You cannot blame Fergus Falls for having the abandoned institution still close to their hearts. The building complex is spectacular in its appearance. It sits there now, frankly, as a decaying hulk.
We in Morris know how "re-use" efforts can turn out. We tried clinging to our old school complex for some time, even with the dream of an illusory "green community." The property is now being re-developed in the way that should have been drawn up at the start. We can remember the old school with pictures and stories.
Fergus Falls wrestles with wanting to preserve its historic structure. A sober mind seems to suggest this is futile. But I see this merely as an outsider. I was a kid who grew up equating Fergus Falls with the treatment of mentally ill people. As kids we were crude in expressing this association.
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| Image of Missy Hermes from Fergus Falls Daily Journal |
Memories of the Fergus Falls Kirkbride came to the fore again on Tuesday, April 23. Missy Hermes of the Otter Tail County Historical Society gave a presentation at the spectacular new Fergus Falls Public Library. She's the education coordinator for the Historical Society. She talked on "the State Hospital during World War II." A large conference room was pretty filled with the turnout, so once again we realized that the Kirkbride is an object of considerable interest.
Hermes began by noting that the last patient left the facility in 2007. There must have been overwhelming reasons for such a sprawling facility to be abandoned. I have often heard that new treatment approaches, particularly the "community-based model," were taking over. "Community-based" seems pretty vague. Most certainly the Kirkbride was a community for both the residents and the considerable number of staff. I have heard that "group home" settings were deemed more effective. But left behind was this spectacular structure called the Kirkbride, arguably the most noteworthy landmark in Fergus Falls.
But it is such a symbol of the past. Hermes noted that no interior tours are given any more. That's due to air quality concerns. Our Morris city manager Blaine Hill told me he got in while tours were still given, but he wondered if that was wise. The interior situation was probably bad news. The deterioration seemed to scream that "re-use" was not going to be a practical course. A school board member in Morris told me that a major hurdle for our old school was meeting current codes. I assume this to have been a major hurdle for the Kirkbride.
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| It looks like a grand castle |
The Kirkbride calls for past tense references in my mind. There is unfortunate controversy in Fergus Falls over the building's fate. I guess a city administrator has lost his job over it. I assume many descendants of old hospital employees reside in Fergus Falls and feel emotions. I imagine it can be difficult working in the Fergus Falls media, walking a tightrope as it were.
The history of the institution goes back to 1890. It was built to alleviate congestion with these services. We heard terms like "insane" and "lunatics" in the early days. Hermes told us the peak year for patients was 1937 with 2,078. The world was steadily hurtling toward WWII.
How ambitious was the Kirkbride? It encompassed a farm, dairy and orchards! Hermes told us about the weekly newsletter that circulated within the institution: "The Weekly Pulse." She passed around copies of some pages. The newsletter is a prime resource for appreciating the history of the institution and the broader history of what was happening to our country. It began publishing in 1933.
WWII forced adjustments on all public institutions with the Kirkbride certainly being no exception, Hermes said. She listed some of the effects: little cotton available for sheets, limited soaps, limited ice cream. Security safeguards were implemented. The power plant was forbidden to guests. Garages had to be watched as "people were stealing tires." The city had blackout drills. All staff took an oath to assure they were "loyal to our form of government." Hermes reported a patient population of 1,829 at the time the U.S. was on the cusp of war in 1940. And this population, she pointed out, had considerable aliens from diverse places. The people were fingerprinted and probed for possible criminal background.
The shortages of various items during the war could be pervasive, Hermes said. "Deliveries of new books were suspended for the library." The year 1943 saw two meatless days each week. Right after Pearl Harbor there was a drop-off in visitors due to gas rationing. The institution always had a display at the Minnesota State Fair but in '45 the Fair was cancelled.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
We didn't hear as much about PTSD as we do today. The Kirkbride got some patients in this category while WWII was on. You can imagine that the symptoms were as common then as when the condition became better understood and terminology developed. Yes the Kirkbride operated during less enlightened times. And in spite of the shortcomings which could be substantial, the philosophy was to be as helpful as possible, as humane as possible. It was yeoman's work.
WWII veterans are a diminishing circle today. Many of them have carried signs of PTSD through their lives. It was not seen through the most understanding lens in the years immediately following the brutal conflict. Common sense told us these souls could be troubled. On a clinical level the parameters weren't well established. It seems the Vietnam conflict made the term "PTSD" pretty standard for understanding.
WWII survivors to this day deal with anxiety, cognitive and somatic complaints, depression, alcohol dependence and amnestic periods. A pretty consistent patient profile has emerged. These people avoid reminders of war. They show an exaggerated startle response. Restless sleep and chronic anxiety are specters. It gets caricatured in movies like "First Blood."
The Fergus Falls State Hospital was on the front lines dealing with the condition when war tore apart the world. The fact that the U.S. "won" WWII, as opposed to Vietnam, was not a factor tamping down PTSD a whole lot. The sufferers could come away with "night terrors," heavy drinking, survivors' guilt, depression and profound sadness.
The Kirkbride was a haven for souls wrestling with such after-effects of conflict. Imprecise as the treatment might be, there was a determined air to help and understand.
The Kirkbride stands today like a huge inanimate "ghost" of salad days for the old way of approaching mental illness. I totally understand the fascination with history. And if re-use could tease us a little with potential, fine. Fergus Falls appears to have struggled to recognize simple reality.
Bonanza for photography, but. . .
You couldn't find a better subject for breathtaking photos than the Kirkbride. It's an illusion because the visual effect doesn't reflect at all the building's possibilities, and that's because those possibilities appear to be zero. So fine, we can cherish the memories. Books, pictures and stories can commemorate, and I'd be the first in line to appreciate all that. But I see no place for it in the community's future.
I have had some experiences with controversies in relatively small communities. Fergus Falls is bigger than Morris. But I recognize the dynamics. Some bad effects have come about in Fergus Falls. Otter Tail County Historical Society Executive Director Chris Schuelke acknowledges that the whole thing has gotten emotional. My goodness, there have been nearly 20 failed "redevelopment" efforts.
You need to see the Kirkbride complex to really appreciate its striking design. It was all mapped out long ago by Thomas Kirkbride, physician. The "Kirkbride model" was based on long narrow buildings with many windows to ensure good light and fresh air. The interconnected buildings stretch hundreds of feet on either side of the main tower. It's the most complete remaining Kirkbride hospital in the nation. The hospital at times employed more than 500 people. It was an economic engine for decades. Always we use the past tense.
An MPR article describes how the hospital structure "looms over the city of Fergus Falls." I visited the place for the first time last summer when an outdoor tour was given. We couldn't go inside. Schuelke spoke into a megaphone for this interesting tour. There was a $6 charge which was not announced in advance in the newspaper, which irritated me. But it was nice getting a close look at this decaying facility which in my youth, to be frank, was fodder for considerable playground teasing. Fergus Falls as a community seemed stigmatized in my mind, unwarranted of course because the community has always been lively and vibrant in all respects. But if you were a kid in western Minnesota in the 1960s, you'd hear regular teasing about how "they're going to send you to Fergus." It was just reality. Finally last year, I got to see first-hand the place that was the source for that unfortunate language.
Fergus Falls has wrestled for a decade on what to do now. Oh my, neighbor turned against neighbor, I guess. The dispute has swung local elections. Time seems to be running out now.
Flippant, I guess
An advocacy group for preservation has commented on how maybe a "white knight" will come along. That rings a bell for me. I remember the re-use committee for our old school building in Morris. A committee spokesman said in a meeting with city officials: "We're hoping somebody wins the lottery and buys it." I am not amused. This and the "white knight" comment are cute in a misplaced way, flippant. These are serious matters. There is no point believing in unicorns.
Let me conclude by saying the new Fergus Falls Public Library is state of the art. It's worth a visit to the community to see it. I wish the community of Fergus Falls luck, but I know from experience the toll that a dispute such as this can take. We had a conflict in Morris in the late 1980s that centered on our school and its teachers union.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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