I
stumbled upon the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians quite by accident,
while researching the topic of involuntary commitment to madhouses in
the 19th century. I was astonished to discover that a place like Canton
Asylum had existed, and I immediately began digging for more
information.
I’ve reviewed thousands of pages of primary
documents in the National Archives and Library of Congress concerning
Canton Asylum, the treatment of Native Americans, government policies,
and other related topics. I’ve also reviewed dozens of articles
in the American Journal of Insanity (which changed its name to the
American Journal of Psychiatry in 1921), pored over inspections,
reports, and statistics from the era, and discovered information about
key figures from many other primary sources.
My initial discovery came nearly two years ago, and I’m now
writing about the asylum and the era that allowed it to thrive. I have
an enthusiastic agent, and high hopes that my final manuscript will
have lasting value to many communities of readers.
I invite you to read my blog,
which will not duplicate information found in the book (except for some
of the barest facts.) Instead, I’ll concentrate on interesting
information about the era, people, and places that affected the
establishment of Canton Asylum. I hope you find the posts interesting,
and I welcome any comments or information you can give me on the topics
that come up.
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