Dixmont State Hospital

 abandoned / shut down, historical layer / disappeared object, psychiatric hospital / clinic

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The Western Pennsylvania Hospital at Pittsburgh ended its first year of operation in 1853, and it was evident that there were a greater number of patients in jails and almshouses than could be provided for by the 26 beds designated for that express purpose at the hospital. Managers of the hospital used a $10,000 appropriation from the state to purchase a large amount of farmland, on a hill overlooking the Ohio River, to the south of Pittsburgh. The land lay in what is now the Kilbuck/Emsworth Twp. areas. They originally wanted to build the institution in the city, but this idea was rejected by Dorothea Dix. The facility was named Dixmont, but Dix allowed the name only as a memory to her grandfather, not in honor of herself.
A grand ceremony took place on July 19, 1859, when the cornerstone of the Dixmont Kirkbride building was laid in the foundation. A glass jar was placed in the cornerstone, containing numerous objects, papers, and a letter from Dorothea Dix herself. Also contained was a copy of her 1845 "Memorial", the 55 page county-by-county study of the conditions for the mentally ill in Pennsylvania, which had a great part in jump-starting early mental health care reform in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the time capsule was recently recovered, only to find it had broken, and most of the contents were unrecognizable.
The Kirkbride building at Dixmont was typical of other Kirkbride facilities with the exception that the outermost wings swept forward instead of to the rear in the typical V-shape. This was to afford a better view of the river valley, and better airflow, which was said to be more calming to the patients, in keeping with the want of a serene setting. It had gas lighting, a central hot air system for heat, and more than ample supply of water from the Ohio River. Construction of the west wing was not complete until 1868, at which time construction of the east wing began. It was named Reed Hall, after the first superintendent of Dixmont, Dr Joseph A. Reed. Behind the Reed Hall, was the Dietary Building. This building contained the main kitchen at Dixmont, the large freezers, and storage areas where food was kept. Also part of this building were the loading docks, cleaning supplies, and upstairs were the auditorium, and the cafeteria. To the right of Reed Hall, was the Mens Annex, which housed many of the patients who were trusted with work details in he further reaches of the property, which would reach a size of approx. 407 acres. To the left of Reed Hall was the gym.

Other buildings on the property included the Hutchinson Building, which was the infirmary of the hospital. In this building was intensive care, x-ray facilities, a small cafeteria, a barber shop, isolation units, physical therapy areas, and observation rooms, instrument sterilization equipment. Each floor had patient rooms on the ends of the building, surrounding a nurses' pod, all separated by half-glass walls so the nurses could easily observe all of the patients easily. Also in this building were the morgue, laboratory and autopsy. This building is where electroshock therapies, lobotomies and other medical procedures took place. The Cammarrata Building was built in the early 1950's. This building was the geriatric center of Dixmont. This building has been renovated and is currently home (yet again coincidentally) to the a foundation for the disabled (The Verland Foundation) a private school, (The Glen Montessori School) and offices for the construction company owned by the family that purchased the property.
Dixmont State Hospital was originally named the Department of the Insane in the Western Pennsylvania Hospital of Pittsburgh. The original patient population of the hospital was a meager 113 patients, who were transferred from the Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh. Before the 1800's were out, somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 patients called the hospital home. In 1907, the facility was individually incorporated as the Dixmont Hospital for the Insane after separating from the Western Pennsylvania Hospital system. Dixmont was completely self sustained from the beginning. It had it's own farmlands, livestock, rail station, and post office. Also part of the facility was a water treatment plant, a sewage treatment plant, and electricity generating facilities. They had their own butchers, bakers, farmhands, electricians, laborers, pipe fitters, botanists, chefs, and even a barber and a dentist.
However, in 1947 the hospital was in dire financial need. It was at this time that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania took over operations at the facility, and renamed it Dixmont State Hospital. Throughout the years, other buildings were added to the facilities grounds. Then, in the 1960's, changes in the political climate and in views on care for the mentally ill or handicapped brought changes in funding and care. Declining funds and population of patients, along with a shrinking staff eventually brought the closing of the facility in 1984 after 122 years of operation.

(www.dixmontstatehospital.com)



The property was later put for sale and was purchased by a Kilbuck Township citizen, Ralph Strone, for $750,000. Ralph strone sold the lower part of the property to Kilbuck property to make way for a Super Wal-mart. The upper part of the land was used for Strone's farm. The plan for Walmart has been opposed since 2002 by surrounding neighbors and "Communities First!."

Years of fighting, Dixmont State Hospital was torn down in late 2005 early 2006 to make way for the construction of a Wal-Mart supercenter. Since then, there has been two landslides: one landslide caused by faulty blasting, and a second major landslide by the unstable hillside, which shut down Rt. 65 for two weeks. The only remnant of the hospital is its cemetery, on the upper left side of the hill, with over 1200 unmarked gravess. The tunnels are also in place, which may be a cause for the landslides.