State Insane Hospital, Augusta, Maine
The State Insane Hospital. This splendid granite edifice, an honor to the state and to humanity, occupies a plat of elevated ground, of seventy acres, on the east side of the river. Its situation is unrivalled for the beauty of its scenery. This building was commenced in 1836, and will probably be completed and prepared to receive patients in 1839. It will cost the state, and some beneficent individuals, who have made liberal donations towards its erection, about $100,000. It is of the model of the Lunatic Hospital at Worcester, Mass., and is much admired for its external architecture and internal arrangement. The centre building and wings are 262 feet long; the centre building is 82 feet in length, 46 feet wide, 4 stories high, besides the basement and attic, having a chapel in the attic 80 by 40 feet. The wings are 90 feet long in front, and 100 in the rear, 38 feet wide, and 3 stories high, divided into 126 rooms, 120 of which are designed for patients, the remaining 6 for water closets and other purposes, with halls between the rooms 12 feet wide running the entire length of each wing, and communicating with the dining rooms in the centre of the building.
