08/31/2026
🏺ARTIFACT OF THE WEEK🔍
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The artifact being highlighted this week is a large metal directory that was used by a telephone operator to contact different buildings, departments, and staff members within Central State Hospital. This item used to be located in the Powell building, but now it can be seen in the Central State Hospital Museum.
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The labeling on the artifact tells us that the index was created by the Sperry Rand Corporation and the Victor Comptometer Corporation in the mid-twentieth century. Both of these corporations were major producers of office systems at this time, however; we are able to pin point that this index was made in 1955 or after because the Sperry Corporation and Re*****on Rand Corporation did not merge until that year. By narrowing down the date of when this item was created, and when it was likely used, we can use it as a time capsule into the busiest era of the hospital's operation.
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Central State Hospital reached its peak in the 1960s. During the decade the hospital is thought to have treated about 12,000 to 13,000 patients. The campus had over 200 buildings, a kitchen that served nearly 33,000 meals a day, and even its own farm. During this era, Central State Hospital lived up to its title of the largest mental hospital in the world. With such a large staff, a huge campus, and tens of thousands of patients, an organized index would have been imperative to keep the hospital connected and in order. There are several different contacts within the index ranging from sanitation, to radiology, to after care facilities!
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The hospital converted to direct calling in 1986, which made the index obsolete. This change coincided with the decline in the hospital's operation in the late twentieth century. The introduction of psychotropic drugs, backlash against experimental practices, and the shift to a mixed therapy model over a medical model saw a decline in in support for the hospital, as well as the number of patients. Today, this index stands as a reminder of the scale of Central State Hospital at its peak, and just how many people were involved in its operation.
