Stories from the State Hospital

The Otter Tail County Historical Society is sponsoring an exterior tour of the Fergus Falls State Hospital on Friday, May 23, 7 pm. The cost is $10, park in the Government Services Center parking lot and gather in front of the hospital’s West Detached wing. No registration needed.

Designed by Warren B. Dunnell, the Fergus Falls State Hospital opened in July 1890. It incorporated the linear plan concept of mental health pioneer Thomas Kirkbride. Kirkbride’s moral management plan included a central tower section flanked by patient wings with setbacks to allow for maximum light and ventilation. The hospital is one of the few remaining Kirkbride inspired complexes in the United States.

For over 118 years the “Castle on the Hill” provided care to people who were ignored by the rest of society. It was a self contained community that dominated the region’s cultural and economic fabric. Stories from the State Hospital goes beyond the bricks and mortar to examine stories and events that have given the hospital an aura of mystery and legend. As efforts to save this landmark have faltered, it is imperative we keep its history alive, both the good and bad.

For more information call OTCHS at 218-736-6038.

“No state in the union has provided more generously to its wards and unfortunates than Minnesota. Of the public institutions in the state, the greatest, the most complete, the most perfectly constructed is the State Hospital for the Insane in Fergus Falls. The hospital here is a model institution.”
Fergus Falls Weekly Journal, 1920