Claim OwnershipBehind the Walls of the World’s Psychiatric Hospitals
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© 2025 Behind the Walls of the World’s Psychiatric Hospitals
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This podcast examines the history of now-defunct or abandoned psychiatric hospitals. Listen every week to learn about the history of mental health care and the true stories of the people who lived and worked behind the walls.
98 Episodes
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Send us a text This week we start a series on Sarah's "holy grail" asylum! Learn about why it took 23 years for the asylum to be built and who was involved in the labor. Find out how the hospital took on an additional role in the history of the American Civil War. And discover why there was such a high turnover of superintendents in the early days of asylum life. Follow the show on Instagram at @behindthewallspod Support the show on Beacons: https://beacons.ai/behindthewallspodcast Support th...
Send us a text This week I interview historian Jacqui Sanders to discuss her study of the children and women of Aradale Mental Hospital in Australia and the release of her new book, Form of Insanity. Find out how Jacqui got drawn to Aradale and to the tragic stories she outlines in her book -- and find out what projects she has lined up next! Follow the show on Instagram: @behindthewallspod Support the show on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/behindthewallspodcast Support the show on Beacons: ...
Send us a text This week's episode examines the final decades of the Fernald State School. Find out about the pivotal moment in Ward 22 that forever changed the school. Learn about the fate of the Science Club members. And discover how the "research" of the past was unearthed. Main sources for this episode include the annual reports from the Fernald School, as well as the book The State Boys Rebellion by Michael D'Antonio. All other sources will be listed at the end of the episode transcript....
Send us a text This week's episode discusses the years that Dr. Fernald, Dr. Greene, and Dr. Farrell were superintendents at the school. Learn about the legacy of one of the superintendents and how he single-handedly influenced New York and Massachusetts law. Learn about one boy who entered the Fernald State School at age 8 and who quickly became part of a group called "The Science Club." Trigger warnings for this episode include the use of outdated and ableist language, abuse toward children...
Send us a text This week we discuss the first two decades of Dr. Walter E. Fernald's tenure at the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded. Find out how he was able to expand the school in order to quickly grow to over 1,000 residents! Learn about Dr. Fernald's role in the eugenics movement of the early 20th century and what scholars were trying to legalize in the state of Massachusetts. My primary sources are the annual reports from the Fernald State School website. All other sources are ...
Send us a text This week we discuss the many changes in the Massachusetts School for Idiotic and Feeble-Minded Youth, which included a name change, three locations, and three different superintendents. Find out what an average day looked like at the school, what the guidelines were for teaching children with developmental disabilities, and why they kept moving the school to new locations. The primary sources for this episode are the annual reports available on the Fernald State School website...
Send us a text This week we look at the early beginnings of what would become the Fernald State School in Massachusetts. At its outset, it was known as the Experimental School for Teaching and Training Idiotic Children. Find out how developmental disorders were classified back in the mid-19th century and what the school hoped to teach their students. Trigger warning for outdated and ableist language, strong overtones of discrimination and dehumanization, and abuse toward children. My main so...
Send us a text This week we reminisce about Sarah's recent trip to Crete and her visit to the Spinalonga Leper Colony. Learn about the three different "eras" the island experienced as a Venetian stronghold, Ottoman outpost, and leper colony. Discover more about leprosy, also known as Hansen's Disease, and the stigma surrounding it that persisted for centuries. Sources used in this episode include the Spinalonga website and Wikipedia articles on Spinalonga and leprosy. Follow the show on Insta...
Send us a text This week we look at some of the paranormal activity and stories that have come from Camarillo State Hospital. Find out about the woman in white, the creepy goings-on in the former children's building, and the Scary Dairy. If YOU have a scary story from Cam...
Send us a text In this week's episode, we discuss the history of the children and adolescent programs at Camarillo State Hospital. Find out where children lived when they were first introduced to the hospital and how long it took them to get their own separate program. Learn what types of units made up the Adolescent Treatment Program and what services were offered to them. My primary source is the Images of America book on Camarillo State Hospital by Evelyn S. Taylor and Mary E. Holt. Other ...
Send us a text This week's episode explores the final decades of operation at Camarillo State Hospital. Learn about the introduction of the Developmental Center that separated patients with mental illness and those with developmental disorders. Find out how one patient attempted to escape from the hospital before being stopped. And discover when and why the hospital finally came to a close. My main source for this episode is the Images of America book on Camarillo State Hospital by Evelyn S. ...
Send us a text This week's episode examines the early years of Camarillo State Hospital in Camarillo, California. Find out why it grew so quickly in its first decade, and learn how many patients it housed at its peak. Discover which movie patients said was true to life at the hospital and was one that the public needed to see. My main source will be the Images of America book on Camarillo State Hospital by Evelyn S. Taylor and Mary E. Holt. Other sources include the CSU-Channel Islands Digita...
Send us a text This week's episode explores the life and hospitalizations of author and artist Zelda Fitzgerald. Discover where she was institutionalized throughout her life and how her life came to a tragic end. Learn about the Craig House in Beacon, NY, where she was hospitalized for a time and find out what amenities were available to patients who resided there. My main source for this episode is an Atlas Obscura article written by Luke Spencer. Follow the show on Instagram: @behindthewall...
Send us a text This week, Sarah interviews Rusty Tagliareni (photographer and co-author of the Images of America book on Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital) and Lisa Marie Blohm (President of Preservation Works advocacy group) to discuss what it was like to try and save the old Kirkbride building at Greystone Park and what Preservation Works is doing now to try and save other historical sites. Follow the show on Instagram: @behindthewallspod Support the show on Patreon: http://www.patreon.co...
Send us a text This week's episode tells the story of a patient, Harrison W. Noel, who was committed to Greystone Park for the rest of his life following the commission of a gruesome double murder and kidnapping. Learn about his symptoms prior to the crime spree and find out which infamous murder Noel hoped to copy. All sources will be listed at the end of the episode transcript. Follow the show on Instagram: @behindthewallspod Support the show on Beacons: https://beacons.ai/behindthewallspod...
Send us a text This week's episode examines the life, music, activism, and eventual hospitalization of folk singer Woody Guthrie. Find out how he got started in music and who influenced him along the way. Learn why he was eventually committed to Greystone Park Psychiatric Center for five years on "Wardy Forty." My main sources for this episode include the book Woody Guthrie's Wardy Forty: Greystone Park State Hospital Revisited by Phillip Buehler, the Woody Guthrie website, and the Wikipedia ...
Send us a text This week's episode discusses the arc of deinstitutionalization at Greystone Park, from the early-1950s until the closure of the original Kirkbride building in 2008. Find out how many people lived at Greystone at its peak and how quickly that number dwindled. Learn about a class action lawsuit filed against the hospital due to the poor conditions for patients. Finally, discover just how many dangerous patients escaped in 1978 alone. Sources for this week's episode include the G...
Send us a text This week's episode focuses on how Greystone Park managed during the years of the Great Depression and World War II. From increased overcrowding due to war, economic difficulties, and multiple fires, find out how administration advocated for their patients and survived these challenging years. Learn how Dr. Curry spent his 30 year tenure at Greystone Park and his legacy that was left behind. Primary sources include the Greystone Park annual reports (courtesy of the New Jersey S...
Send us a text This week's episode discusses the history of the New Jersey State Insane Asylum from World War I until just before the Great Depression. Find out what circumstances led to the on-the-job death of the superintendent and find out what changes were made after a new superintendent took over. Finally, learn which ward was a favorite among the staff and public officials. My two sources for this episode include various annual reports from Greystone Park (from the NJ State Library webs...
Send us a text This week's episode examines the first couple decades of the State Asylum for the Insane in Morristown, New Jersey. Find out what an average day was like at the asylum, what treatments and entertainments were offered, and how long it took for the massive building to become overcrowded. Primary sources include the Images of America book on Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital by Rusty Tagliareni and Christina Mathews, as well as a number of annual reports from the New Jersey Stat...
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So interesting! I'm a new listener, have just finished an historic novel set in Dunedin around this time, so right up my alley. Looking forward to the next. From what I recall, Truby King was a bit problematic around the subject of eugenics!