GAHS STORE: GAHS BOOKS
IMAGES OF AMERICA: THE EAST RIVER
Chapter 7 Institutions, Page 95
The Blackwells Island Lunatic Asylum comprised three separate buildings known as the “Asylum”, the “Mad-House” and the “Retreat”. In 1887, reporter Nellie Bly feigned mental illness to get into the asylum. After friends obtained her release, her exposé on conditions inside the asylum led to reform. In the center of the image, the 1839 Octagon Tower, still stands. (Courtesy GAHS)
At the Blackwells Island almshouse, inmates were classified according to their physical conditions and then put to work accordingly. To ensure “proper sanitary conditions” all inmates were mandated to bathe monthly. (Courtesy GAHS)
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