project
The
Manteno Project
In
1927, Illinois State Governor Len Small, the "Good Roads
Governor", was building roads, expanding universities,
accepting bribes from "the syndicate" (as some sources
suggest) and overseeing plans for the construction of a new
state hospital in Manteno, Illinois.
Although
the ground wasn't broken until 1928, the plans were well underway
for an institution that was to provide relief from the over
crowed situations at several other Illinois state hospitals.
In
1930 the Manteno State Hospital received its first 100 patients
and by the end of 1985, the hospital was closed and remaining
patients were sent elsewhere. For over 50 years Manteno State
Hospital was an institution that cared for the mentally and
physically ill, the developmentally disabled and veterans
of various wars. It was a self contained city with little
reliability on other municipal resources.
Yet,
to this day, very little is known about Manteno State Hospital,
who worked there, what happened there, when it was opened,
why it was closed, and how it operated. It has become a faded
memory of the past, a subject of much curiosity and the setting
of many a folklore and urban legend.
The Manteno Project is an attempt to solve a mystery, find
out information, establish an archive of images, interviews,
contributions, research and make them accessible to the public
by publishing this information on the web and eventually,
in a book.
The
research, interviews and other materials collected are intermittently
submitted to the Manteno Public Library District and may or
may not be used in the publication of a book about the hospital.
I hope you enjoy this site and perhaps find the information
you are looking for. Comments and questions are strongly encouraged
and you may freely contact the
project.
Dedication
This site is dedicated to the former patients and employees
of Manteno State Hospital/Manteno Mental Health Center. It
is dedicated to the mentally ill, their families and those
who have dedicated their lives to providing their care. This
site is also dedicated to the professionals, researchers and
scholars who continue to study and make progressions in the
field of mental health. Lastly, this site is dedicated to
those curious and dedicated people who seek out asylums or
dedicate their time and efforts documenting their long, yet
not forgotten histories.
