Explore the history of Napa State Hospital, California's first state psychiatric hospital, and discover how an institution founded on hope gradually changed under the pressures of overcrowding, financial scandal, and shifting approaches to mental health care.

Inspired by the Kirkbride Plan, Napa State Hospital was established with the goal of providing humane treatment in a therapeutic environment. Its grand architecture and progressive vision reflected a growing belief that compassion, fresh air, and carefully designed surroundings could help restore the mind.

But over time, increasing patient populations, inadequate funding, administrative problems, and allegations of financial misconduct challenged those ideals. As conditions deteriorated, the hospital became a very different place from what its founders had imagined.

In this documentary, we examine the origins of Napa State Hospital, the philosophy behind the Kirkbride Plan, and the historical events that shaped one of California's most well-known psychiatric institutions.

This is Part One of an ongoing series exploring the history of Napa State Hospital and the people whose lives became intertwined with it. In the next episode, we examine the life of Earle Nelson, one of the hospital's former patients, and explore the historical record surrounding his path to becoming one of America's earliest serial killers. link to more on this amazing story here https://youtu.be/SJRohGEKxH4

It’s no longer the Vermont State Hospital. Hasn’t been since Hurricane Irene in 2011. It now houses various state government offices

Ariel photos of the aftermath of the fire. Looks like the building might be a total loss at this point.

This morning a fire broke out in the old Avery building of Hudson River state. The fire appeared to be set at different locations in the building causing the fire to engulf pretty much everything that remained of the old hospital. Including the newly renovated admin building. Unsure if plans to rebuild are in place but it looks like this may be the end of one of the most beautiful old asylums in America. Sad stuff.

Looks like the Admin Building is lost, it was slated to be redeveloped into a boutique hotel. Photos from Facebook.

June 2025 I personally took these photos on a “paranormal tour” of The Waverly Hills Sanatorium. The grounds have been used for well over 100 years, the most well known/important purpose as a tuberculosis hospital. It is widely considered one of the most haunted destinations in the world. Regardless of your skeptic or believer status in the strange and unknown, Waverly Hills is a piece of history for how it served and the overall Tudor Gothic architecture.

As a Kentucky native, it was fascinating to learn about how crucial this space was when Jefferson County was the hotspot for the “White Plague” (TB) due to the geographical location along the Ohio River. In other words, the wetlands were the perfect breeding ground for the bacteria to accumulate. This sanatorium was state of the art due to the abundance of cases, showcasing unique forms of treatment that were incorporated into the structural foundation of the building like open air pavilions and abundant sunshine.

There is so much more I could share on this location from little experiences I had personally to pictures I took. It is definitely a place worth visiting and I will be returning!

Danvers State aka the most beautiful and greatest kirkbride asylum ever built

Hello, I have a stack of medical documents, mostly incident reports, from Letchworth Village dated from 1980. I didn't realize what they were when I accepted them. I would like to donate them to an organization that will treat them with dignity, as they are pieces of medical history documenting real human suffering. Ideally this would be some sort of archive or museum. Does anyone know who I can reach out to?

For more information visit: www.fergusarts.org, or acenterforthearts on Facebook.

Hi everybody,

I'll cut to the chase. I'm in dire need of reference photos--and possibly even floorplans--of the lobbies/entrances and general first floors of the Administrative "Kirkbride" Buildings of Kirkbride Hospitals. The reason being is I've been making a game for about a year now, and I've modeled the setting after Danvers State Hospital. While the setting itself is fictitious, I have a very strong desire to authentically capture Danvers' interior and exterior as faithfully as possible with only a few artistic liberties--and if not Danvers specifically, then other Kirkbride Hospitals of similar architecture. I have many, many reference photos of the interior of the building while it was still active, but most of said photos are of the interior of the wards, patios, stairwells, and some rooms and offices of the upper floors of the Kirkbride.

I have no idea what the "entrance" or lobby area of Danvers (or similar Kirkbride Hospitals) would look like if a patient were first entering the building through the front doors. I did watch the opening of the 1958 film "Home Before Dark", which was shot at Danvers, to see what the interior of the Kirkbride would look like, but I strongly suspect that Danvers was only used for exterior shots, and the interior is nothing but a set piece. I've watched a lot of footage from the late 90s/early 2000s of security videos of the interior of the building, but no real confirmation of what the entrance looked like. And Googling "Kirkbride hospital lobby" or "old hospital lobby" only brings up old paintings or photos of non-Kirkbride buildings.

If anyone has *any* reference photos of the first floor and entrance area of either Danvers or any other similar-styled Kirkbride that they're willing to show or link to for reference, I would greatly appreciate it. I post a screenshot of the game featuring my 3D model of Danvers I did not for promotional purposes, but to display my desire for authenticity in the setting.

Thank you!