Darkest Edge

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When I decided to write a story about an insane asylum, I became interested in the history of the amazing architecture that is often seen on these old campuses. My research into the building design led to a better understanding of the history of the treatment of the mentally ill in the United States. This short summary sets the stage for the overall story.

Asylum — ‘Protection’ and ‘shelter’ aren’t the first words that usually come to mind, certainly not when preceded by ‘Lunatic’ (as in Lunatic Asylum). Prior to the tireless efforts of Ms. Dorothea Dix in the mid-1800s, most mentally challenged people were dependent on the charity of others for their well-being. Some took advantage of almshouses run by various religious organizations, others fended for themselves. Ms. Dix’s efforts, and the determination by the federal government that treatment of the insane was a responsibility of the individual states, resulted in the development of institutional care facilities within the states. The facilities built by the states were variously known as ‘lunatic asylums’, ‘hospitals for the insane’, or eventually as ‘state hospitals’.

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