In April 2018 I completed a residency through Springboard for the Arts, living on the grounds of the former State Hospital in Fergus Falls, MN, a Kirkbride-style asylum for the mentally insane built in the late 1800s. There I completed the following drawings.
The State Hospital cemetery, where perhaps the most defining feature is the emptiness. There are over 3000 recorded patient burials here, most of which were unmarked.
Along the edges of the cemetery are stacks of gravestones, as the group Remembering With Dignity works to mark the burial places.
One of the 4000+ asylum windows
I spent a few evenings walking around the State Hospital as the sun is going down, and reached an interesting point where I could no longer tell how dark it is. Between my eyes gradually adjusting and the snow, I felt like it was still dusk when in fact it was nighttime.
Silent Witnesses
Signs of life/signs of death. Activity on the state hospital campus as work crews begin deconstructing parts of the Kirkbride, even as the future of the building is being disputed
"The complete isolation of the insane asylum of 1906 from the communities that it served offered the greatest obstacle to the successful treatment of mental illness. ... For many of these residents, the door through which they might return to the community seemed to be permanently closed."
- Emery Johnson Jr.
- Emery Johnson Jr.
Monolith. Inspired by photographs of the crowded State Hospital wards, courtesy of the Otter Tail County Historical Society
Three and one. Inspired by photographs courtesy of the Otter Tail County Historical Society
Kitchen workers. The hospital's second superintendent and his wife, Dr. and Mrs. Welch, believed strongly in occupational therapy, and most patients who were able worked in some capacity: helping with jobs such as farming, laundry, clothes making, cleaning, wood working, and other ways of contributing to the function of the State Hospital. Photo inspiration and information courtesy of the Otter Tail County Historical Society
Started in the late 1890s, Mrs. Welch's Sewing Circle marked the beginning of the State Hospital's occupational therapy program. Image inspiration and information courtesy of the Otter Tail County Historical Society
Beauty Shop. The State Hospital's third superintendent Dr. Patterson (1927 - 1968) strove to provide a community for the hospital patients, despite a limited budget and staff. This included the creation of a beauty parlor, library, coffee shop, Sunday church services, and more. Information and image inspiration courtesy of the Otter Tail County Historical Society
The Castle on the Hill
History can be erased but the past can't be undone.
There is an adamant push from parts of the Fergus Falls leadership and community to demolish the Kirkbride building, even without a plan for the future of the grounds.
I can't speak for these people, but I believe the desire to remove the structure is at least partially tied to the incredible weight of its history. During my month on the former State Hospital's grounds and in working in the city, the shadow of the past has felt heavy and inescapable.
I don't know what should be done with the space, or how to best honor the memory of the people who lived and died here. But I believe destroying the building without making an effort to recognize the past is a mistake. Removing the structure won't change what happened here.
