Tag Archives: East Tennessee Insane Asylum

The Insane as News Items

Doctor's Parlor, Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane

Doctor’s Parlor, Willard Asylum

Though early alienists did a great deal to de-stigmatize insanity and help families feel better about seeking help for their mentally ill members, insanity was still a delicate subject that most families preferred to keep private. Asylum superintendents understood this. Continue reading

Public Interest in Insane Asylums

Asylum for the Insane in Nashville

Asylum for the Insane in Nashville

The construction of an insane asylum was usually a welcome event for most towns or cities, since the work meant jobs and a continued money flow into the local economy. Newspapers had little but praise for these projects, as the Knoxville Daily Journal  demonstrates: Continue reading