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In the forward movement in the care 0f the insane during the past century by far the most
important event was the abolition 0f mechanical restraints in the care of patients. Less than half a
century ag0 such restraints were everywhere considered a necessity, and for excited patients
strong rooms, straight jackets, cribs, airing c0urts and 0ther mechanical appliances were
everywhere in evidence. Only twenty-five years ago there were but four or five institutions in the
United States where these appliances were ab0lished to any large extent, and of these two were in
Ohio—Athens and Columbus. Even then, and for several years later, patients were only all0wed
0utdoor liberty and exercise in airing courts, surrounded by high walls or wooden stockades. In
the great evolution concerning the treatment of insane Ohio was in the front rank. Another
pioneer movement in Ohio in the care of the insane was the creation 0f the T0ledo State Hospital
upon what is known as the cottage system, and which has since been the model for all new
asylums throughout the United States.
LONGVIEW HOSPITAL is one of the notable charities of Hamilton County, for which the State
of Ohio makes annual appropriations. It is the outgrowth of a combination of circumstances
which have determined its peculiar legal status. It has been the subject of more than thirty years
of contention, and its history is that 0f a great p0litical wrong, and on account of its
establishment, growth and present conditi0n is 0f general interest.
The first asylum for the insane erected in Ohio was built in Cincinnati under an act of the
Legislature, passed on the 22nd of January, 1821, entitled "An Act establishing a Commercial
Hospital and Lunatic Asylum for the State of Ohio."
By the terms of this enactment the Trustees of Cincinnati Township were to furnish a site for said
institution, containing not less than four acres of land, within 0ne mile of the public landing on
the Ohio River, and erect the necessary buildings, which were to 'be of brick, for the safe
keeping, comfort and medical treatment of such idiots, lunatics and insane pers0ns of this State
as might be brought to it for these purposes. The Trustees were to receive certain compensation
for the care of such patients, t0 be paid by the county sending the same, if paupers, or by the
friends or guardians, if the patients had estates.
In addition the Trustees were required to admit and care for, free of charge, all boatmen
belonging to boats owned by citizens of Ohio, or to boats of the citizens of other States which
provided hospital accommodati0ns to boatmen of this State. They were also required to receive
into said institution, and care for, all the paupers of Cincinnati Township.
The institution was to be known as "The Commercial Hospital and Lunatic Asylum of Ohio."
The State donated, for the purpose of assisting in the erection of said asylum, $10,000 in
depreciated or uncurrent bank bills then in the State Treasury, from which were realized $3,500
in specie. The Commercial Hospital and Lunatic Asylum of Ohio was the parent institution from
which afterwards sprung the Orphan Asylum, the City Infirmary, the Cincinnati Hospital and
Longview Asylum. It was the beginning, on the part of the State, which has led to the
establishment of the great benevolent institutions of which every citizen of Ohio is justly proud.
On the 7th of March, 1835, the Legislature authorized the purchase of land for a lunatic asylum,
and at the next session authorized the erection of an asylum for the insane on the land recently
purchased for that purpose at C0lumbus. Said institution was to be known as "The Lunatic
Asylum of Ohio." On the 9th of March, 1838, an act was passed entitled "An Act to provide for
the safe keeping of idiots, lunatics or insane persons, the management of their affairs and for
other purposes," which required all persons found to be lunatics to be sent to the Ohio Lunatic
Asylum, and repealing all acts and parts of acts inconsistent with the provision of said act. Thus
the Cincinnati Hospital and Lunatic Asylum ceased to be a State institution, on the 9th of March,
1838, although the name
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remained until the 11th of March, 1861, when it was changed to Commercial Hospital of
Cincinnati, and became a city institution:
The State afterwards built two additional hospitals for the insane, one at Dayton and the other in
the northern part of Ohio, and on the 7th of April, 1856, the Legislature passed "an act to provide
for the uniform government and better regulation of the lunatic asylums of the State and the care
of idiots and insane," which divided the State into three districts, known as the Northern, Central
and Southern Districts. Hamilton County, together with thirteen other counties, constituted the
Southern District, the asylum for which was located at Dayton, but on the l0th of March, 1857,
the Legislature passed an act making Hamilton County a separate district for lunatic asylum
purposes, and providing for the erection and government of an asylum therein, and that the
commissioners shall cause all the insane 0f the county to be placed in such asylum when
c0mpleted. The act further provided that the inmates of the asylum be supported and the salaries
of its officers be paid from a "fund consisting of all the money raised in the county of Hamilton
by c0unty tax for the support of idiots, lunatics and insane persons, and of such appropriations as
shall be made by the State for the support of curable lunatics in said asylum, equal to the amount
annually raised by taxation from the county of Hamilton for the support of lunatic asylums in the
State." An act of the 28th of April, 1873, which repealed the provisions of the act of 1857, and
substituted in its place a law which provided that Hamilton County should receive, for the
support of Longview Asylum, a sum which should bear such a proportion to the entire
appropriations for the support of the curable insane of the State as the population of Hamilton
County bears to the population of the State outside of said county.
The injustice of the law of 1873 has been so apparent that no General Assembly since 188o has
insisted on its enforcement. In the years 1880 to 1883, both inclusive, the Legislature
appropriated $10,000 each year in excess of the amount due under the statute of 1873. Since
1883 the Legislature has wholly disregarded the rule 0f 1873, and has appropriated to Longview
gross sums, in the same manner that appropriations were made to the other asylums.
The care of the insane in Hamilt0n County is an exception to the general system of the State, and
for more than twenty years spasmodic efforts have been made on the part of the State to acquire
the ownership and control of Longview, and to make it part of the State system, but to no
practical end.
THE COLUMBUS STATE HOSPITAL. The "Lunatic Asylum of Ohio" was organized by act of
the Thirty-fourth General Assembly, passed on the 5th of March, 1835, and Samuel Parsons,
William M. Awl and Samuel F. McCracken were appointed directors. These directors selected a
tract of land about 0ne mile east and north of the State House, in Columbus, comprising thirty
acres. This tract fronted south on what is now East Broadway, and the western boundary was
near what is now Washington avenue. During the next three years they erected a building 0n
these grounds at a cost of about sixty-one thousand dollars. The institution accommodated one
hundred and twenty patients, and was the first institution for the treatment 0f the insane
organized west of the Alleghenies. On the 21st of May, 1838, William M. Awl, M. D., of
Columbus, was elected Medical Superintendent by the Trustees, and the first patient was
received on the 30th of November of that year.
The building was two hundred and ninety-five feet in length and contained 0ne hundred and
fifty-three single rooms. The directors apologized for the apparently extravagant size by saying
that it would be required in a few years. Yet it was the only asylum the State then had.
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At the present time the State has accommodations for more than seven thousand five hundred
patients in the several "State Hospitals" at Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, Longview,
Massillon and Athens, and every institution is crowded to its full capacity. Dr. Awl was in charge
as Superintendent until 1850, a period of twelve years, when he was succeeded by Samuel H.
Smith, M. D. He was succeeded in 1852 by E. Kendrick, M. D., and he by George E. Eels, M. D.,
in June, 1854. On the 1st 0f August, 1855, Dr. Richard Gundry, who later became so prominent
in the care of the insane in Ohio and the United States, was appointed Assistant Physician. In
July, 1856, Dr. R. Hills, of Delaware, was appointed Superintendent. He held the position for
several years, and was succeeded by Dr. William L. Peck. On the evening of the 18th of
November, 1868, the asylum caught fire and was almost wholly destroyed. There were three
hundred and fourteen patients in the asylum, and six were suffocated by the smoke before they
could be rescued. The others were removed to the asylums at Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dayton,
which latter two had been built since the Columbus Hospital was organized. On the 23rd of
April, 1869, an act was passed by the Legislature authorizing the rebuilding 0f the asylum 0n the
old grounds. Contracts were let on the 23rd of September, 1869, and w0rk was begun on the
foundation on the 24th of October in the same year. Winter soon stopped the pr0gress, however,
and during the ensuing session of the Legislature, on the 18th of April, 1870, a bill was passed
authorizing the sale of the old tract and the purchase of a new site to contain three hundred acres
of land. Governor R. B. Hayes, State Treasurer S. S. Warner and Attorney General F. B. Pond
were appointed a commission to sell the old site and to purchase a new one. The commission was
required to sell the old site at a price not less than two hundred thousand dollars, and to purchase
a new site of not less than three *hundred acres at the cost not to exceed- one hundred thousand
dollars. The commission reported in favor of the purchase of three hundred acres from William
S. Sullivan, on the high lands west of Columbus, and across the Scioto Valley, paying therefor
two hundred and fifty dollars per acre. The Trustees took charge of this' tract, which is the
present site of the hospital, on the 5th of May, 1870. The site of the building was determined
upon, work was begun under the old. contracts, which had been transferred to the new site, and
the corner-stone was laid on the 4th of July of that year. The institution was finally completed on
the 4th of July, 1877, just seven years from the laying of the corner-stone. The total cost of
construction at the time of the opening was one million five hundred and twenty thousand nine
hundred and eighty dollars. At the time of Ohio's first centennial celebration the cost of
construction had exceeded two million dollars.
THE CLEVELAND STATE HOSPITAL, with a capacity of one hundred and two, was opened in
1855 by Dr. L. Firestone, with about fifty patients. The district consisted of twenty-two counties,
embracing about one third of the State. In September, 1872, it was almost entirely destroyed by
fire, but few lives being lost, however, notwithstanding that the patients numbered some three
hundred. An act providing for the rec0nstruction of the building was passed in 1873, and work
began immediately. It was not completed until 1875. Some years later the building was enlarged,
and at present it has a capacity of one .thousand. The seating capacity of the amusement hall is
eight hundred. In the dining room six hundred patients are fed three times daily, during which
time music is rendered by the orchestra. The hospital is situated on an elevated piece of land in
the southern part of the township, the grounds occupying ninety-eight acres, the greater part of
which is laid out in park. The building can be seen for miles and is a noted landmark.
THE DAYTON STATE HOSPITAL. The Dayton District comprises ten counties. The Hospital
was first occupied in 1855, with a capacity of one hundred and sixty two, and
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is located on a hill southeast of the city of Dayton. The original building contained six wards,
with a capacity of one hundred and sixty-four. It was continually enlarged, until today the total
capacity is about eight hundred. The annual expenditure for the support of the hospital is about
one hundred and fifty-four dollars per patient.
THE ATHENS STATE HOSPITAL was under process of construction from 1868 until 1874. Dr.
Richard Gundry was the superintendent of construction and continued in that position from 1872
until 1876. While it cant be said that the Athens State Hospital never had an inefficient
Superintendent, it will be noticed that two of the Superintendents, Dr. Gundry and Dr.
Richardson, attained a National reputation in their line of work. This hospital is in close
proximity to the beautiful and historical city of Athens. While it is not the largest in the State, it
is certainly one of the best: It is here that, years ago, Dr. Richardson first took the straight jacket
of the inmates and inaugurated a new era in the treatment of insane patients. It was also during
his Superintendency that the congregate dining room system
HOSPITAL BUILDING
MASSILLON
was inaugurated in the State of Ohio. The original capacity of the institution was only five
hundred and seventy-two, but by new arrangements in addition the capacity has been enlarged to
eight hundred and thirteen. The greatest number of patients ever in the institution at one time was
one thousand and twelve, during 1904. The instituti0n is surrounded by grounds which are both
spacious and beautiful, .containing walks, drives, gardens and artificial lakes abutting on the
south bank of the Hocking River.
THE TOLEDO STATE HOSPITAL is 'built upon the "Cottage System," and has been open for
the occupancy of patients ab0ut fourteen years. Its plan of construction was a radical departure
from the structures then 'in use for the care of the insane, and incorporated the most advanced
thought on the subject. The idea originated with General Brinkerhoff. The appropriation provided
for six hundred and fifty patients, allowing five hundred dollars per capita for the total amount
expended. Dr. H. A. Tobey has been the Superintendent 0f this model institution from its
opening, in 1889, with the exception of one year, when Dr.
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Tupper had charge. Eight of the wards have been remodeled, about three-fourths of the buildings
have been destroyed and rebuilt, these changes being necessary because of the fact that the
buildings originally were cheaply constructed. An important factor in the success 0f this hospital
were the efforts of ex-Governor Foster, who, in addition to being a member of the original
Committee on Location of the Hospital, has been a member of the Board of Trustees. from the
day it was opened until his death, in January, 1904. The fact was that the Governor, being
regarded as the father of this great charity, found much pleasure in looking after it. It is said of
him that when a Cabinet portfolio was tendered him at Washington, D. C., that had it c0me to the
question of resigning the trusteeship of this hospital or refusing to become a Cabinet officer, he
would never have been President Harrison's Secretary of the Treasury.
THE MASSILLON STATE HOSPITAL. In 1892 a bill passed the General Assembly authorizing
a commission to select a site for the building of a new institution for the care of the insane. A
commission was appointed by Governor McKinley which selected a site in Stark County, Ohio,
and a Building Board was organized. The buildings were erected and the institution now has a
capacity of seven hundred and fifty-six patients. The plan of the buildings allows for the most
efficient care of the patients, conducive to safety, good health and curative possibilities. Efficient
officers are earnestly working on behalf of the patients, and no criticism can be cast upon the
management of the institution. The hospital is situated on high lands, overlooking a beautiful
country, richly cultivated and teeming with life and activity. The grounds surrounding the
institution have been laid out in park lands, and as the years roll by the beauty of the site will ever
increase with time. Like the Toledo Hospital, the Massillon institution can be considered as a
model hospital for the care of those unfortunates who are bereft of reason.
THE OHIO HOSPITAL FOR EPILEPTICS, AT GALLIPOLIS. In the care of epileptics Ohio has
the unchallenged credit of being the first State or country in the world to provide for this
unfortunate class at public expense. The Ohio Hospital for Epileptics at Gallipolis is the pioneer
of its kind in the United States. The problem of providing proper accommodations for epileptics,
especially for those with unsound or defective minds, has engrossed the attention of persons
interested in nervous and mental diseases for many years. In Ohio, as far back as 1879, a bill for
the establishment of a separate institution for their accommodation and treatment almost became
a law, passing one branch of the Legislature. Not, however, until 1890, was a law enacted
providing for the establishment of a hospital for epileptics and epileptic insane. All epileptics
resident in Ohi0 are eligible for admission, the measure of its capacity being the only limitation.
Each county is entitled to a number proportionate to its population. No discrimination is made on
account of mental condition, age or sex. The buildings as originally planned consisted of stone
cottages, having a capacity of fifty beds each, located symmetrically around a group of executive
buildings and connected by tunnels with a central power house, which was to furnish heat and
light and a central kitchen and bakery, flanked by two congregate dining rooms, one for each sex.
The whole group, with estimated accommodations f0r one thousand patients, was planned so
c0mpactly as to cover scarcely more than twenty-five acres, leaving the balance of one hundred
acres of the original tract for ornamentation and gardens. The wisdom of this plan was seriously
questioned, and subsequent experience and events have led to an entire modification of it, so far
as possible. Of the original thirty-six buildings, only thirteen have been built as designed. The
location and design of six others have been materially changed. One hundred and twenty-five
additional acres of land have been purchased, and a cottage for the insane constructed at a
distance of one-half mile from the original group. Other
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buildings projected for the future are to be much farther away, their precise location depending
upon the possibilities in the selection and purchase of land, which may or may not adjoin the
tract now owned by the State. A tract of one hundred and ten acres of farm land has recently
been purchased, on which a group of cottages will be erected, and in which the husbandmen
among the male patients may be accommodated. This land adjoins the sewage disposal beds of
the hospital, and it is intended t0 use the sewage for fertilizing the farm. It is purposed to expand
the institution in the future by erecting small, home-like
SCHOOL BUILDING, DEAF AND DUMB ASYLUM
COLUMBUS, OHIO
cottages for selected groups of patients, leaving the central cottages, with their common kitchen
and congregate dining rooms, for the accommodation of more advanced cases of epilepsy and for
the infirmary class of inmates. The buildings consist of thirteen resident cottages, with from fifty
to seventy-six beds each ; one laundry c0ttage for seventy-five patients; one cottage for the
insane, with a capacity of two hundred ; one school house, two industrial buildings, each
containing eight large well-lighted and well-ventilated rooms, accommodating twenty-five
patients each, for many of the manual industries commonly followed, one kitchen and bakery
building; one ice machine and c0ld storage building, with a capacity
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of eighteen tons daily ; two large congregate dining rooms ; one boiler, power and electric light
building, one water works building, one h0spital building, accommodating sixty patients, and one
administration building.
A pathological laboratory, in which researches into the nature, cause and prevention of epilepsy
are carried forward, has been a feature of this institution for the past five years. Through the
scientific studies pursued in this laboratory, and published to the medical profession, the Ohio
Hospital for Epileptics has achieved international fame. The medical profession of the country is
deeply interested in seeing this important work encouraged and
FOUNTAIN, DEAF AND DUMB ASYLUM
COLUMBUS, OHIO
properly supported, since it is realized that by this method alone can the mysteries as to the
nature, cause, treatment and prevention of epilepsy be solved. Investigations already pursued by
the scientific staff in this laboratory have already dlab0ratoryome very important facts relative to
the cause and prevention of epilepsy. Many of the patients come from alms houses, many from
the lower walks of life, and were uncouth in their manners and dress, filthy in their habits and
rude in their conversation. The improvement most notied by visitonoticed been the wonderful
change in their deportment.
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INSTITUTION FOR FEEBLE-MINDED YOUTH. This institution was founded in 1857, and is
located at Columbus, Ohio. "It has no equal upon this planet," was the declaration of the late Dr.
I. N. Kerlin, for many years the Superintendent of the Pennsylvania Institution for Feeble-Minded
Children. The institution was originally opened with nine pupils, under the Superintendency of
Dr. R. J. Patterson, and was increased to fifteen at the date of the first report. After closely
observing the operations of the institution and their results, the Legislature, in 1864, provided for
the permanent establishment of the institution. This provision was made during the Civil War,
which pr0ved the recognized value of the w0rk. Gradually the institution grew, until in 1881 over
six hundred children were accommodated, at which time the main buildings were destroyed by
fire, happily without loss 0f life or even injury to any of the inmates, officers or employees. In
1884 fire-proof buildings were constructed at the site of those destroyed by fire, and fire-proof
outside stairways provided for all buildings that escaped destruction. Other buildings had been
added, and in 1900 the accommodations were 1,100. In that year the Legislature, recognizing its
duty of providing against the increase of these unfortunates by placing them under such
restrictions as will prevent them multiplying their kind, provided for a permanent home, where
the use of such industrial power as they possess may be exercised in their own support. Authority
was given to purchase a farm, not to exceed 0ne thousand five hundred and not less than one
thousand acres in extent, where they are to be kept through life, thus lessening the increase from
that source. About 1,200 acres have been secured, where the males of this class will be provided
with a home and such employment as will come within the range of their capabilities. The
employments will be mainly such as furnished by the farm, gardening, stock raising and
horticultural pursuits. The females are .to be provided for at the home institution, where they can
be better protected as well as. usefully employed in domestic occupations. Buildings have been
constructed to accommodate about four hundred of each sex of the custodial class, which restores
the old department to its original purpose and duties, "to furnish special means of improvement
to that portion of our youth who are so deficient in mind cr have such marked peculiarities and
eccentricities of intellect as to deprive them of the benefits of other educati0nal institutions and
ordinary methods of instruction."
THE INSTITUTION FOR DEAF MUTES. The Ohio Institution for the Education of the Deaf
and Dumb is located at Columbus. It was first opened in 1829, on rented property in that city,
with one pupil. In 1834 the first building on the present site was dedicated, and the school
transferred to it. From 1862 to 1867 the large and commodious buildings now occupied were
erected to accommodate three hundred and fifty deaf children, besides officers and employees. In
1898 the capacity was increased by the erection of the school 'building, one of the finest in the
world. The total amount of money expended for grounds and buildings approximates $450,000.
Three thousand five hundred children have been pupils in this school. The attendance is
something 0ver five hundred and is increasing each year. About fifty teachers and seventy-five
officers and empl0yees are engaged. The annual appropriations for maintenance approximate
$100,000.
THE INSTITUTION FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE BLIND was founded by act of the
Legislature in 1837. It was fourth in order of establishment in the United States. The original
structure cost the State $34,409, and was designed to accommodate sixty pupils. The present
house was occupied in 1874 and is a magnificent edifice, costing, exclusive of additions,
$358,477. It was intended t0 accommodate three hundred pupils, but additions have been made
increasing its capacity. The first year of its history eleven pupils were enrolled, and in 1905 more
than three hundred and fifty were residents. Since the establish-
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ment of the institution about two thousand two hundred and fifty pupils have enjoyed its care.
The cost of maintenance from its inception during the period of sixty-seven years has largely
exceeded $2,000,000. About $600,000 have been invested in permanent buildings and
improvements in addition to that amount. The average cost to the State for each pupil has been
about $1,179. This institution is a school for education, n0t an asylum.
SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' ORPHANS' HOME. The State 0f Ohio has been especially
noteworthy in the care of her dependent children. Ohio was among the first States in the Union to
provide homes at public expense for all of those unfortunates. Of these institutions there are
fifty-five, known as County Homes, in which over 3,000 children are received and cared for
annually. In addition the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home, established and supported by the
State at Xenia, has a daily average of 900 inmates, and in efficiency and management and
beneficent results, has no equal anywhere. In the summer of 1869 the attention of the survivors of
the Civil War was called to the large number of fatherless children in Ohio, who were made so
by the enormous gift of Ohio men to the Union Army. Every hamlet and t0wnship possessed its
quota of soldiers' orphans, while in the larger cities the number of children rendered fatherless by
the war was so great as to be particularly noticeable to the public spirited men and women who,
having served in or in behalf of the Union Army when in the field, found themselves unable to
rest from their labors until every possible step had been taken to heal the wound of that notable
conflict. The members of the Grand Army of the Republic in Ohio took up the matter of
providing a home for these orphans, those ex-soldiers who were already prominent in the affairs
of the State taking the lead in the agitation of the subject which followed. In September, 1869, a
two-story building in the city of Xenia was rented by the Grand Army officials for possibly fifty
children. Funds were raised from public and private sources, and the citizens of Xenia and
Greene County were interested in the movement. One hundred acres of land was presented to the
home, which afterwards was increased by purchase of the State of Ohio to 300 acres, on which
the present institution was subsequently located by the State. Six thousand dollars was voted by
the County Commissioners of Greene County to meet the current expenses of the home, the
treasury of the Grand Army having been depleted. In 1870, with about seventy-five children in
the home, an appeal was made to the General Assembly to adopt the children as wards of the
State, and to take over the property of the home and make it a State institution. The committee
which waited on the children to ascertain their wants was addressed on behalf of the children by
Master Howard Gilkey, who was then a boy twelve years old, having been admitted to the home
from Trumbull C0unty in January of that year. This boy has now grown to manho0d and the
evidences of early intellectual ability have been warranted in his career in after life. At present he
0ccupies the responsible position of Marshal and Librarian of the Supreme Court of Ohio. The
home passed into the control of the State and its removal from Xenia to the present location on
the old Pelham farm, situated about 0ne mile outside of Xenia, was accomplished in the same
year. There has been no time since its erection when there were not more applicants for
admission than could be received. In 1870 no children were entitled to admission but those
whose fathers were killed in action or had since died from the wounds or disabilities of war. The
lapse of time soon rendered this class of children ineligible from age limit, and the doors were
then 0pened successively to those whose fathers, being ex-soldiers, had died from any cause ; to
those whose mothers had died, the father being an ex-soldier, and unable to properly care for his
children; to the children of ex-soldiers, whose parents being alive and not able to care for them ;
to the children and orphans residing in Ohio of such sailors and soldiers, who had died and may
hereafter die by reason of wounds received or diseases contracted while serv-
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ing in the military or naval forces of the United States. In 1870, the instruction consisted of the
usual school course with some outdoor labor. In 1875, industrial pursuits were added to the
school course and to the number of industries then inaugurated there have been constant
additions, aggregating twenty-three, as the science of manual training has grown m0re familiar to
the educator. In the home was thus established far in advance of similar public institutions, a
Manual Training School, supported by public funds for public uses. The home is the largest
institution of its kind in the world, and has a long history of active educational work. Graduates
from its school are filling honorable positions in the civil, political, financial, military and naval
departments of American life. It has been frequently said that in all America it would be hard to
find a spot more hallowed to the memory of American soldiery, more filled with the stirring
influences of patriotic devotion to country and to the country's flag ; more typical of the peace
and honor which follow from the defense of rights and liberty, than among the scenes and
atmosphere which surround the home and school life of the 900 pupils of the Ohio Soldiers' and
Sailors' Orphans' Home at Xenia.
OHIO SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' HOME. The General Assembly passed the following act for
the establishment of this institution on the 30th of April, 1886: "Be it enacted by the General
Assembly of the State of Ohio, That there shall be established in this State an institution under
the name of "The Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home,' which institution shall be a home for
honorably discharged soldiers, sailors and marines." All honorably discharged soldiers, sailors
and marines who have served the United States Government in any of its wars, and wh0 are
citrzens of Ohio one year preceding the date of making the application for admission to the
home, are not able t0 support themselves and are n0t entitled t0 admission to the National
Military Home 0r can not gain admission thereto may be admitted to the home first aforesaid
under such rules and regulations as may be adopted by the Board of Trustees hereinafter provided
for ; provided that preference shall be given to persons who served in Ohio military
organizations. It was provided that no insane or imbecile person should be admitted to the home,
and that if any such person should be sent to the home, he should be returned to the county from
whence he came at the expense of his county. In 1888, the corner stone of the Administration
Building was laid by Judge O'Neal. The home was opened on the 19th of November, 1888, with
seventeen members. The annual report for the year following shows that during the first twelve
months of its existence 759 veterans had been admitted. In 1899, the new h0spital was completed
in c0nnection with the home,, which makes it now the most complete structure of its kind in the
country. Seven trained female nurses are employed to look after and care for the aged sick and
suffering. The cost per capita for current expense, clothing, officers' salaries and trustees'
expenses amount to $151.15, of which the General Government pays $100, leaving a cost to the
State of only $51.15 per capita. Since the home was opened in 1888, more than 6,000 men have
been admitted and cared for. The entire cost of buildings and permanent improvements amount
to $657,863.72.
Ohio's Treatment of the Criminal Classes
Reformation, rather than punishment. That this should be the main object in dealing with
criminal classes was a conviction that found expression at the very threshold of Ohi0 history, and
was embodied in the organic law of the State more than a' century ago. The first legislation in
regard to crime and criminals was formulated by the Governor and Judges, authorized by
Congress, and was promulgated at Marietta in 1788. This criminal code specified twenty offenses
for which penalties were provided. The only offense punishable by death was murder. This is
probably the first criminal code in the world in which
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the death penalty was limited to one offense. Six years later, Pennsylvania followed this example,
and since then nearly all of the States have adopted the same rule. Manslaughter was punishable
in accordance with the requirements of the Common Law of England, by imprisonment. Arson,
by whipping, not exceeding thirty-nine stripes, the pillory not exceeding two hours,
imprisonment in jail not exceeding three years and full damages in money if the offender's estate
would suffice ; burglary and robbery, similar to arson ; riots, fine not exceeding $16 and surety
for good behavior ; for obstructing authority, whipping. not exceeding thirty-nine stripes and
security for good behavior ; perjury, fine, whipping or pillory and disenfranchisement ; larceny,
restitution, whipping or imprisonment not exceeding seven years ; forgery, fine and pillory ;
usurpation, assault and battery or fraudulent deeds, fines ; drunkenness, fine five dimes for first
offense, and $1 for any succeeding offense. The code closed with the following sections :
Section 21. Whereas, idle, vain and obscene conversation, profane cursing and swearing, and
more especially the irreverently mentioning, calling upon, or invoking the sacred and Supreme
Being, by any of the divine characters in which He hath graciously condescended t0 reveal His
infinitely beneficent purpose to mankind, are repugnant to every moral sentiment, subversive to
every civil obligation, inconsistent with the ornaments of polished life and abhorrent to the
principles of the most benevolent religion, it is expected, therefore, if crimes of this kind should
exist, they will not find enc0uragement, c0untenance or approbation in this territory. It is strictly
enjoined upon all 0fficers and ministers of justice, upon parents and others, heads 0f families,
and upon others of every descr:ption, that they abstain from practices so vile and irrational ; and
that by example and precept, to the utmost of their power, they prevent the necessity of adopting
and publishing laws with penalties upon this head. And it is hereby declared, that government
will consider as unworthy its confidence all those who may obstinately violate these injuncti0ns.
Section 22. Whereas, mankind in every state of informed society have consecrated certain
portions of time to the particular cultivation of the social virtues and the public adoration and
worship of the common Parent of the universe, and whereas a practice so rational in itself, and
conformable to the divine precepts, is greatly conducive to civilizati0n, as well as morality and
piety ; and whereas, for the advancement of such important and interesting purposes most of the
Christian worlds have set apart the first day of the week as a day of rest from common labors and
pursuits, it is, therefore enjoined that all servile labor, works of necessity and charity only
excepted, be wholly abstained from on said day.
Of course, this code was mainly prospective, for as yet there were no jails or pillories in the
territory, and it was not until 1792 that a law was enacted requiring each county to erect jails and
"also a pillory, whipping post and as many stocks as may be convenient for the punishment of
offenders." Each jail was to have two apartments—one for debtors and one for criminals.
This code remained in force without any material changes and additi0ns until after the admission
of Ohio as a State, in 1802, and the organization of its first General Assembly in 1803.
The first Constitution of Ohio, adopted in 1802, is a monumental document in many ways, but
especially in its attitude toward crime and criminals, for it anticipated by many years the central
idea of modern penology that reformation rather than punishment should be the 0bjective point in
dealing with criminals, and that indiscriminate severity, instead of preventing, created crime.
These declarations are contained in Article VIII., Section XIV., of this remarkable document, as
follows :
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All penalties shall be proportioned to the nature of the offense. No wise legislation will affix the
same punishment t0 the crime of theft, f0rgery and the like which they do to those of murder and
treason. When the same undistinguished severity is exerted against all offenses, the people are
led to forget the real distinction in crimes themselves, and to commit the most flagrant with as
little compunction as they do the slightest offense. For the same reasons a multitude of
sanguinary laws are both impolitic and unjust, the true design of all punishment being to reform,
not to exterminate mankind.
The first PENITENTIARY in Ohio was built in 1813, in the city of Columbus. It was a brick
building 60 by 30 feet in size and three stories high, which included the basement, partly below
ground. The basement contained the living rooms of the pris0ners, and could only be entered
from the prison yard. The sec0nd story was the keeper's residence. The third, or upper story
contained the prisoners' cells, thirteen in number, nine of which- were light and four dark cells.
The prison yard, about l00 feet square, was enclosed by a stone wall from fifteen to eighteen feet
high.
In 1818 a new brick building was erected and the prison yard enlarged to about 400 by 16o feet,
enclosed by stone walls twenty feet high.
In 1832 a new penitentary was authorized and the present location on the banks of the Scioto was
secured, and in 1834 the new building was occupied, and there it has since remained. From time
to time it has been enlarged, until at present it has a prison population of over 2,000.
It has always been operated upon the Auburn system, with ass0ciated labor by day and cellular
separation at night.
The Ohio Penitentiary covers 26 acres within the walls. About two acres outside the prison
proper are occupied by offices, the Deputy Warden's residence, store rooms, barn and stables.
The prison itself is walled 0n three sides, the fourth being wholly absorbed by cell houses, offices
and the Warden's home. This side presents an imposing front, about 800 feet in length, on Spring
street, facing the Scioto River, with the street and outer buildings between it and that stream, and
a wide fringe of green lawn before it that in summer is beautified by parterres of flowers and
shaded by fine trees. The cell houses and offices form a continuous building from the southeast
to the southwest gate, in which are more than 1,600 cells, about 600 of these being provided with
beds for two inmates, the remainder being to0 small to receive more than one each. The Female
Department, which abuts on the southeast gate, is somewhat advanced toward the street beyond
the frontal line of the main prison, and reaches to the public sidewalk. It contains 46 cells.
The walls are dominated by towers at short distances apart, and of which there are eleven. Within
the enclosure is a small manufacturing city, comprising the shops of The Columbus Bolt Works,
The George B. Sprague Cigar Co., C. S. Reynolds & Co., The E. B. Lanman Co., The P. Hayden
Saddlery Hardware Co., the Ohio Glove Co., The Columbus Chair Co., The National Broom Co.,
The Brown-Hinman & Huntington Co., and the Columbus Hollow Ware Co., all private
corporations that c0ntract with the State, through the Board of Managers, for the labor of
prisoners, at specified prices for able-bodied and infirm men, respectively, and in many instances
paying to the prisoners certain agreed amounts for all work produced beyond an appointed task.
The total amount earned by such overwork and paid in to the account of the men who have
earned it averages about $2,500 per year. These contracts employ about 1,000 prisoners. In
addition to the labor utilized by these enterprises, the State employs about b00 men in the
manufacture of the prisoners' clothing, the care of their sleeping quarters, repairs to buildings, the
preparation of food, the management of the gas works—which supply gas to the State Blind
Asylum and the State Deaf and
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Dumb Asylum, as well as to the penitentiary—the care of the inside park and other grounds, and
in the general administration of the mural city with its 2,000 p0pulation. A tour of inspection
more than repays the visitors, who come in great numbers. The number of visitors is increasing
yearly, as the people realize more and more that an interesting development of modern ideas
relative to the pr0tection 0f society through the reformation of the criminal may be seen in its
various phases from day to day. Since 1834, when the present prison was first occupied—or,
rather, that rudimentary portion of it that is now know as the West Hall—an army 0f more than
40,000 prisoners has passed through its
OHIO PENITENTIARY
COLUMBUS
portal. The male inmates, until a few years ago, wore the old regulation striped uniform of the
convict. The striped clothing is now used only as a temporary garb 0f punishment. The walled
city has been swept by pestilence but once in its history. In 1849, the cholera raged in Columbus,
as all over the State, and 121 died within twelve months, exacting the life of one out of every
three prisoners.
Moral, educational and religious w0rk of the prison is carried on through the library, prayer
meeting, religious services under the care 0f a chaplain and a night school under the care of a
teacher employed from the outside. While the rules of the prison forbid sectarian-
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ism, they also provide that a prisoner desiring to have instruction in his particular faith may be
accommodated by the Warden. Under this provision Roman Catholic Church services are held by
a priest in the Catholic chapel every Sunday morning. The pris0n buildings are old, inadequate
and loathsome. The cells are of heavy stone walls that admit but little light and are poorly
ventilated. The location is bad ; for several years the subject of disposing of this property and
securing a new site in a suburb of Columbus and erecting new and up-to-date buildings with the
sanitary features, has been agitated, but nothing done.
THE OHIO REFORMATORY IN MANSFIELD was created by an act 0f the Legislature passed
on the 12th of April, 1884. It provides "That there be established an intermediate penitentiary for
the incarceration of such persons convicted and sentenced under the laws of Ohio as have not
previously been sentenced to a State penitentiary in this or any other State or country.
Section 2. That for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions 0f this act, there shall be,
and is hereby, appropriated for the years 1884 and 1885 ten per centum of all the moneys
received under an act passed April 17, 1883, entitled "An act further providing against the evils
resulting from the traffic in int0xicating liquor."
A location was secured at Mansfield, comprising 182 acres of land. The corner stone was laid in
November, 1886, by G0vernor Foraker. The west wing and administrati0n departments were not
completed for occupancy until September 18, 1896, when 150 prisoners were brought from
Columbus.
The object of the institution is reformatory. Inmates are supposed to be first offenders, are
admitted for all crimes except murder in the first degree, between the ages 0f 16 and 30. Male
persons only are admitted. There are three grades : first, second and third. When inmates are
admitted they are placed in the second grade ; if their conduct justifies at the expiration of six
months, they are promoted to the first grade, in which they remain for a second six months,
when, if their conduct justifies, they are rec0mmended to the Board of Managers for parole. With
the consent of the Board of Managers they go out and remain the wards of the State under the
supervision of the institution for one year, when, if their conduct justifies, they are fully
discharged, and restored to citizenship by the Governor. Inmates are reduced to the third grade
fr0m either the first or second for punishment f0r certain misdemeanors. They receive an
indeterminate sentence from the c0urt and the length of time they remain here is governed largely
by their conduct, and is exclusively in the hands of the Superintendent and the Board of
Managers. They can be released at the expiration of the minimum time prescribed by law for the
crime committed, or can be retained until the maximum time has expired.
They are required to attend school and learn such trades as it is possible to teach them under the
limited conditions now existing. It is expected, however; in the near future shops will be erected
and trades taught to these boys, so that when they go out, they will be able to make an honest
living.
With the appropriations already made it is expected that the institution will be completed within
a short time, with a capacity for B00 prisoners, and when all modern reformatory methods can be
fully inaugurated its equipment will not be inferior to any other reformatory of its kind in
America.
OHIO WORKHOUSES. In Ohio, all criminal offenses punishable by imprisonment less than one
year, are known as misdemeanors, and are punishable by confinement in a county jail or city
workhouse. In Ohio there are at present eight city workhouses, at Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland,
Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, Xenia and Zanesville. These institutions receive prisoners not only
from their own locality, but from any other city or county with
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which satisfactory contracts for support have been made. The average term of sentence to these
workhouses is about thirty days. These workhouses in their character and conduct are similar to
those in other States, and are as equally well administered, but in reformatory results they have
never been satisfactory. A large majority of workhouse prisoners are chronic drunkards, for
whom a commitment of ten to twenty or thirty days has no terrors, but rather the reverse, for
every commitment for another debauch is an opportunity for restoration to natural conditions, by
medical care and hygienic treatment, at public expense, and this accomplished, the prisoner goes
out to repeat his previous offense.
To reform prisoners of this kind time is an essential element, and hence in Ohio, by recent
legislation, a new feature in workhouse sentences has been authorized, which is unknown
elsewhere, and which promises to be of special value. This act, passed April 27, 1896 (O. L.,
Vol. 92, p. 359), provides :
"That every person who, after having been convicted, sentenced and imprisoned in any
workhouse for an offense committed heret0fore or hereafter in this State, in violation of an
ordinance of a municipality or a law of this State, shall be convicted of a second misdemean0r,
whether committed in violation of an ordinance of a municipality or a law of this State,
punishable by imprisonment in any workhouse within this State, shall for such second offense be
punished by imprisonment for not less than double the penalty imposed upon the first offense ;
and in case of two previous convictions for such misdemeanors, the penalty for a third
misdemeanor shall not be less than double the penalty imposed for the last of such previous
misdemeanors.
"But no greater punishment shall be inflicted for the second or third misdemeanor than the
maximum penalty provided for by law or ordinance for that particular offense committed. Every
person who, after being three times convicted, sentenced and imprisoned in any workhouse or
workhouses for offenses committed heretofore or hereafter in this State, whether in violation of
law or ordinance, shall be convicted of a fourth misdemeanor, whether committed in violation of
an ordinance of a municipality or a law of this State, punishable by imprisonment in any
workhouse in this State, shall, upon conviction for such offense, be held and deemed an habitual
offender, and shall be imprisoned in a workhouse for a period of not less than one year nor more
than three years."
This law has not been in force long enough to furnish statistical results, but, so far as tested, it
has fulfilled expectations, and is certainly a vast improvement on previous conditions.
COUNTY JAILS. In each of the eighty-eight counties in Ohio there is a county jail, which is near
to or adjoining the county Court House, in which prisoners awaiting trial are confined. After
sentence prisoners committed for felony are transferred to the State Penitentiary or to the State
Reformatory, and misdemeanors to a workhouse ; also, to a limited extent, in counties where
there are no workhouses, misdemeanors for less than thirty days' sentences are detained.
THE BOYS' INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL is Ohio's reformatory for juvenile male offenders. It is six
miles south of Lancaster, Fairfield County, on the Hocking Hills. The State owns 1,210 acres of
land in this picturesque region, and the boys are taught agriculture and horticulture to the extent
of producing all the vegetables and fruit that the institution consumes. The institution is
organized on the cottage or segregate system, is not surrounded by walls and is entirely free fr0m
b0lts, bars or other suggestions of restraint. It was the first penal institution in America to make
the "0pen system" experiment, and so successfully was it operated that twenty-eight States have
used the Lancaster school as a model.
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There are now 820 boys confined in the school for offenses against the statutes: These boys range
in age from 8 to 18 years, and are serving indeterminate sentences. When received at the School
they are charged with demerits corresponding in number to the nature of the crime. These
demerits must be canceled by exemplary deportment in school and shop before release. When
released a boy is on parole, and can be returned for misconduct at any time before he reaches his
majority.
The boys are required to attend school one-half of each day, and are in shop or on the farm the
other half. There are many trade schools where the boys were taught useful mechanical
knowledge, and at the same time contribute to the comfort and support of their. fellows. Chief
among these trades are blacksmithing, floriculture, tailoring, baking, printing, carpentering,
telegraphy, stenography, brickmaking, shoemaking, dairying, co0king, etc. They also operate the
steam, cold storage and electric plants, the barn, laundry and
DRILL AT THE BOTS’ INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL
LANCASTER, OHIO
poultry plant. A boy band of forty-two pieces is maintained, and the school is organized into a
regiment of three battalions, under instructions of a competent military man. Music and physical
culture are also features of the training.
THE GIRLS' INDUSTRIAL HOME is situated ten miles s0uthwest of Delaware, with which it is
connected by good pikes and long-distance telephone. It is four and one-half miles from Hyatts,
six from Powell, 0n the Columbus, Hocking Valley & Toledo Railroad, and eight miles fr0m
Arnold, on the T0ledo Division of the Ohio Central Lines. The two latter stations are connected
with the home by telephone, and all are easily accessible at all seasions of the year because of the
excellent pikes.
The farm comprises one hundred and eighty-nine acres on the west bank of the Sciot0 River. It is
beautifully situated in an unusually healthful location. The grounds around the buildings are
adorned with shade trees, a large portion of which are of the original growth.
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The celebrated White Sulphur Spring furnishes an abundant supply of excellent water, which is
used for domestic purposes. The water flows constantlv from a vein more than 0ne hundred feet
below the marble basin from which it overflows. The buildings consist of the Administration, or
Central Building, in which reside the Superintendent and family, the Clerk, Storekeeper,
Superintendent of Schools and a Housekeeper ; eight cottages, a school building and a hospital.
The latter is a valuable acquisition to the institution, furnishing commodious quarters for all
hospital purposes and complete isolation for inmates affected with contagious diseases. In each
cottage an Assistant Matron, Teacher and Housekeeper, with from forty to fifty inmates, reside.
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OHIO'S PRESIDENTS
Illustrious Men of Ohio Honored by the Nation Chief Executives of the United States from Ohio.
- Ohio the Mother of Presidents.—Condensed Histories of William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S.
Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Abram Garfield, Benjamin Harrison and William
McKinley.—The Greatest Sons of a Great State.
THE STATE OF OHIO has been highly honored by the selection of not less than six of her
distinguished sons to the Presidency of the United States, the highest office in the gift of the
greatest nation in the world. With the exception. of General William Henry Harrison, all were
born in Ohio, and four—Harrison, Hayes, Garfield & McKinley—lived in the State at the time of
their election to the Presidency. The first contribution of Ohio to the executive office 0f the
nation was William Henry Harrison, who, however, after a life of usefulness and noble efforts in
behalf of the people of the country he so loved, only 0ccupied the great position of Chief
Executive one month. Of the other Presidents, General Grant served two terms ; his successor,
President Hayes, occupied the office of Chief Executive for 0ne term, declining a renomination.
The next President of the United States, James Abram Garfield, died 'by the hand of an assassin
shortly after his inauguration. The next President, elected by the people, was again a s0n of the
great State of Ohio, Benjamin Harrison, grandson of William Henry Harrison. He also served but
one term of office. The last contribution of Ohio was William McKinley, a brother in fate to
President Garfield. After the expiration 0f his first term of office President McKinley was chosen
for a second term, but was assassinated at Buffalo a few months after his second inauguration.
Of the six Presidents, one, William Henry Harrison, was a Virginian by birth and an Ohioan by
adoption. Northern Ohio furnished two Presidents, James Abram Garfield and William
McKinley ; one President, Rutherford B. Hayes, came from Central Ohio, while Southern Ohio
had the honor of being the birthplace of Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Benjamin Harrison. It is
a remarkable fact that of the Presidents of the United States, elected by the people, two belonged
to the same family, being grandfather and grandson. With the exception of William Henry
Harrison and Ulysses S. Grant, the Presidents from Ohio were lawyers of recognized ability and
the highest standing in the legal profession. Except Grant, they all had served their country
previous to their ascension to the Presidency in the halls of the National Congress, both
Harrisons in the United States Senate, and Hayes and McKinley in the House of Representatives,
while Garfield, who had also served in Congress, was elected to the United States Senate, but did
not take his seat by reason of his election to the Presidency—and all had drawn their swords in
the defense of their country. William. Henry Harrison distinguished himself during the early
Indian wars and the War of 1812 against England ; Ulysses S. Grant, unquestionably the greatest
soldier America ever produced, more than any one else led the Union arms to victory and brought
the Civil War to a successful c0nclusion ; Hayes, Garfield and Benjamin Harrison occupied
responsible military positions during the War of the Rebellion, while McKinley rose from the
ranks to the position of Major. They all were brave and courageous men and born leaders. In
political belief, William Henry Harrison was a Whig, and Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Benjamin
Harrison and McKinley Republicans. They sprung from the common people, and, in reaching the
highest office in the gift of the American citizens, owed their exalted position principally to
themselves and their faithful services and untiring efforts in the interest of the common cause and
the American people.
