Hi all, Does anyone know anything about the Insane Asylum in Salem? A cousin in Los Angeles told me that she found a relative of hers that was on the 1910 census in an "Insane Asylum" in OR. I found him and his name was Mike Kearns and he was in Salem in what the census said was an Asylum. The census does not say it was an Insane Asylum, just an Asylum. It seems that in past research I found indication that Asylum did not necessarily mean that it was just for the insane. It appeared that people who were very sick as well as people who were "Insane" were all in the same place. Is this right? I believe that the State Archives have the old Insane Asylum records? I do not believe that they will let just anyone have access to any of those records either. Does anyone know if it is possible for anyone to get access to any of those old records. A close family relative for instance? Does any other place have any old records of that nature? Maybe some or a lot of those old records got thrown away by now? Thanks, Nathan

Nathan, You are right....it wasn't only the insane who were confined in the Oregon State Hospital. I had two great-grandfathers there. One had senile dementia and had gone back to his Civil War days. He went on "marches" and built a campfire fire in his daughter-in-law's bedroom. They called him "Corporal" at the hospital and he returned their salutes as he marched down the halls. He lived his last two years there. The other great-grandpa Jesse Cook had brain damage from a snowplow accident years before and was sent there to be cared for when his elderly wife died. About 10 years ago I was able to look through the admittance and discharge books mentioned by cousin Sheri. They gave information about how the patient arrived at the hospital and who sent them. With the death of Gr-grandpa Thomas, it gave the name and address of where the death notice was sent, to whom it was sent, and where the body was sent. There may be more or less information on other patients.