Scope and Content: Programs and institutions for the mentally ill and retarded of Massachusetts were among the responsibilities successively of the Board of State Charities (St 1863, c 240), the State Board of Health, Lunacy, and Charity (St 1879, c 291), and the State Board of Lunacy and Charity (St 1886, c 101). They were then the sole responsibility successively of the State Board of Insanity (St 1898, c 433), the Massachusetts Commission on Mental Diseases (St 1916, c 285), and the Dept. of Mental Diseases (St 1919, c 350, ss 79-81), renamed the Dept. of Mental Health (St 1938, c 486)
Arrangement: Arranged by facility
Restrictions: Restricted as fragile. Access by permission of state archivist or curator of Massachusetts Archives only
Notes: Transferred to Archives from Dept. of Mental Health, 1988. Belchertown plans (1954-1965 only) transferred from Massachusetts Historical Commission, 2008
Related Catalog Records:
Mental health facility blueprints and plans (engineering and maintenance scheduled item) [Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Facilities Management Division]
Annual reports [Monson State Hospital (Mass.).]
Scope and Content: The Massachusetts Hospital for Epileptics was established in 1895 and opened at Monson in 1898. It was renamed Monson State Hospital in 1909 and Monson Developmental Center in 1979.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Public document, no. 62. Reports for 1933, 1939, 1942-1947, 1950-1953, 1961-1962, 1964 missing
Related Catalog Records:
Minutes [Massachusetts State Advisory Council on Mental Health and Retardation]
Scope and Content: The council was established to advise the commissioner of mental health on policy, program development, and priorities of need for comprehensive programs in mental health and retardation in Massachusetts. Minutes were created to record decisions and actions taken by the council and its Executive Committee. They contain information on public hearings held by the council to obtain the views of area boards and the public on departmental policy and programs; reports of the commissioner; and reports of the council’s committees on mental retardation, mental health, children, budget, management, and legislation.
Arrangement: In two subseries: (1) Minutes of the full advisory council (2) Minutes of the Executive Committee; Arranged within each subseries chronologically
Related Catalog Records:
Census, admission, discharge, restraint and seclusion reports [Massachusetts Division of Mental Health Services Evaluation Section]
Scope and Content: In 1983 the Dept. of Mental Health was sanctioned by the U.S. District Court for inadequately controlling reports of restraint and seclusion of patients institutionalized under the department’s jurisdiction. The Evaluation Section in its Division of Mental Health Services (called the Evaluation Section of the Division of Policy and Planning from 1987) was instructed to develop the forms, maintain the data, and publish the results of restraint and seclusion reports for public and private institutions (St 1984, c 464). A public report, omitting patient identifiers, was required. Both state mental health and mental retardation institutions were included in these reports until St 1986, c 599 removed the responsibility for mental retardation from the Dept. of Mental Health and established a new Dept. of Mental Retardation.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: From the records of the Governor’s Commission on Mental Retardation, transferred to Archives, 1994-2008. For details consult the Massachusetts Archives series control file
Related Catalog Records:
Statewide mental health services study forms [Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Office of Information, Evaluation, and Planning]
Scope and Content: To assist the Dept. of Mental Health in ensuring that there were adequate services for mentally ill and mentally retarded people in Massachusetts, the department’s evaluation unit conducted mental surveys and assessments of services in 1976 and 1978. Surveys and assessments (on photocopied forms) were completed by area and regional department staff.
Arrangement: Arranged by service region and area
Related Catalog Records:
Annual reports [Foxborough State Hospital (Mass.).]
Scope and Content: The Massachusetts Hospital for Dipsomaniacs and Inebriates was established by Massachusetts in 1889 and opened in Foxborough in 1893. It was renamed Foxborough State Hospital in 1905, and with the transfer of inebriates to Norfolk State Hospital it became an institution for the mentally ill in 19145. It was closed in 1975.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Reports for 1924-1927, 1942-1950 missing
Related Catalog Records:
Annual reports [Medfield State Hospital (Mass.).]
Scope and Content: Medfield Insane Asylum was established by Massachusetts in 1892 and opened in 1896. It was renamed Medfield State Asylum in 1909 and Medfield State Hospital in 1914.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Public document, no. 59. –Reports for 1942-1951; 1959; 1962 missing
Related Catalog Records:
Inpatient case files [Medfield State Hospital (Mass.).]
Scope and Content: Medfield Insane Asylum was established in 1892 and opened in 1896. It was renamed Medfield State Asylum in 1909 and Medfield State Hospital in 1914.
Arrangement: Arranged numerically by inpatient registration no. (chronologically assigned) in two sequences: 1-160 (1896-1935); A1-138, A107A (1903-1948)
Restrictions: Mental health client information restricted by statutory provision MGLA c 123, s 36. For conditions of access consult repository
Notes: Includes files for registration no. 1-8018, 34-11679. Containers labeled with obsolete series designation: 30
Related Catalog Records:
Annual reports [Norfolk State Hospital (Mass.).]
Scope and Content: Norfolk State Hospital was established by Massachusetts in 1912 as a colony of the Foxborough State Hospital. It acquired its own board of trustees in 1914, receiving Foxborough’s inebriate patients. The Norfolk facility was not used as a state hospital after 1919.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Public document, no. 106. Reports for 1912-1913 can be found in those of Foxborough State Hospital ((M-Ar)1318 (subseries)/HS7.20).
Related Catalog Records:
Inpatient case files [Norfolk State Hospital (Mass.).]
Scope and Content: The Massachusetts Hospital for Dipsomaniacs and Inebriates was established in 1889 and opened in Foxborough in 1893. It was renamed Foxborough State Hospital in 1905. Norfolk State Hospital was established in 1912 as a colony of Foxborough State Hospital. It acquired its own board of trustees in 1914, receiving Foxborough inebriate patients. The Norfolk facility was not used as a state hospital after 1919.
Arrangement: In two subseries: (1) Case files (2) Postcards, 1906-1919; Arranged within each subseries alphabetically by patient
Restrictions: Mental health client information restricted by statutory provision MGLA c 123, s 36. For conditions of access consult repository
Notes: Postcards separated from case files, Mar. 1993
Related Catalog Records:
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