Henryton State Hospital
Kevin E. Dayhoff June 24, 2015
My next column in the Baltimore
Sun - http://www.baltimoresun.com/search/dispatcher.front?Query=Kevin+Dayhoff&target=all
- will be on Henryton State Hospital. The following piece comes from edits that
were left on the cutting room floor in order to make word limit.
Related Sykesville Firefighter: Bill Rehkopf – Another Fire
At Abandoned Henryton Hospital Center December 19, 2007 http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2007/12/sykesville-firefighter-bill-rehkopf.html
http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/search/label/Henryton%20State%20Hospita
- for all articles on Henryton
Labels: Carroll
Co places, Henryton
School of Piratical Nursing, Henryton
State Hospital, Medicine
Health
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The hospital was once a sprawling facility comprised of 19
buildings covering 30 acres in Marriottsville, about seven miles from
Sykesville in southern Carroll County. It was closed by the state of Maryland
in 1985.
This writer began looking into the history of the hospital
in the early 1970s when it caught my attention during an assignment to research
the history of hospitals in Carroll County for a project for what was
then-Carroll County General Hospital.
Over the years, researching the history of hospital has
difficult. What little information on the hospital that was found was often
conflicting, inconsistent, and only appeared in anecdotal accounts; often
without a comprehensive context. Many historians contacted in the 1970s were
barely aware of the facility.
On June 20, 1947, the Democratic Advocate reported on “Three
County Doctors Honored:” “Three physicians were honored for having given 50
years of service to citizens of Carroll county at the monthly luncheon meeting
Tuesday of the Carroll County Medical Society at the Charles Carroll Hotel in
Westminster. The vice president, Dr. Reuben Hoffman, superintendent of the
Henryton Sanatorium, presided at the meeting…”
Then, in an undated entry discovered in the 1990s, in one of
the several old histories of the Westminster Volunteer Fire Department, it is
noted “Numerous members vividly recall a major alarm fire at the old Henryton
Hospital near Sykesville. When Engine No 33 with nine volunteers were trapped
in burning brush and forced to make a dash through the flames to safety…
According to an undated history of Henryton discovered by Historian
Betty Jane Lee, “In the year 1918, the General Assembly of Maryland, Maryland's
legislative body, authorized the construction of a tuberculosis sanatorium for
Negro patients who were residents of Maryland. This sanatorium was established
at Henryton in CarroIl County. It was opened in September of 1923. It is
situated on the main line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad about 25 miles
west of Baltimore and about seven miles from Sykesville.
“The original bed capacity was 88. In order to be admitted
the person had to be a resident of Maryland for two years prior to the date of
the application. Later on this was changed to one year. The terms were $3.50
per week for paying patients but the majority of beds were free…”
Multiple sources report that after a major reorganization of
state government in 1963, Henryton was no longer utilized as a tuberculosis
sanatorium, and along with Rosewood State Hospital; it was converted to a “developmental
disabilities facility,” according to a Maryland Inventory of Historic
Properties report prepared for the Maryland Historic Trust around June 2000.
In keeping with the difficulties researching the history of
Henryton, to date no information has been found that supports the popular
notion that the facility was once a psychiatric hospital.
According to an article in The Sun on April 1, 2013, “Inside
the abandoned Henryton State Hospital,” “For years, the old Henryton State
Hospital has sat abandoned in rural southeastern Carroll County as officials
decide what to do next with the decaying psychiatric [sic]… facility. Closed
since 1985, there have been 70 fires over the past decade, as the complex like
others, falls victim to vandalism and deterioration.”
After the huge facility was closed and the last person
leaving the buildings turned-off the lights; the state of Maryland walked-away
and never looked back; wiped its hands of the place and left it to be painfully
destroyed over the years by neglect. It did not even appear in the 1986 state
budget.
Multiple sources define criminal neglect as “The failure to
use reasonable care to avoid consequences that threaten or harm the safety of
the public and that are the foreseeable outcome of acting in a particular
manner.” If you look up criminal neglect in the dictionary and you see a picture
of the state of Maryland’s maintenance of the huge complex.
In June 2013, the entire complex of 19 buildings was removed
from the property at a cost of over $4 million. The entire property, totally
105 acres according to the Maryland Historic Trust, is to be absorbed into
Patapsco Valley State Park. Kevin E. Dayhoff June 23, 2015
Remembering Carroll's statuesque and statue sculptor
Many would be surprised to learn that Blaze Starr, who passed away on June 15, is not the only creative statuesque figure with a Carroll County connection.
Study of schools in Carroll provides an interesting education
In researching the history of schools in Carroll County, one comes across many references to early graduations and the "first" beginnings of a system of education in the county.
Shrine in New Windsor honors site where Methodism got its start
On June 18, 1937, the Strawbridge Shrine Association was formed just outside of New Windsor, where many historians believe the origins of Methodism in America are located.
Memorial Day and memories of native son killed in Vietnam nearly 50 years ago
After a parade through town, a memorial service was held just before noon in the historic Westminster Cemetery. The tradition of the parade and ceremony in Westminster was started in 1868 by Mary Bostwick Shellman.
Westminster band in third century together
The March 10 event was not held in a dance hall, but there were quite a few musical numbers played. There were also movies, slides, a history talk and refreshments to the delight of approximately 125 attendees inside the large hall at Grace Lutheran Church in Westminster.
Carroll County pays last respects to emergency responder [Eagle Archives]
Friends, family, colleagues and law enforcement officers from throughout the central-Maryland region filled Legacy Hall at the Sykesville Freedom District Volunteer Fire Department recently to pay their last respects to fellow firefighter and EMS provider Robin Flater Chenoweth.
Efforts in Carroll County to build harmony from diversity honored [Eagle Archives]
Steve Guthrie, superintendent of Carroll County public schools, and veteran community leaders Jean and John Lewis were recently recognized by the county's Human Relations Commission for their contributions to the community.
Carroll County's connection to Cuba began with sugar in 1800s
Powder, serving with the U.S. Army's 6th Cavalry, was waiting to be deployed to Cuba when he wrote to his sister, "Mrs. Wm. Stansbury," from Tampa, Florida: "Dear Sister. I and our troops are still here.
Carroll County's connection to Greece [Eagle Archives]
Several weeks ago, Westminster was the focal point of a distinguished assembly of Greek families as folks from all over the country came to town to celebrate the life of Zoe Amprazis Sirinakis, 85, who died on Dec. 29.
Volunteer fire companies truly a valued asset in the county
The first mention of a fire department in what we now know as Carroll County was in 1808 when the Maryland General Assembly "passed an act authorizing the raising of money by lottery to pay for a fire engine?"
Sergeant major's appointment brings attention of Annapolis to Carroll County
On Jan. 21, the adjutant general of Maryland, Brig. Gen. Linda Singh, announced that she had appointed Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Beyard, of Westminster, to be the senior enlisted leader of the Maryland National Guard, its top enlisted position.
Underlining surveyors' contribution to Carroll County's history [Eagle Archives]
For this year's event, which was scheduled for Jan. 17, the topic was the history of the county's northern border, the storied, celebrated and, at times, vilified Mason Dixon Line.
New year begins with familiar faces missing from county leadership [Column]
On April 24, Carroll County's chief of staff, Steve Powell, retired from county government. He started worked for the county in October 1985 as a budget officer.
Fire department dinner meeting an annual tradition in Westminster [Eagle Archives]
The annual event is a time-honored tradition that goes back to the beginning of the current fire company in Westminster, which was incorporated on Jan. 29, 1879, in the midst of enormous contention after a series of disastrous fires between 1857 and 1879, when there was no fire company in town.
Center hosts annual event to celebrate farming in Carroll County [Eagle Archives]
Recently, about 100 hardy souls braved temperatures in the upper 20s and the final remnants of a freezing rain to attend the annual Carroll County Agriculture Center's dinner meeting.
Carroll County's new leaders share more than priority of public safety [Eagle Archives]
Just days after the sheriff's office made that announcement, the office announced the appointment of an additional investigator to the county's drug task force to address the community's growing alarm regarding the abuse of prescription drugs and heroin.
A love story that began on New Year's Eve, 1945 [Eagle Archives]
Much of the time, history can be the dry stuff of names and facts or memorized dates found in textbooks. Nothing can bring history alive more than our own memories or growing up listening to the recollections of our parents or grandparents.
Celebrating Grace Lutheran Church's growth and history in Westminster
... church's commitment to Westminster — and was, in part, initiated by the husband and wife team of Pastors Martha and Kevin Clementson, who have led the congregation since December 2007. The rededication service on Sept. 14 will be officiated by ...
Pond a source of respite for Westminster visitors and residents
More than 60 years ago, the Route 140 "Roadside Picnic Area and Community Fish Pond" was dedicated with great fanfare by then-Gov. Theodore R. McKeldin during a Saturday program that began at 2 p.m. and lasted all afternoon.
Westminster mayor remembered [Eagle Archives]
Many historians would agree with state Sen. Joe Getty, a local historian, who wrote, "Researching local business histories is difficult and challenging. Sources for such information are generally scarce and incomplete?"
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