Medfield State Hospital – Chronology
by Richard DeSorgher

Commission appointed to acquire a site for the location of an insane asylum decided to purchase the estates owned by Judge Robert Bishop and Moses Bishop and the Morrill Farm, comprising about 316 acres and included the famous Rocky Narrows in the purchase.

Civil engineers began laying out the grounds in preparation for the building of the Medfield Insane Asylum.

Work was underway laying out the avenues and grounds for the new asylum. Over 200 men and a steam shovel were used.

Most of the buildings were completed. Total capacity was originally set for 1000. Completed were 25 buildings and a large barn. It was built in the cottage plan on now 425 acres. Of the brick buildings, 18 were for wards, an administration building, St. Jude’s Chapel, a laundry and a kitchen with two dining rooms that would hold 400 each. The powerhouse supplied all the heat and electricity. Did not contract with Boston Edison—self-supporting. Water tower received water pumped from 20 wells along the Charles River. Buildings were built by mainly Italian bricklayers who were brought back and forth on a daily basis from Boston.

Officially opened in May of 1896- Acting Governor Roger Walcott issued a proclamation establishing the Medfield Insane Asylum for the chronic insane. It was built to relieve the overcrowding of the other state facilities. Only half of the buildings were totally completed when the first 120 patients arrived from Taunton, Danvers, Northampton, Westboro and Boston State. The patients arrived at the Junction RR station and were transported to the hospital in horse-drawn wagons with long seats on each side. Large numbers of townspeople lined the road as spectators, watching the patients being taken to the hospital. In August of 1896, malaria hit the asylum, with many patients affected.

Population reached 1000 after the first year and hit 1,554 ten years later—The death rate at the hospital at that time was averaging four per week, well above the town’s death rate which had a population only slightly larger than the hospital.

Management of the hospital was vested in a board of seven trustees, appointed by the governor. The trustees appointed a resident superintendent, who was a physician and a staff of four assistant physicians along with a steward, a treasurer, an auditor a chief engineer and matron.

An epidemic of dysentery struck the hospital and lasted for four months and resulted in 14 patient deaths.

Population at the hospital reached 1,700.

Wesley Linton, an attendant at the hospital pleaded guilty to the assault, beating and killing of a patient–He was sentenced to 3 years in the Dedham House of Correction.

An additional 167 acres of land was purchased by the hospital—land lying to the west of the hospital and along the Charles River. The hospital now had a total of 609 acre of land—184 which were under cultivation.

WWI:  362 employees before the start of the war—51 employees served during the war, 44 of them saw active duty in France— 4 were killed or died of diseases.

A prison camp was located on the grounds of the hospital. It housed inmates from the Charlestown Jail who were used to build and improve the road system around the hospital.

Great Influenza Epidemic—State Hospital Cemetery established.

Influenza: so many employees became ill that proper care could not be given the patients. On a single day over 75 employees would be sick. Graduate nurses were sent to Medfield from other area hospitals to help with the care. A total of 95 employees contacted the disease, of which 5 died—308 patients were sick with the influenza, of which 55 died (In the town of Medfield 17 people died in the one month period.)

Concern was expressed by the hospital trustees over the large number of assaults on patients by the attendants. They urged swift prosecution in all cases of alleged abuse to the patients.

A memorial war tablet was erected and placed in the Administration building in memory of the 51 employees who served in WWI.

Population reached 2000 and had become a teaching hospital for Tufts Medical Center. Students from Tufts medical would work there for practical experience.

Great depression hit the hospital hard, as the hospital battled to operate with less and less funding.

Hospital orchestra formed, consisting of employees who performed at dances and other functions.

Shock treatment began—two patients were killed as a result of being assaulted by employees. State investigation took place over the disappearance of a large supply of narcotics.

The Hurricane of 1938 hit- with slate from the roofs and glass from the windows flying everywhere, with chimneys falling and and trees toppling, patients in general remained calm.

Complaints were received about overcrowded conditions and for the first time children were admitted, the youngest was 4 years old—as there were no separate facilities, the children were housed with the adult population.

Due to WWII and the number of men enlisting, there was  a significant staff  shortage. The better patients took up the slack, caring for other patients, even carrying keys. The patients looked after the laundry,  food services, housekeeping, the farm and the grounds. They shoveled the coal and the snow and did an excellent job despite never being compensated for all their work.

New and revolutionary psychotropic drugs were introduced into health care, drastically changing the e care of the mentally ill. The cold and wet sheet packs and constant baths were being done away with. Because of the new drugs, more patients were able to be discharged and the hospital was able to extend its care out into the communities. Clinics were established in both Wellesley and Quincy. Under the leadership of Dr, Harold Lee, Medfield gained national recognition for its Rehabilitation program which increased independent living and an intensive vocational program to increase work skills to make the transition into the communities. More than 100 patients were discharged under this program in the early 1960’s.

First talk of closing, either Westboro or Medfield- population continued to decline until it was a low as 150.

During the 1980s rumors and plans were circulating that a number of the criminally insane from Bridgewater State Hospital would be sent to Medfield. In 1985 against strong town opposition the state, in a sensational media case, sent an inmate found innocent of murdering his parents by reason of insanity to Medfield State Hospital.

The Bridgewater connection expanded in1990, when thirteen inmates from Bridgewater State Hospital for the Criminally Insane were located in a newly renovated and made secure “R” Building, another of the original 1896 wards. This caused much concern among Medfield town residents, especially those who lived near the hospital.

At the request of the Medfield State Hospital administration, the Town of Medfield agreed to supply Town water to the Hospital, when the Hospital wells were taken out of service.

The town raised strong concerns to the state over the continued deterioration of the buildings at the hospital. Working with the Medfield State Hospital Preservation Committee and the local state representatives, the state appropriated $500,000 to mothball the buildings at the hospital in the hope of stopping further decay of the buildings.

The town was officially notified that the hospital would be closing in 2003. The Medfield State Hospital Committee began to investigate the role of the town in the surplus land disposition process. The Committee obtained a grant working in conjunction with the towns of Dover and Sherborn from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council to prepare a re-use of the property.

On April 13, 2003 Medfield State Hospital was officially closed to patients. The remaining patients at Medfield were transferred to Westboro State Hospital. The Medfield State Hospital Committee was now working with the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) to identify a redevelopment plan for the State Hospital.