Western State Hospital

In January 1825 the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation providing for the construction of an asylum in the western part of the state. A Court of Directors was commissioned by the Governor to serve as the asylum's governing body and charged with purchasing a site close to the town of Staunton, west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, on which to build an asylum to house the mentally ill of western Virginia. The institution, which became known as Western Lunatic Asylum, was the second mental health facility built in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The buildings and surrounding gardens were designed to embrace the idea of "moral therapy" for mentally ill patients by providing an aesthetically pleasing and tranquil atmosphere in which patients lived comfortably, exercised and worked outdoors.

Western Lunatic Asylum opened in 1828, accepting both male and female patients suffering from a variety of mental disorders. Common diagnoses included "hard study," "religious excitement," and "debility of the nervous system." The asylum was overseen by a Keeper, a Matron and a visiting physician during its earliest years. The hospital also employed attendants, gate keepers, night watch personnel, farm hands, and a steward who handled the day-to-day financial operations. The first superintendent appointed to oversee Western Lunatic Asylum was Dr. Francis T. Stribling. Dr. Stribling was a proponent of the moral therapy approach, and was a leader in the early mental health community. Dr. Stribling was one of the thirteen founders of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane, which later became known as the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Stribling served as the hospital superintendent and as a physician until his death in 1874.

It should be noted that the hospital underwent a short-lived name change between 1861 and 1865, when it was known as Central Lunatic Asylum. (It should not be confused with an asylum of the same name later built in Petersburg, Virginia to house African American patients). From 1865 to 1894 the name was again Western Lunatic Asylum. However, in 1894 the General Assembly passed legislation changing the name to Western State Hospital.

Another highly influential superintendent at Western State Hospital was Dr. Joseph S. DeJarnette. Dr. DeJarnette was hired as a physician in 1889 and was appointed superintendent in 1905. His tenure was the longest of any superintendent at Western State. Dr. DeJarnette was also responsible for founding the DeJarnette State Sanatorium, which housed patients with the ability to pay for their treatment. Dr. DeJarnette remained the superintendent of Western State for 38 years, retiring in 1943 with many accolades. He served as superintendent of the sanatorium from its formation in 1932 to his full retirement in 1947. Dr. DeJarnette's involvement in the eugenics movement and his support of the involuntary sterilization of mental patients has in more recent years earned him a less favorable reputation.

Many of Western State Hospital's original structures remain standing on what is referred to as the "Old Site." Many of these structures are historically and architecturally significant and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During the 1960s a newer hospital facility was constructed, and over the next decade patients and programs were slowly moved to the "New Site." Deinstitutionalization efforts and increased focus on localized community programs resulted in lower patient census numbers starting in the 1970s, and by the mid-1970s the Old Site had shut down completely. The Old Site was later converted into Staunton Correctional Center, which it remained until its closure in late 2002. The original grounds of Western State Hospital were eventually sold and are being converted into condominiums and retail space as part of an urban redevelopment plan.

Western State Hospital continues to serve the mental health needs of Virginia's citizens from the New Site in Staunton, Virginia. The hospital is part of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) and is governed by the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

From the guide to the Records of Western State Hospital, 1825-2000, (The Library of Virginia)