Danvers State Hospital revolutionized mental health care for more than
a century, beginning in 1878. Today, it's buildings still have stories
to tell.
Perched high on the top of Hathorne Hill in what was once the village of
Salem, Danvers State Insane Asylum was, for more than a century, a
monument to modern psychiatry and the myriad advances in mental health
treatment. From the time it opened its doors in 1878 until they were
shuttered for good in 1992, the asylum represented decades of reform,
the physical embodiment of the heroic visions of Dorothea Dix and Thomas
Story Kirkbride. It would stand abandoned until 2005, when demolition
began. Along with a dedicated group of private citizens, the Danvers
Historical Society fought to preserve the Kirkbride structure, an effort
that would result in the reuse of the administration building and two
additional wings. Danvers has earned a unique place in history; the
shell of the original Kirkbride building still stands overlooking the
town. Though it has been changed drastically, the asylum's story
continues as do efforts to memorialize it.