Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph
Much madness is divinest sense
To a discerning eye;
Much sense the starkest madness.
‘Tis the majority
In this, as all, prevails
Assent, and you are sane;
Demur,—you’re straightway dangerous,
And handled with a chain.– Emily Dickinson
The Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph Missouri, stands as a stark and unsettling testament to the history of mental health treatment. Recognized as one of the 50 most unusual museums in America, it offers a macabre glimpse into the evolution of psychiatric care, from its most rudimentary and often brutal beginnings to more modern approaches. A visit to this museum is a journey through time, a stark reminder of how far society has come in understanding and treating mental illness.
The Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph presents a collection of exhibits that are both fascinating and deeply disturbing. The museum confronts visitors with the realities of past treatments, showcasing the often misguided and even barbaric methods employed in the name of healing. From archaic devices to personal artifacts of patients, the museum provides a comprehensive, albeit chilling, overview of the history of mental healthcare.
The story of the museum is inextricably linked to the history of the St. Joseph State Hospital, originally known as State Lunatic Asylum No. 2. In 1872, the Missouri State Legislature approved funding for the construction of a new facility dedicated to the care of the mentally ill. The citizens of St. Joseph successfully lobbied for its location just east of their city. The hospital opened its doors on November 9, 1874, initially with 25 patients. The first hospital superintendent optimistically described the institution as a place for “reviving hope in the human heart and dispelling the portentous clouds that penetrate the intellects of minds diseased.” For 127 years, the institution served as a sanctuary, and often a final destination, for those struggling with mental illness.
Almost immediately, the hospital’s initial capacity of 275 beds was overwhelmed, reflecting both the prevalence of mental illness and the limited resources available to families struggling to care for their afflicted loved ones. Additional beds were added in stages – 120, then 250, and more, as the number of patients steadily increased. In its early years, the asylum operated as a self-sufficient community. Patients worked on the institution’s farm, cultivating crops and raising livestock to provide food for the facility. It was claimed that the hospital only needed to purchase salt and sugar to supplement its provisions, a testament to the scale of its self-sufficiency.
The institution, initially known as State Lunatic Asylum #2, was renamed St. Joseph State Hospital in 1899. By the 1950s, the hospital had expanded to accommodate nearly 3,000 beds, housing a diverse patient population that included the criminally insane, those with potential for rehabilitation, and individuals suffering from milder forms of depression. The Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph documents that some patients were admitted simply because their families were unable or unwilling to cope with their conditions. As modern medications became available, the hospital began to successfully reintegrate more and more patients back into society. However, throughout its history, the hospital experimented with a variety of treatments, some of which, in retrospect, seem more likely to induce insanity than cure it.
In 1967, George Glore, a dedicated employee of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, established a museum within a ward of the St. Joseph State Hospital. Glore’s initial collection consisted of full-sized replicas of 16th, 17th, and 18th-century treatment devices, created for a mental health awareness exhibit. He soon expanded his search to include other artifacts that would illustrate the evolution of mental health treatment over time. For the majority of his 41-year career, Glore dedicated himself to developing the largest collection of exhibits showcasing the history of mental health care in the United States. He retired from government service in the 1990s, leaving behind a legacy that continues to educate and inform.
By the early 1990s, many patients had been successfully discharged from the asylum due to advancements in medication and therapeutic approaches. In August 1994, the state of Missouri approved a bond to convert the expansive asylum campus into a correctional facility. By July 1997, a new state-of-the-art psychiatric rehabilitation center with 108 beds opened across the street from the original campus, known as the Northwest Missouri Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center.
The relocation of the Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph occurred in 1997. Forced to move from its original location, the museum found a new home in a 1968 building that had previously served as a clinic for patients at the mental hospital. This new location is situated just outside the prison fence. The Western Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center opened on the old asylum campus in 1999, now housing over 1,800 inmates.
A visit to the "new" three-story museum is an immersive experience, allowing visitors to explore the evolution of mental health treatment through its many exhibits. The museum presents a wide range of treatments, from dousing tanks and cages to straitjackets, dungeons, and electroshock therapy machines.
The museum features displays with mannequins that recreate examples of the often-inhumane treatments inflicted upon the mentally ill. These include depictions of burning at the stake, douching tubs used to drench patients with ice-cold water, electroshock therapy demonstrations, hydrotherapy exhibits showcasing patients immersed in water for extended periods, and a fever cabinet used to treat syphilis. In the past, fever cabinets were used to elevate a patient’s body temperature, with the goal of eradicating the virus and curing syphilis.
Another notable exhibit is the "Tranquilizer Chair," where patients were reportedly restrained for up to six months. While confined to the chair, patients were subjected to various treatments, including bloodletting with leeches or knives, immersion of their feet in scalding hot water, or dousing with ice-cold water.
Visitors will also encounter the "Lunatic Box," a device used during the 18th and 19th centuries. This coffin-like box confined violent or "out-of-hand" patients in a standing position until they regained composure. In complete darkness, these individuals were forced to stand for hours in their own waste until attendants deemed them controllable.
Other displays reveal the unique challenges faced by former patients. One glass case showcases over 1,400 metal objects, including nails, screws, pins, bottle caps, bolts, and buttons, ingested over the years by a woman who was discovered eating a nail in 1929. Although this patient survived the effects of the metal in her stomach, she died on the operating table during the removal of the objects.
The second floor of the Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph exhibits artwork and crafts created by former patients, ranging from paintings and embroidery to ceramic items reminiscent of kindergarten projects.
One exhibit displays a television set filled with hundreds of letters and notes written by a patient. In 1971, a male patient was observed inserting folded paper into the television. When the hospital electrician removed the back panel, they discovered over 525 folded notes and letters containing the writings of the delusional patient.
Another exhibit features over 100,000 cigarette packages collected by a former patient who believed he could redeem them for a new wheelchair for his ward. Upon learning of his ambition, the hospital purchased a wheelchair for the facility and dedicated it in his name in 1969.
Near the museum, on what was once the southeast corner of the hospital campus, lies the old asylum cemetery. A monument stands next to a large field, with the "new" prison visible in the background. The first burial occurred on December 12, 1874, and the last on October 1949. This cemetery, with its anonymous numbered markers, is as haunting as the museum itself. Despite housing over 2,000 bodies, only a few hundred headstones remain, devoid of names or dates, leaving these "victims" faceless and forgotten.
For many years, Missouri’s state hospital cemeteries were neglected by hospital administrators. In the 1960s, headstones were ordered to be pushed over and buried to reduce mowing costs.
When relatives brought a patient to the hospital, they were often advised to bring the clothes the patient would be buried in, as it was likely they would never leave. Many patients never received visitors and died alone and unclaimed, their families either too ashamed or unable to be located.
Today, the cemetery has been partially restored, although many markers remain broken or unmarked. Even the most elaborate monument, dedicated to a woman named Ellen Ross (1816-1865), has been vandalized. The name and date are barely legible, and a piece is missing from the top of the headstone. Who was Ellen Ross? Who was Number 58, lying almost hidden in the creek bed? Like in life, these souls have seemingly been forgotten.
The Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph was featured on the television program Ripley’s Believe It or Not!