Willard State Hospital Annual Reports

Chronological.

The series consists of published volumes of annual reports of the trustees of the Willard Asylum for the Insane, and later, the board of managers of the Willard State Hospital, summarizing the management and progress of the institution. As required over the years by laws relevant to the changing nature of the institution, the reports were transmitted to the legislature, to the State Commission on Lunacy, or to the State Hospital Commission.

Often, in addition to the standard annual reports of the institution, various reports from/to other institutions, or supplemental materials relating to pertinent topics in mental hygiene, are appended. An example is a copy of a report of a board of visitors filed with the Department of Mental Health. Most volumes hold several cumulative reports bound together, often with indexes. Earlier volumes contain information on the first commissioners and their work, membership of the earliest board of trustees, institutional by-laws, laws relating to establishment of the State Lunatic Asylum (ca. 1842), and legislation pertinent to care and treatment of the insane.

B1433-96: Annual reports are present in this accretion for the following: Board of Trustees (1867-1895); Board of Managers (1896-1926); and the Board of Visitors (1927-1994). Annual reports were submitted to the State Legislature (1867-1895), the State Commission in Lunacy (1896-1911), the State Hospital Commission (1912-1926), and to the Department of Mental Hygiene (1927-1994).

The earlier reports appear to duplicate reports in earlier accretions. The later reports (after 1927) typically begin with a "Report of the Superintendent" which includes: acknowledgments of contributions to the hospital; statistics for the patient population (including numbers of admissions, mental condition, nativity and citizenship, counties of origin, and causes of death); and employment statistics for numbers and turnover of officers and employees. Next, a "Report of the Steward" reviews farm and garden operations and goods manufacturered. Then, a "General Statement" of various statistics, mostly financial, for the year is included.

The annual reports conclude with a "Financial Statement" for the hospital and farm operations. Reports list officers of the hospital, including members of the Board of Visitors, the Committee on Mental Hygiene and After-Care, resident officers, and consulting staff.

A0283Series A0283, Monthly Reports and Minutes of Boards of Managers of State Institutions, contains copies of reports submitted to the governor by Willard's board of managers.

A volume list is available at the repository.

These volumes originated from the library at the Willard Psychiatric Center. They were transferred to the State Archives when the center closed in 1995.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.