Bartonville State Asylum: History Bonus

BARTONVILLE, Ill. (WTHI) - In 1902, a State Asylum was built for the Incurably Insane, over an abandoned coal mine on a bluff in Bartonville, Illinois.

The open cottage campus, which was created so designated locations for patients ranging from schizophrenic or sociopathic could have their own area for treatment, allowed Dr. George Zeller and his nursing staff to care for patients throughout the surrounding area.

In 1938, a study found 95 percent of the doctors and patients had the White Death, also known as Tuberculosis.

A TB wing was built with an open airflow concept, so that fresh air could constantly filter through the hospital, in the hope that less people would become infected by the airborne virus.

The White Death took its toll on a number of patient, nurses and doctors. Thousands died within the asylum, with 4,132 buried in the four graveyards located throughout the campus.

Due to the always increasing numbers of deaths, hospital staff had to properly store the bodies in cold storage units until either the trains or grave diggers could lay them to rest.

The state found that the Asylum was number one in the world for treating patients; however, they also discovered it was the most expensive to run.

Once funding was cut, neglect of patients followed, because the decreasing staff couldn’t keep up with the inflow of patients coming in a going out.

News 10 Photojournalist John Timm spent the night in the Bartonville State Asylum, and will show you what he found on News 10 at 6:00 p.m. EDT.