My son took me to a mental hospital...
We flew to Atlanta, grabbed a rental truck and stopped by IKEA on our way to Tuscaloosa, AL to help our oldest son set up his first home. During a break in assembling furniture and shopping for decor, hanging curtains and cleaning the spaces, he asked if we could go shoot at a few places he had heard of that might make some interesting art photos. I said sure. He looked at me and said, “You might want to go put some pants on, (shorts in December- gotta love the south!) One of the places I want to go is kind of sketchy.”
Our first stop was The Jemison Center, also known as Old Bryce Hospital. We took off and crossed the Black Warrior River into Northport, and drove past the airport to the location.
History Synopsis:
The Old Bryce Hospital was built as a model for mental health treatment around the time of the Civil War. Construction had begun before the war and finished after the war. It was built based on the layout developed by Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, a batwing style of hospital consisting of a main hall, with subsequent halls being built to the side and slightly behind, though connected, each previous building. The campus was previously quite extensive, though decades and decades of decay and destruction, only the main hall and two wings remain of the original structure. There are also several adjacent structures in various levels of decay.
Dr. Bryce was a leader in changing perspectives on HOW the mentally ill were treated. A relativly young doctor, he was the first physician to serve as a superintendent of a mental institution in America. He believed that fresh air, and good works were central to healing a person with mental illness. In his time, his practices revolutionized the culture of mental health hospitals. You can read more about Dr Bryce HERE.
At its inception, the Bryce Hospital started with around 250 patients, but quickly expanded. By the time it was decommissioned, it had held over 5,000 patients at a time. Here’s a bit more of the history here>>>>
By the time we arrived, fire and destruction by delinquents had drastically deteriorated the structure. But what is left, has some haunting visuals that were very interesting to observe and explore. Nature is slowly taking the structure over and while its impressive, it is not necessarily a safe place to traipse.
