s

The land for the current hospital was bought in 1852. The old buildings were not big enough anymore. Dr. Richard Sprigg Steuart was in charge of the hospital at that time. He worked to get money and permission from the Maryland government. This allowed them to build the new hospital at Spring Grove.

Dr. Steuart worked with Dorothea Dix, a social reformer. She gave a powerful speech to the Maryland government in 1852. Dr. Steuart led the group that chose the hospital's current location in Catonsville. He even gave $1,000 of his own money to help buy the land.

The land for the hospital was 136 acres and cost $14,000. Most of the money, $12,340, came from people who donated. The land was bought in 1853. However, building the new hospital was delayed by the Civil War. The hospital was finally finished in 1872. People at the time said it was "one of the largest and best appointed Insane Asylums in the United States."

Dr. Steuart's brother, Major General George H. Steuart, had two sons who had mental health challenges. This might have been why Dr. Steuart was so interested in Spring Grove Hospital. He cared a lot about helping people with mental illness.

The building Dr. Steuart helped create was the main hospital for almost 100 years. It was known as "The Main Building" or "The Administration Building."

New Buildings: The 1900s

The buildings that Dr. Steuart helped build were taken down in 1963. Newer, more modern buildings were put in their place.

What's Next for Spring Grove?

Future Plans for the Campus

In 2014, Baltimore County planned to divide the hospital land. They wanted to create an 8.8-acre park for the Catonsville community. There are also plans for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County to expand. The university has rights to a part of the Spring Grove property.

In May 2022, Governor Larry Hogan suggested giving the hospital campus to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County for just $1. The Maryland Board of Public Works voted to approve this plan. Governor Hogan and Treasurer Dereck E. Davis supported the idea. However, Comptroller Peter Franchot did not agree.

See also

• Spring Grove Experiment