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A Personal Account of Manteno State Hospital
by "Anonymous"

The Campus

I imagine that if you talked to a person who started working at the Manteno State Hospital the first day it opened, things would not be the same five years later. Things were always changing during the time that my husband and I worked at the hospital. For example, I recall the Investigator's office being in the Security Building, which was moved from the Administration Building. I recall the Sewing Room being in the basement on the female side in one of the two story buildings across from the kitchen, while my husband recalls just the opposite. The X-ray department was originally located in the Bowen building, but was later moved to an area in the building north of the General Store. A section of Bowen's lower floor on the west side became the employee's credit union.

When entering the grounds, you immediately saw an elegant white house on the left. This was the superintendent's residence. The Superintendent's wife, also known as the "First LadyÓ, would have formal teas and social events there. Patients with better mental capacities and who could be trusted were selected to work for her, which was considered to be a privilege. On the right hand side (north) as you approached the main Administration Building, was a large grassy field full of trees that had been planted many years before. Also in this area was a raised concrete platform with steps that facilitated a bandstand and stage for entertainment, musical groups, etc. All the patients were taken to this area for outings several times during the summer for entertainment purposes, which usually included a picnic.

Straight ahead as you came down the drive was the impressive Administration Building. Off to the left and right before you reached this building were the brick cottages for the physicians and their families. At that time and into the early 1960's patients and staff both resided on the property.

The lawn area that stretched out west in front of the Administration Building was lined with evergreens to either side. The drives made a large horseshoe around this area and continued on behind the building west to the bakery. This grassy area was the dividing line between the male (north side) and the female (south side) of the hospital grounds. Even though this section was considered the dividing line between males and females and was highly patrolled, every once in a while a male or female patient would make it over to the "other side" which led to the need for a nursery.

I can't remember how many babies were born there. It wasn't an overabundance. Babies were usually placed in foster care, adopted or cared for by family members. The mother was not allowed to keep them, as she would be returning to her Ward. Occasionally a baby would remain for several months and of course the staff would become very attached. When the time came, it was like giving up a family member.

After reaching the stop sign on the north side of the drive around the Administration Building, the first building to the north and right contained the offices of the Security Department. Besides providing security for the hospital, Security Officers were also chauffeurs for any trips off grounds. They picked up and returned any records that had to accompany the patient from the Record Office and returned when getting back on the grounds. They would drive to the Ward, toot their horn, the Attendant would bring the patient out and they'd be on their way. Besides being headquarters for security Officers, it was also the office of the Chief Investigator. His secretary, who had dyed bright-orange hair, worked there until she was well into her eighties. Although Administration was always coming up with some reason why she should retire, she always had an answer as to why she wasn't ready and wasn't going to until she was. I don't think she ever lost her mental capacities. Many years after retiring she finally moved to a nursing home and lived to be 100 or even older.

The second building on this drive contained the fire department. There was a fire truck and ambulance on the grounds at that time manned 24-hours a day.

The Transportation Department was next. All the transportation needs were coordinated through this department. Trucks were scheduled to deliver meals to the Wards from the Kitchen, return laundry to the Wards, etc.

The supervisor of the Transportation Department had a favorite story to tell about a certain doctor who appeared to check out a vehicle. It was the dead of winter and very cold and told the doctor to go out and turn the vehicle over (meaning to start it up) and let it warm up. The foreign doctor was completely bum fuzzeled! Not used to American lingo, he could not understand how he would be expected to Òturn the vehicle overÓ by himself!

The next building north of the Transportation Department was Brandon I, better known as the "Mule Barn" or the dormitory for male Attendants. Young single females were always instructed to stay away from this area, as it was known to be "a den of corruption".

The next building north was Brandon II, another dorm, but for married Attendants. Beyond that were several more staff cottages that were not quite as large or elegant as the ones the physicians lived in. Married couples with no children and higher up in classifications lived here. Behind them and to the east the Department heads and their families occupy ordinary two story cottages. The Chief Engineer and his family also occupied one of these cottages.

The school bus from Manteno came on the grounds to pick up children to go to school. I watched many times as the Chief Engineer's daughter and sons along with other children got on the bus. Many years later I ended up working in the same department as the daughter.

From the cottages to the highway were nothing but grass and trees. Beyond those cottages and extending back west were the Wards for men. The tuberculosis (TB) unit was on this side back by itself for isolation purposes.

Beginning back at the Administration Building and going west along First Avenue North, the first building to the west of the Security Building, was Bowen. This was the medical hospital complete with an X-ray department, nursery and just about as "state-of-the-art" as other hospitals of that time.

The next building west was an assembly hall named Hinton. The main floor was like most high school gymnasiums at the time, containing a stage with a curtain, full sized basketball court and a balcony. This area was not only used for ball games, but mostly for patient dances and movies. I can't say for sure, but to the best of my recollection there was a live band that performed at the dances. There was a projection room behind the balcony and was used to show movies, just like "downtown". Employees were allowed to use the balcony to watch the dances or movies.

The Commissary was located in the basement of this building where staff and unsupervised patients with grounds passes could get snacks, etc. Order slips were filled out by patients having funds in the Trust Fund and sent to the Commissary where the order was filled and sent back to the Ward. There was a schedule to follow to order Commissary.

The Barber and Beauty Shops were also located in the Commissary. Patients with grounds passes could go to those areas for services, but these employees also went to the Wards to do hair. One of the Barber's wives was a schoolteacher in Manteno. Our children had her for a teacher. Another Barber's wife was an RN who worked on the Wards. I remember this barber as being very handsome and his wife very beautiful, a perfect match. The only beautician I remember had a husband who worked in the Power House.

The next block west contained four two story brick buildings, one on each corner. These buildings were used to house male volunteer (alcoholic) patients.

As you turned the curve south, the Kitchen, Bakery and Dining Room were all located at this end of the campus, west and opposite the Administration Building. The General Store was just north of these and west of the two-story buildings. The Kitchen prepared food for the entire institution. It was delivered by truck to the Wards and served to the patients in the central dining rooms. This building also had one large room used by ordinary staff to eat meals and a smaller, separate room for the executive staff. Meals were prepared three times a day, every day of the year.

To the south was the Mechanical Building and behind it the Laundry, Power Plant Facility, and other ancillary services.

Rounding the curve and continuing east along the First Avenue South, the first block contained an identical four, two story buildings that housed the female volunteer (alcoholic) patients. I think these buildings were the ones name Hannah and Gollmar. If I remember correctly, the Sewing Room was located in the basement of one of these buildings.

The building on the next block was called the Forbes Center, and was named in honor of Ethel Forbes, the first supervising activity therapist. I am not sure what year it was built, but I don't think it was very much before 1955 when I started working there. All kinds of activities took place there including Religious Services. Dr. Claude Roush was the Chaplain for the Protestant patients and Father Mosier was the Priest for the Catholic Patients. Dr. Roush later went on to become one of Manteno's Superintendents.

The next two-story building was called Singer. The first floor in the very east end of the building was for male patients and the very west end was for female patients. Both sides consisted of Admitting, Singer II, Hydrotherapy Therapy and Singer IV. The nurse in charge of the female admitting unit was one of the neatest, friendliest, funniest people I ever met. I remember her crisp, white cotton uniforms pressed to a "T".

The upper story contained a male Ward on the east side, Singer V and a female Ward on the west side, Singer VI. Female Wards in this building were even numbers and male units were odd numbers. Both floors contained areas for the lab, pharmacy, public health, library and offices for some of the clinical staff. These areas, on both floors, were located in the center of the building between patient areas. I can't remember exactly what was on each floor.

As you turned right (south) at the stop sign, the first building on the left was Nightingale I, the dorm for single females who worked in the offices. The second building was Nightingale II, a dorm for married couples. These dorms were considered to be for a more upper classification than Attendant. The Nightingale dorms were better known as where the "snooty" people lived. The next building was Silvis I, the dorm for single female Attendants. The next was Silvis II, dormitory for married couple Attendants. A building located behind and to the east of Silvis II was a brick two story building, called "Staff House". This was for the executive type couples with no children.

Returning to the road (First Street West) and continuing south, the female Wards were located on the west side of the road. The campus ended at the south with a newer infirmary building called Carriel. In was not built like the rest of the buildings. It had wings, four to my recollection, and was relatively new. My mother, worked there many years as an Attendant. As you turned and went in front of Carriel and continued west (Sixth Avenue South) I believe you went three more blocks and that was as far as the female side went. To the left, or south, from that point was farmland. (Now, Manteno Municipal Golf Course.) The hospital population had used some of this land at one point to raise produce and such for consumption. A park with swings, teeter-totters and slides was located west of the last row of female Wards. I cannot remember how many buildings were in a row. We were all given maps, which came in very handy.

Other land around the hospital was also used to raise livestock that was used to feed the hospital population. A lot of the labor was done by the male patient population and supervised by staff a member. This was done in the area west of the hospital. Residences were located on these farms for use by the staff and their families.

The Administration Building had a large lobby with chairs. The Switchboard was also located in one corner of the Lobby. The Superintendent's office and the secretaries' office was located on the right as you entered the building coming up the front steps. There was a large conference room located behind these offices where the Superintendent had his Executive staff meeting. Dr. Richard J. Graff was the Superintendent at that time. Harold Piepenbrink was the Assistant Superintendent. Dr. Graff was a very serious, no nonsense gentleman. When he entered an area where you were, you were expected to arise and remain standing until he left. You didn't speak unless you were spoken to. Myra, his wife, was an avid golf player.

One secretary was Betty Perkins, whose husband didn't work at the hospital but whom had many in-laws that did. BettyÕs assistant was Pat, fashion model at the time. Pat was a very attractive young woman who wore her hair on top of her head, the latest fashions, usually very tight fitting, and very high heels. After Pat left, Dorothy Hendrickson, whose husband Tracy, worked at the Power House, became Betty's assistant. Mary McGinnis supervised the Record Office; whose husband Joe was head of Security. The Business Office and the Personnel Office where Alberta Farrington worked until she was well into her eighties were located across the Lobby on the first floor. The second floor contained the offices of the Department heads. The basement contained a full service Post Office where Irene Hissong was Post Mistress and Dora McNeal her assistant. IreneÕs husband Harry, worked in the power house. Dora's husband was a rural mailman for the City of Manteno. Chief Nurse, Leota Dowell, whose husband Gene worked on male Hydrotherapy unit. The Timekeeper was Dorothy Threlkeld, whose husband named Gene also, worked at the Mechanical Shop. Dorothy did all the time keeping for the 800+ Attendants by hand. There are still a few facilities doing timekeeping by hand to this day, although most facilities are computerized.

Attendants reported to this area every day to read the "board", as it was called, to see where they were assigned for the next day. Another room in the basement was used by the Supervisors to meet and relay information from off-going shift to on-coming shift and receive assignments before heading out to supervise their Wards. That room also served as a lunchroom for the people who lived off-grounds and who brought their lunch. The Print Shop run by Bob Bunch and Pat Kelly was also located here. They dispersed office supplies to the entire facility from this room. Of course there were scheduled times that everybody could go pick up supplies. They also did copy work here. It progressed from a mimeograph machine to high tech machines in later years. Bob's wife Muriel, was an RN working on the TB Wards. Pat's wife, Georgia, was a clerical person working in the Record Office. Georgia was an attractive well-groomed woman who developed cancer and died. Cancer at that time wasn't as treatable as it is today. (Pat was also the repairman for radios and TVs.)

My Work

My official hire date was July 29, 1955 as an Attendant. I learned many things, but what sticks with me the most, and I still use to this day, was how to make a bed with square corners. At home we just sort of wadded them up under the mattress. On August 15, 1955, I completed a 144-hour Psychiatric Aide Trainee Course instructed by Miss Allison Young, RN and Mary Hogan. The course was the first time I became aware of shock treatment and was appalled. Though I participated in giving shock treatment many times, I never became used to doing it.

I was occasionally assigned to other Wards, but my main assignment was Singer IV, the Hydrotherapy unit. Katie and Anna were regular patients on this Ward. They were the living results of lobotomies performed in the 40's in hopes of curing mental illness. Katie and Anna were no longer able to function on any other Ward. They mostly wandered around aimlessly, saying words, but never really making any sense. Thank goodness lobotomies didn't last long because it was obvious that it hadn't worked.

Female patients that became unruly or combative throughout the rest of the hospital were sent to Hydrotherapy and remained until such time they had calmed down and could be returned to their original living area. Most ÒtherapyÓ at that time was sedating patients with tranquilizers (Chlorpromazine, also known as Thorazine, etc.) and giving custodial care. Most of them walked around with slobbers coming out the corners of their mouth. I think I was assigned to Hydrotherapy because of my size and being so young. You had to be able to protect the other patients from one that was out of control and most importantly, yourself or another staff member. I remember being in several tussles where all you could do was hang-on for dear life and hope for the best.

Every day dirty laundry was sorted, counted and put outside the back door to be picked up and taken to Laundry. There was an inside door to be unlocked first, then a small hallway leading to the outside door. One day we heard this cry for help and discovered my friend Mildred standing at the unlocked outside door, arms spread across the doorway and a patient trying her best to get by Mildred and escape. Mildred had held on and prevented the escape, ending up with her uniform torn to bits.

Staff working on the Wards wore white uniforms, hose and shoes. That was to distinguish them from the patients. You would think distinguishing staff from patients wouldn't have been a problem, but it was. One time a new employee didn't recognize a doctor that had been making rounds on her Ward and when the doctor got ready to leave and asked the Attendant to unlock the door for her, she refused. This Attendant had not unlocked the door to admit the doctor and it was a while before anyone convinced her the lady was a doctor.

All the physicians were foreign. Most had completed medical training in their country and had licenses for their homeland but because most were unable to understand or read English, they could not pass the examinations necessary to get a license to practice medicine in the United States and were only able to get jobs at state hospitals where they could practice medicine without a license.

Marie Lampley was Charge on the shift I worked. She had worked at the hospital from the start. She was in charge of the Ward section of Singer IV, an area where the patients spent most of their waking hours. I remember playing cards (Hearts) with the patients as they returned to their calmer state. Employees were not allowed to play cards to pass the time with another staff person. Staff always had to be in the Day Room supervising patients until treatment time, and playing cards was a way of passing time, but you had to make sure a patient was always involved.

Viola Smith was the therapist who administered the Hydrotherapy part of the treatment for the disturbed patients, as they were called. Her husband Lee was an independent truck driver.

My Mom and Dad lived in an old house with a coal furnace at the South end of Manteno. Lee would never come into the house when he made a coal delivery. Said the house was haunted. My Dad called the ghost Erma and said she took up residence in a large piece of furniture called a secretary that he had purchased at a garage sale. My daughter now has that piece of furniture and just recently told me that she smelled a man's cologne when she opened the top glass doors where she keeps photographs. I asked her if it might have been a lady's cologne as that was where her Grampa always said Erma the ghost lived. Needless to say, she looked at me very funny. Who knows?????

Hydrotherapy treatments consisted of the following: Cold packs were used by placing the patient on a specifically constructed table and wrapping them tightly as possible in wet, icy-cold sheets straight from a freezer. Hot tub treatments, were where patient was placed in tub that was covered with heavy canvas top and zipped shut. Pin-prick showers were also administered.

The shock treatments I hated to participate in were given on this Ward. Dr. Ruth Dietz, cigarette hanging out the corner of her mouth, (and it seemed to me she always wore the same dress), scheduled shock treatments. The patient was restrained on a bed at the ankles and wrists with soft cloth restraints and a shield to protect their teeth was placed in their mouth. Dr. Dietz moved from bed to bed with the little black box on a stainless steel cart going from one bed to another like a production line. Staff held the patient’s chin firmly after the shock was given so they wouldn't injure their teeth or tongue while convulsing.

I saw abuse of patients on this Ward but at that time there were no advocacy groups and it was a well-known fact that you better keep your mouth shut. This happened throughout the hospital and some staff that "ratted" paid the consequences. It seems if they found themselves in a situation needing help, help never arrived. I never witnessed or heard of any abuse that was so severe to cause death or severe injuries. Anytime a rumor of something not quite kosher or injury reports were submitted that contained anything that would lead a person to think abuse was involved, Mr. O'Conner was notified and a full-fledged investigation followed. And believe me, he was a person who believed in leaving no stone unturned.

Patient's rights and advocacy groups finally got involved in later years and abuse went downhill slide as it became a more serious offense and was dealt with more severely, as well it should have. The only thing I disagree with the groups was they felt patients who had job assignments and not receiving compensation, were being taken advantage of. The buildings had beautiful flower gardens in their front yards and patients who took great pride in their work tended these. But it was stopped. Along with patients assigned jobs in other areas of the institution. They were not forced into these assignments. They considered it a privilege to be picked to do something that made them feel really important. But these jobs stopped also.

Once in a while I was assigned to another unit and it was usually the female untidy Ward, Kraepelin I or II. This was a very unpleasant assignment as all the patients on these Wards were bedridden and soiled their linens continually. By the time one round of changing dirty sheets had been made, it was time to do it all over again. Dorms on both ends of the Day Room were full of this type of patient. It was a never-ending chore and the small was revolting. All had to be hand fed which was like feeding a little bird. They had their mouth wide-open waiting for the spoon. I'm sure most of them weren't even aware of what was going into their mouth. It was always a “hurry up” job. (Billings I and II were the untidy units on the male side.)

More functional patients were issued grounds passes. Some were assigned jobs or did errands but others just roamed their side of the grounds. When a group of patients had to be taken somewhere, an Attendant always had to be at the head of the group and one to bring up the rear. If it was a large group, an Attendant was assigned to keep watch at the middle of the group. This was to prevent an escape, which was always a possibility. It was protocol that if you met a group like this you were not to break the line. You would wait until the group passed by to proceed.

During a flood situation where off-grounds employees were not able to get to work, I was asked to work the midnight shift on James I. The charge Attendant was an older lady who slept most of the night. I stood up all night so I wouldn't doze off with my back to the wall near the staff bathroom. The Charge's desk on all Wards was located out in the open in all Day Rooms right next to the bathroom that was used as a refuge in case a patient went on a rampage and staff was in danger of getting injured. They could get in the bathroom and lock the door and not come out until the situation was under control. This was the one and only time I had to work nights.

The way the buildings were constructed is that the "I" side always faced the east and the "II" side faced the west. Each side of the building was considered a Ward. There was one enormous room inside the front door. This was the Day Room. It only had hard benches and rockers to sit on. It had to be very easy to clean because sometimes patients wouldn't take the time to go to the bathroom and do their job right there in the floor whether it was urine or feces. That meant going to the mop room, getting the mop, bucket and the Pine Sol. The Wards always smelled of Pine Sol.

Housekeeping crews were scheduled at intervals to come in and clean. They used hoses to wash everything down.

The nurse dispensed medication from the nurse's station located in the Day Room. A dormitory was located on each end of the Day Room. The small hallway leading to each dorm had a linen room, shower room and mop room. Two corridors connected the Ward to the dining room. The grassy areas located between the two corridors were called "bull pens". Patients without ground passes were often let out in this area to enjoy fresh air. Because of the way it was constructed, there was little danger of anyone escaping.

The Sewing Room made a generic type dress for the female patients out of a heavy type of canvas material in a supply of different sizes and they were kept in the linen room of each Ward. An Attendant rummaged though clothes in the linen room until she found a dress that fit the patient, sort of! Things needing washed were sorted, counted, and put in bags that were picked up by truck and taken to the Laundry. After items were washed and roughly pressed, they were put in bags and trucks and returned to the Wards.

This is about all I have to write at present time. October 1, 1956, I was reassigned as a Clerk Typist I to the Chief Nurse's Office. I will continue with some of the experiences I has in that Department up until the time I resigned on June 30, 1964, to stay home and take care of my family.

Up to '64

I enjoyed the time I worked on the wards beginning in July, 1955 up until the time I took another Civil Service test for a Clerk-Typist I and took a position that was open in the Chief NurseÔs Office, October, 1956. Everyone sort of took me under their wing and looked out for me because of my age. As I said before Lorraine Bagby, R.N. was the Chief Nurse and Leota Dowell, R.N. was her assistant. Dorothy Threlkeld was timekeeper and Òright-hand manÓ of Mrs. Bagby. Another girl was in the same office with Dorothy and assisted her in record keeping, filing and timekeeping in DorothyÕs absence. I was assigned to an office outside this area with Mrs. Dowell. The first thing she did every morning was start working on the ÒboardÓ She was an expert in moving names of staff around on the board making sure all wards were covered, names placed correctly under days off and vacation. The Wards listed on the ÒboardÓ were not moved. It was divided into two sections, male and female, just like the hospital grounds. The names were typed on a piece of an index card cut to fit the slots on the board. The board was in a glass case that was kept locked to prevent staff tampering. Then it was my duty to type a master copy of the ÒboardÕ which took several hours on the manual typewriter. No electric typewriters or computers at that time. There was a high wall around Mrs. DowellÕs area with a ledge much like an island in todayÕs kitchens. I would place the typewriter on the ledge, mount the stool with high legs and start typing. The first row of names were for the 6-3 shift, second for 3-l 1 and third for 11-7. There were many interruptions because of staff coming in to check where they would be scheduled the following day. CouldnÕt type with people between me and the board. And of course, always had to pass the time of day too.

In the event of a female escape or a report of a female patient being where they werenÔt supposed to be, Mr. McGinnis would come to Mrs. DowellÕs area and get permission for me to accompany him and a security officer in the security car to look for escapee or check out report. The reason for this was male staff were not allowed to touch female patients without a female staff member present. Usually, if the patient was not combative at the time we found her, I had to check tag in clothing for identification and do all the handling of getting her into the car, etc. If she was combative, the officer took charge, but I had to be present and close.

I canÕt remember how long I worked in Mrs. DowellÕs office. The girl assigned to help Mrs. Threlkeld left and I was then assigned to help her in her office. Catherine Anderson then became Clerk Typist for Mrs. Dowell. I still provided support to Mrs. Dowel1 if Catherine had to be off for some reason. I tilled out information cards on all new Attendants and one day Mrs. Bagby asked me how old one of the new gentleman hires was. I replied ÒOld.Ó She asked, ÒHow old? I said, ÒForty-Five.Ó Which being 18 seemed old to me. Mrs. Bagby, Mrs. Dowel1 and Mrs. Threlkeld were all approximately 50 at that time. I never did live that one down. After that when the age of anyone was asked, they would all reply ÒOLDÓ.

There were numerous husband and wife couples working at the hospital. Occasionally one or the other would die while on duty. I hated that. The surviving spouse would be brought to Mrs. BagbyÕs office and their grief would be overwhelming. During that time, I always had to file and needless to say, there were a lot of wet tiles with my tears. It was the saddest time.

With constant changes and moves, the Chief NurseÕs Office was moved to the last cottage on the right going north. It was remodeled from a living residence it had previously been. After being in the basement of the Administration Building for so long, everything in this building was bright and cheerful and had lots more room. Even had a break room with refrigerator and toaster. The cook at the Staff House, where Mrs. Bagby resided, would call and tell her he had baked fresh bread if she wanted some. Whoever was asked to go would hop in their car and make a beeline to the Staff House. He would give us several warm loaves of bread and real butter to use on it. Even after it had cooled, we would have delicious toast. The ÒboardÓ at this building was at the front of the building in a room jutting out to a driveway with a covered portico. The employees could now drive thru and check their assignments. But it took more time to type because if someone drove up and the door with names was swung inward for the typists to use, she had to get up and shut the door in order for the staff to see it.

I resigned in June, 1964 to stay home and care for my small children. Working for Mrs. Bagby, Mrs. Dowell and Mrs. Threlkeld was the best thing that could of happened to me. I was young and didnÕt know about work ethics or life situations and these three, plus staff I had worked with on the wards, were the best teachers that anyone could have had. They expected your best and were not satisfied until they got it. Learning to be dedicated and forming good work ethics certainly helped me the rest of my working days.