In 1918 the place first opened as the Illinois Colony for Epileptics, boasting 128 separate buildings, 400 acres for the living area and 1,100 acres of tillable farm land, the idea being that the colony would be self sustaining. Soon though it became apparent that a wider set of needs could be served here and in 1922 it was renamed the Dixon State hospital. To compliment this new title a women's school of nursing was opened there in 1927.
Fast forward to the 1970's-80's and times and attitudes had changed. No longer were the mentally challenged seen as someone to be locked away out of sight and the hospital was repurposed yet again becoming a prison in 1984. While that makes for interesting reading on its own it is what lies Outside the complex that caught my eye that day.
Every hospital and care facility has it's share of deaths and the Dixon state hospital was no exception. The first internment was in 1920 and the last was in 1979. During those 59 years a total of 2,189 souls were laid to rest. Some markers have names, some are so worn that you can only read the date of death and the patient number. If you love strolling thru old cemeteries this one will keep you busy for an hour or two.
It is possible I may know one of the persons buried in this cemetery.i lost track while in the military, but he had been here a long time. Mentally perfect, by badly crippled by polio as a 5 year old. After his mother died, no family would or could care for him, so he was sent here to like in a large crib. He was so sad that he was at Dixon, because he knew his brain worked great, but his body had betrayed him.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are perfect in every way now, Earl. We shall see each other again, one day. Pray for us.
Thank you for your kind remarks! If you wish, I can send you a link with a partial listing of the people buried here. If you're interested contact me via the email link on my home page....John
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