QUESTIONS
ABOUT MANTENO STATE HOSPITAL
Q:
How do you pronounce "Manteno"?
A: Manteno (man-TEE'-noh)
Q:
Are there any positions for employment available at Manteno
State Hospital? A:
No.
Manteno State Hospital/Manteno
Mental Health Center closed its doors forever at the
end of 1985.
Q:
How can I find information about a relative who was
at Manteno State Hospital?
A: I have
set up a web page to address this question here..
Genealogy
Resources for Manteno State Hospital
Q:
Where was Manteno State Hospital located? A: The original
address was..
100 Barnard Road, (now, N. 4000e Rd.) Manteno,
IL 60950. The institution's main campus, on which the hospital
wards and other buildings were built, was located two miles
east and a mile south of Manteno and totaled close to 400
acres at one time.
Q:
Was Manteno State Hospital ever called an "asylum"?
A: No.
The
term "asylum" had been going out of favor by the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term "asylum"
literally means "refuge", whereas "hospital"
could be seen as a place where people are taken care of or
cured. By 1910 all institutions for the care of the mentally
ill in the state of Illinois were named or renamed "state
hospital". Thus, Manteno State Hospital was never officially
named "asylum".
Q:
Why were people sent to Manteno State Hospital?
A: Several reasons.
First of all, Manteno State Hospital was specifically
designed to house and treat the mentally ill. People were
sent to MSH for treatment of mental illnesses, (primarily
from Chicago). Mental illness could encompass anything from
depression, senility and developmental disability to alcoholism
and syphilitic disease. A major percentage of the population
at MSH was sent there for elderly care, schizophrenia or alcoholism.
Q:
Did patients wear straight jackets at Manteno State Hospital?
A: Probably not.
MSH was built in an era where the use of physical
restraints was frowned upon except in the most extreme combative
cases. Restraints such as ankle and wrist cuffs were probably
most often used during or after convulsive therapies.
Q:
Were lobotomies performed at Manteno State Hospital?
A: Yes.
Lobotomies were a common practice in the United States
from around the 1940s to 1960s and they were also performed
at Manteno State Hospital.
Q:
Were criminals kept at Manteno State Hospital? A: Yes
and no..
...depending on your definition of "criminal".
There were people deemed "sociopath" or "criminally
insane" who had committed crimes from petty theft to
murder who were committed to MSH by court order. Housing sociopaths
was never in the original plan for MSH, as Chester State Hospital
was specifically designed for this purpose.
Q:
Were people electrocuted or executed there? A:
No, that is an urban legend.
Although MSH had a special ward dedicated to
sociopaths, they did not execute patients. However,
electro shock therapy (electro convulsive therapy) was
common practice until about the 1960s and may be the
basis of this urban legend.
Q:
Did people die at Manteno State Hospital?
A: Sure! But..
...people
die everywhere and it was not an unusual occurrence at MSH
or any other hospital to have patients die. The patients were
not only mentally ill, but many were physically ill as well.
Also, a major percentage of the resident patient population
at MSH was elderly. In 1953 it was reported that one out of
six patients was over the age of 70 and less than 5% were
under the age of 30.
Q:
Was there a morgue at Manteno State Hospital?
A: Yes.
The
morgue was originally located in Singer (diagnostic building)
and later moved to the basement of Bowen (medical hospital
building) which was located north of the main avenue, between
Hinton Hall and the Administration Building.
Q:
Is there a cemetery at Manteno State Hospital?
A: Yes.
The
cemetery (shared and cared for by the Veterans Administration)
is located northeast of the main campus. Why would there be
a cemetery there? Patients were commonly buried on the grounds
of mental institutions and asylums throughout history. Some
of the reasons are that some patients didn't have or were
unaware that they had family or their families could not afford
to bury them somewhere else so the state paid for such burials
at the hospital cemetery.
Q:
Why did Manteno State Hospital close? A: Good question!
From
the research that I have done there doesn't seem to be any
"mysterious" reason as to why MSH closed (under
the name Manteno Mental Health Center). Mainly, by 1985 the
times had changed, new medications had been discovered and
the mental health profession was focusing mainly on less expensive
clinics and out-patient services. The state of Illinois couldn't
find it politically or monetarily acceptable to keep such
a large, old and out-of-date institution functioning. The
dwindling number of patients and close proximity to Kankakee's
hospital may have also been factors.
Q:
What happened to the patients when Manteno State Hospital
closed?
A:
They were transferred to other facilities, or if deemed fit,
were released.
Interestingly enough, people who have lived in Manteno all
their life have told me that there were never any homeless
people living there until the hospital closed.
Q:
Is Manteno State Hospital abandoned? A: No.
All of the property that once made up Manteno
State Hospital (aka Manteno Mental Health Center) is
now privately owned and consists of a veterans' home,
various other businesses and several housing developments.
Q:
Are there any "urban legends" about Manteno State
Hospital? A: Yes, many..
...such
as "an electric chair used to execute patients",
and "Al Capone slept there." Interestingly enough,
many are based on fact such as "patient bodies being
found in cornfields", which really did happen. As for
Al Capone...who knows?
Q:
Are the old grounds of Manteno State Hospital haunted?
A: I have no idea.
If you want to know what others think, please go
to the forum and read the posts under the topic "Urban
Legends and Ghost Stories". Or contact...
QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Q: What is the project for? A:
A historical record.
The main objective of The Manteno Project is to compile information,
research and personal histories about the Manteno State Hospital.
Some of this information will be published on this web site.
A complete and concise history along with some of the information
on this site will be contained in the book.
Q:
Who will it benefit?
A: I plan to donate all information of historical
importance and the completed book to the Manteno Public Library
District. I also hope that those interested in the
historic
importance of the Manteno State Hospital and the
history of mental illness will benefit from the information.
Q:
How and why did you select Manteno?
A: The significance and mystery surrounding
the former Manteno State Hospital. At one time Manteno
State Hospital was one of the largest institutions of its
kind in the world, yet so little is publicly known about it.
Q:
Did you have relatives that were employees, patients or who
lived in the Manteno area? A:
Not that I am aware of.
Q:
Are you a student or professional person? A:
Neither.
Q:
Will you receive monetary compensation after completing
the project?
A: Momentary reimbursement would be nice.
When I finish the book I hope to get it published. The
only real thing that I am hoping for is to contribute
a completed history of the Manteno State Hospital.
Q:
Will it remain as something on a web site? or book?
A: Yes and Yes.
I hope to write a book and maintain the web site so
that people in search of information will be able to
find as much information as possible.
Q:
Is any of the material or information provided on this
web site copyrighted or trademarked?
A:
Yes, some of it is.
Some of the information on this site is the sole
property of the Manteno Project (aka, Megan
Bland) due to content and composition (All
Rights Reserved). Much of it, however is not, (Some
Rights Reserved.). Please ask before using any material on
this site. More information on this topic can be found HERE.
Q:
Is there a "sitemap" page on this site?
A: Yes
The sitemap is located HERE.
