Living and Working at the Asylum

Living and Working at the Asylum

This enclosed glass case features a large background photo of the apartment at the hospital of a married couple who worked at the Kalamazoo State Hospital.  On the right side of the case are several black and white photographs of hospital staff members at work and at play.  On the bottom of the case is a metal foot locker and a hat worn by a security guard at the hospital during the 1970s. On the left side of the case is a table with a sewing cabinet, fan, pipe and plant. On the floor is a foot locker filled with women's clothing from the victorian era.

The Medical Superintendent, and all the other medical officers and nursing personnel, took up residence in quarters of the asylum buildings. Dr. Van Deusen, and all other Medical Superintendents and their families following him until 1917, lived in the apartment on the second floor of the Female Department reserved for that purpose. After Montague House had been purchased and remodeled, it was reserved for occupancy by the Medical Superintendent. The last Medical Superintendent to reside there was Dr. Morter. Subsequent to his departure, several psychiatrists lived there until it was transferred to Western Michigan University in 1982.

Quarters for the assistant medical officers and their families, the matron and steward were provided for on the third floor of the Female Department and occupied by them until the completion of the Male Department when the officers caring for the male patients took up residence on the third floor of that building. A dining room for the officers and their families was also located on the third floor of each of the buildings. The kitchen servants for the Female Department were originally housed in the basement of the building adjacent to the kitchen.

William A. Decker, M.D., Asylum for the Insane: A History of the Kalamazoo State Hospital, Arbutus Press, copyright 2008