Fulton State Hospital
Although we at times look back to the past with fond nostalgia, the Nixon Forensic Center at the Fulton State Hospital speaks to the progress made in understanding and treating mental illness since the days of the companion postcard labeled “State Hospital for the Insane.” The four pillars at the entrance remain to remind us of the important role Fulton State Hospital has played over the years in addressing mental health concerns.
Did you know that the Fulton State Hospital was the first public mental health facility west of the Mississippi? In 1847, the General Assembly of Missouri enacted legislation to establish an asylum that would provide physical care for “societal lunatics” and invited counties in the center of the state to submit bids on it. Callaway County’s bid of $11,500 and 500 acres of land was declared winner of the competition.
The original three-story building contained 72 single rooms for patients plus a dining room, administrative offices and lodging for employees, all of whom were required to live on the premises. The hospital was close to being self-sufficient: some employees and patients worked together in a farming operation that raised their food while others engaged in a variety of activities such as sewing and making soap to supply the institution’s needs.
During the Civil War, the hospital was forced to close and, for a short time, served as barracks for Union soldiers. Its reopening in 1863 with 125 patients marked the beginning of a period of growth in the patient population which rose to 303 by 1870, surpassed 1,000 in 1920 and reached a high of 2,476 in 1940. Overcrowding demanded an expansion of facilities including the addition of two large wings to the original building that could house about 250 more patients, and the establishment of nine new wards plus a special unit for the criminally insane. Unfortunately, the number of doctors available to treat patients did not increase at the same pace; in the early 1930s, there was one doctor for approximately 543 patients.
In 1956, despite the efforts of fire fighters from Fulton, Mexico, Columbia, and Jefferson City, a massive fire destroyed the original main building. Onlookers pitched in to assist the staff in rescuing patients from the blaze. In the confusion, two local women were accidently locked in with the patients. When one tried to convince the staff that she was a newspaper reporter, she was dismissed as delusional. The story ended well, however. No lives were lost to the fire and both women were eventually released with quite a tale to tell! The main building could not be salvaged and was replaced by a new administrative building completed in 1958.
By the 1990s, the hospital’s mission became primarily forensic, treating patients sent there through the criminal justice system. The Nixon Forensic Center, which opened on August 1, 2019, provides state-of-the-art care for up to 300 patients while maintaining the highest standards of safety and security. Its innovative design has been touted as unique in the United States and continues the tradition of Fulton State Hospital at the forefront of mental health treatment.