Grand Re-Opening of " Minnesota's Third State Hospital" Exhibit

State Hospital Exhibit Held Over
 
     With interest in the Fergus Falls State Hospital at an all time high, the Otter Tail County Historical Society has decided to extend the exhibition The State Welcomes You: Minnesota's Third State Hospital.  With 125 photographs and scores of artifacts, the display provides a comprehensive history of the institution as it evolved through its superintendents. 
     Significant space is devoted to how Fergus Falls was selected as the site of Minnesota's Third State Hospital for the Insane. The display includes information on the farming operation, nurses' training, the Occupational Therapy program and personal insights from a teenager who spent 14 months in the Adolescent Ward. Artifacts on display include the replica of a sailing ship made in great detail by a patient, medical instruments, dinnerware and other objects associated with hospital life. 
     There will be a grand re-opening of the exhibit on Friday, February 8, 4-7 p.m. at the museum. At 6 p.m. make sure to attend the program Dr. William Patterson: The Man and the Legend. This original dramatic recreation examines the 56 year career of the hospital's most influential superintendent.
     In conjunction with the exhibit, a series of Friday morning coffee klatches will be held beginning February 15. Consult the Society's web site, www.otchs.orgfor specifics as the dates get closer.