Built on more than 100 acres of what was carefully developed into a calm oasis of lawn, gardens, nature trails and farm land along the banks of the Seekonk River on the outskirts of Providence, the hospital, later named Butler Hospital, was in essence founded by Nicholas Brown, who indicated in his will of 1840 that $30,000 was to go to the establishment of a hospital for the mentally ill at his death. Brown died in 1841, but the Dorr War delayed any further fund raising for several years.
In 1844, the General Assembly passed an act of incorporation for the Rhode-Island Asylum for the Insane and more than two dozen wealthy citizens with names that resonate in Rhode Island history like Ives and Manton were named as part of the corporation. This board then asked Cyrus Butler, a wealthy Providence businessman, to make a contribution. He offered $40,000 if another $40,000 could be raised from other sources. The pledge books and circulars in this collection show that the entire community became involved in the effort to establish the institution soon renamed Butler Hospital for the Insane. Many of the donations recorded were small, some for as little as $1.00.
The construction site was chosen in 1844 and the corporation asked Dr. Luther V. Bell of McLean Asylum for the Insane in Charlestown, Massachusetts to be the first superintendent. He declined the position, but offered to act as a consultant during the critical phase of design selection and the hiring of a director. The trustees of Massachusetts General Hospital which oversaw McLean went so far as to send Bell to Europe to survey the newest institutions and latest techniques in England and on the continent because they thought the information he garnered would be beneficial to both institutions. On his return, Bell recommended that the new institution be modeled after the Kirkbride facilities where the best treatment for a frazzled mind was thought to be the creation of a calm, home-like atmosphere. There, surrounded by beauty, patients could be cured by a combination of work, recreation and reading. On Bell's recommendation, Dr. Isaac Ray, then superintendent at the Hospital for the Insane in Augusta, Maine was chosen to be the first superintendent. Ray himself made a European tour at his own expense for further training in 1845 and returned to New England in time to oversee the construction of the new hospital.
The facility, erected in 1846-1847 had warm, open, airy rooms in small clusters with separate nursing stations and dining facilities for each group. The first patient was admitted on December 1, 1847. Dr. Ray's first report is dated January 26, 1848. Over the course of the next fifty years, consistent additions and improvements were made to the physical plant, including the gardens and the farm.
The single most important figure in the foundation of Butler Hospital is Dr. Isaac Ray. Much of the planning, all of the construction and the first 22 years of the functioning of the hospital were all under his aegis. He also chose a former protégé as his successor. Ray was born in 1807 in Beverly, Massachusetts, attended Philips Academy, Andover and graduated from Bowdoin College in 1827. He studied medicine in Beverly under Dr. Samuel Rand and in Boston in the office of Dr. George C. Shattuck. He began his practice of medicine in Portland, Maine in 1830 and after two years there, moved on to Eastport, Maine where he first turned his attention to the causes and treatment of mental illness. In 1841 he was appointed superintendent of the Hospital for the Insane in Augusta, Maine and was tapped by Butler Hospital to be their first superintendent in 1845. He took up his duties at there in May of 1846 when the facility was still under construction, issued his first report in January of 1848 and appointed his first assistant in 1849. He was careful to chose attendants for their humanity, patience and high character. He saw a clear connection between physical and mental health as well as physical surroundings and mental health. Ray kept restraints and medication to a minimum. He discouraged the sightseeing of the curious in search of entertainment, and even family visits were kept to a minimum if he thought the patients would be upset by them. He wrote many books and articles during his career and had a special interest in medical jurisprudence.
There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Butler Hospital records, Ms. 2007.033, Brown University Library.
The Butler Hospital records are divided into the following series: correspondence (1843-1892), foundation records (1844-1847), construction records (1844-1888), medical records (1848-1872), minutes (1844-1867), reports (1844-1874) and financial records (1840-1892). All series are arranged in chronological order.
The correspondence, which is particularly important in tracing the establishment and early history of Butler Hospital, covers a wide range of topics. The earliest letters are pledges, suggestions for the location of the new hospital, and suggestions for the design of Butler as compared to some already established institutions. The involvement of Dr. Bell of McLean Hospital in Massachusetts in the new venture in Rhode Island is also documented here. There is correspondence on the building of a fence between Butler Hospital and its neighbor, Swan Point Cemetery. Later letters are from prominent citizens of the Providence area accepting positions as trustees on the board of the hospital, requests for salary increases, mortgage and payment acknowledgements in a form letter format, assault charges and complaints about the treatment of particular patients. Most of the letters are originals and until the late 1880's all are handwritten. Some letters are copies, but not are all so labeled.
The Foundation records complement the earliest correspondence. There is an amendment to the original charter, a list of trustees elected in 1845 as well as an undated list of the duties and qualifications of the matron. The 1845 pamphlet "Our duties to the Insane" outlines the need for a hospital for the mentally ill where these unfortunate citizens can be treated and cured. The pamphlet clearly documents the change in attitude toward the mentally ill and the methods for handling them which occurred in the early 19th century both in Europe and the United States.
The construction records contain the specifications for the original building down to the number of bathtubs to be included as well as some of the later plans for improvements and expansions. These document the need for a new heating plant, a report of the water commissioner and the fragments of two designs for a greenhouse to be used by the patients as part of their therapy.
The medical records include lists of patients in alphabetical order but not necessarily dated and some records of the number of patients and their conditions at discharge. Also included is a list of hospitals and superintendents in the United States in 1872.
The minutes series contains just a few of the minutes of the meetings of trustees. One is only a short note stating that since a quorum had not been reached, the meeting had been adjourned. Also included is a calendar of the dates of the weekly visits to be made by the trustees to Butler Hospital along with the names of the two trustees who were to tour the facility each week. It is clear both from these records and the letters of acceptance referred to above that the trustees took their duties seriously and that their positions were not ceremonial.
The reports are from both special committees and from the superintendent. Some of the superintendent reports are annual reports, but also included is Dr. Isaac Ray's report on the opening of Butler, a special financial report and his last report before retiring. From the beginning the formation of special committees of the trustees was the normal way of doing business for the board of trustees. Several members volunteered or were selected to handle special problems and then reported to the board as a whole. The collection includes the report of the original committee charged with raising the money to go with the Nicholas Brown legacy to build the hospital, the report of the committee charged with honoring the first matron on her retirement as well as the report of the committee charged with updating the heating system.
The financial records of Butler Hospital form the bulk of the collection. There are both official quarterly and annual reports full of figures on the amounts spent on salaries, medications and furniture. These are clearly laid out on carefully copied balance sheets and signed by the treasurers and trustees vouching for their accuracy. There are large numbers of fire insurance documents which have been filed by the date that coverage was to begin. Interestingly, the buildings insured are not those on the Butler campus. And there are the cancelled checks and receipts for manure, cement, canaries (male) and their cages, hardy roses by the hundreds and piano repair which document the day to day running of the institution.
The collection is arranged into the following series:
Transferred from the John Carter Brown Library in August 2006.
No further materials are anticipated for this collection.
Brown University Library catalog record for this collection:
RESOURCES AT BROWN:
RESOURCES BEYOND BROWN: