tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post4824451451391046858..comments2024-03-28T09:57:56.621-05:00Comments on The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal™ : Dunning; The Story of Chicago's Insane Asylum.Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10605531495401356831noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-17633778375984998492023-11-11T13:13:35.658-06:002023-11-11T13:13:35.658-06:00Correct, Dick. My ex-husband and I, shortly after...Correct, Dick. My ex-husband and I, shortly after our wedding in Jan 1971 both worked there, on adjoined boy/girl wards for teenagers. This was definitely in one of those old buildings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-9630846789693128052022-11-13T17:02:15.249-06:002022-11-13T17:02:15.249-06:00I totally get you. I spent a year and a half going...I totally get you. I spent a year and a half going to a nursing home every day so my mom could feed grandma (her mother) dinner. It's admiral, but not for young children, and definitely not every day. It was 1966-67.<br /><br />I'll never forget the smell the second we got inside. Death! It was dimly lit. There was a lava lamp that, to this day, sends chills down my spine when I see one, on or off. I was 6.<br /><br />My older sister and I were deathly afraid of "Crazy Mary," who walked like Frankenstein trying to 'catch us' at 1/32 mph. We found out she had dementia (Alzheimer's today).<br /><br />I hope getting that off your chest feels good. If someone else can cleanse themselves, well, so can I.<br /><br />Thank you for posting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-6938167771301040392022-11-13T15:29:28.909-06:002022-11-13T15:29:28.909-06:00
...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Thank you for this article. My grandmother was at Dunning until her death and I remember being terrified to go there, every Sunday to visit. Of course I never saw her, my parents did not think it wise to expose me consequently I had this huge fear of anyone retarded because I might catch it. .Silly? Now I think so but I was five then and it was a fear I carried for decadesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-3712825127537919482022-08-29T01:42:14.838-05:002022-08-29T01:42:14.838-05:00You can obtain medical records of Dunning patients...You can obtain medical records of Dunning patients via court order, which I believe includes proving your relationship. Some very early records are publicly viewable at the State Archives repository located in Northeastern Illinois University, in Chicago. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-41979405091728162492022-06-24T12:17:54.320-05:002022-06-24T12:17:54.320-05:00My mom was there for a short time and I would love...My mom was there for a short time and I would love to get her records. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-5719413284552866392022-06-07T16:57:39.577-05:002022-06-07T16:57:39.577-05:00Does anyone know how to obtain a medical record fo...Does anyone know how to obtain a medical record for a family member? My grandmother was a patient there from about 1923 to 1943.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-73277263941637385582022-05-30T22:41:01.539-05:002022-05-30T22:41:01.539-05:00My Grandfather was the chief engineer for the buil...My Grandfather was the chief engineer for the buildings at Dunning until 1963 when he died. He had to live on the grounds, it was a very inhuman environment and so sad for the people that were institutionalized there. I would spend weekends there visiting my grand parents and roamed the buildings with my grand fsther.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-40109736381066620122022-03-28T19:34:29.703-05:002022-03-28T19:34:29.703-05:00What a nice mom.What a nice mom.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16384690494238254717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-24737943227366574872022-03-28T19:33:39.574-05:002022-03-28T19:33:39.574-05:00I grew up near there. While waiting for a bus one ...I grew up near there. While waiting for a bus one day just outside their fence, my mother held our hands & said "don't look" but of couse I did. A man was on top of a woman on the grounds, we had never seen that before, my mother was mortified & just kept saying, "don't look!" Growing up in the 50's we were protected from all that. I feel so sad for all those people. May They Rest In Peace.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16384690494238254717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-70750257774342250812022-03-24T13:53:19.135-05:002022-03-24T13:53:19.135-05:00And 50 years ago, I was one who climbed over the f...And 50 years ago, I was one who climbed over the fence to escape, but I was a visitor, and a child of 14 years old, visiting my sister of age 21. It scared the hell out of me, too much unpredictable behavior from adults, I was made aware of mental health issues way back when! WE couldn't find the exit, were frightened, so we scaled the fence, found the bus stop, and thanked our lucky stars, no one thought we were patients escaping! Crazy! <br />ICPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01249063203444553412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-26732616748054014162022-03-23T11:32:14.329-05:002022-03-23T11:32:14.329-05:00So where are the remains now? There was never a hu...So where are the remains now? There was never a huge excavation of bodies in the news. Just like the ohare expansion thru bensenville, cemetary moved? Highly doubt it. Disgusting and disrespectful.i walked on the grounds in 1996 for a concert. Yes. A concert. On west side of oak Park. The ground was not solid. If you stood still you could feel yourself sinking. Years later I think...oh sweet Jesus. Did they just move the remains to this other abandoned lot? I still shiver when I drive by and now see a high school there. Horrible. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-334673081251674232022-03-22T21:29:12.468-05:002022-03-22T21:29:12.468-05:00Facebook had nothing to do with blocking a share. ...Facebook had nothing to do with blocking a share. There is no sharing from Private groups on Facebook. Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10605531495401356831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-58071591119819434352022-03-22T11:43:45.122-05:002022-03-22T11:43:45.122-05:00I lived at Bernice & Austin & Montrose &am...I lived at Bernice & Austin & Montrose & Melvina .... as a kid one patient would escape & a siren went off & we would tell the police where they were so then they wold be caught & returned Wild days .... looking back now .... over 60 years later !!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05446135690008155856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-68288187061796695792022-03-21T21:56:12.290-05:002022-03-21T21:56:12.290-05:00I remember as a child, maybe 7 or 8. Sitting in my...I remember as a child, maybe 7 or 8. Sitting in my Mom's car as she drove down Narragansett I guess. I hated getting the stop light at Irving because there would be the people, dressed in dark sad clothes, just standing by the iron fence... looking out. To think of it now... how strange...for this 7 year old girl,me, comfortable in a car, to turn my head to the right and stare... did they see me? I knew nothing of their lives, I knew nothing of sadness, illness, being poor, I was the future, these poor souls had no future. I carry now only the memory... I truly hope God has accepted them into His kingdomAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07628008886516847580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-40539974097670818502022-03-21T20:48:54.630-05:002022-03-21T20:48:54.630-05:00I remember being about 8 and driving with my paren...I remember being about 8 and driving with my parents on a Sunday. I was in the backseat and we drove past a fenced area of Dunning. There was an older woman next to the fence just staring. I remember feeling sorry for her but didn't know what was wrong with her. I don't think I had a conversation with my parents about her. If I did I don't remember their answer. I just remember feeling sad for her. Years later reading about Dunning reminded me of stories I had read about Bedlam in England. So sad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-53948610965860494382022-03-21T18:53:24.152-05:002022-03-21T18:53:24.152-05:00Amazing! What is more amazing is that Facebook won...Amazing! What is more amazing is that Facebook won't let me share to friends or family because the article is against Facebook's Community StandardsAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14308733820468299611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-64851701851691492192022-03-21T15:59:39.926-05:002022-03-21T15:59:39.926-05:00I had a relative at Dunning. My family would visi...I had a relative at Dunning. My family would visit him and I'd go along as a teenager. The place frightened me. People walked around like the living dead. Many seemed catatonic. I believe my relative had early onset dementia. They stuck him in there because they couldn't do anything for him. He worked in construction and had a bad fall which may have damaged his head. I'll never know, but it was a dismal place and people did not get good care there. We always brought nice clothes and food to our relative, yet whenever we visited him, he was wearing rags and wasn't particularly clean. Such a sad, sad memory.Donna Fasone Blahahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383210235497684089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-46869063697508485312022-03-21T14:29:04.085-05:002022-03-21T14:29:04.085-05:00You mention "Chicago State Hospital’s buildin...You mention "Chicago State Hospital’s buildings closed after it merged in 1970 with the nearby Charles F. Read Zone Center, which had opened on the west side of Oak Park Avenue in 1965. Since 1970, it has been known as Chicago-Read Mental Health Center." This is incorrect. I did my student teaching as a Special Education teacher at the Irving and Narragansett facility in 1972-73. Classes were held in the "old" buildings as accurately described in the article. Facilities and care were both terrible.Dick Gauthierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05251644269550534794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-49178452042829220212020-01-05T15:12:32.483-06:002020-01-05T15:12:32.483-06:00I remember around the same time catching the bus g...I remember around the same time catching the bus going to and from my grandma's place by the 6 corners and we lived in Northridge. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17490300284689306232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-5071337260971010202019-09-16T00:07:02.209-05:002019-09-16T00:07:02.209-05:00I was to be sent there numerous times as a kid but...I was to be sent there numerous times as a kid but I buckled down quickly.ChiliBobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13683689235351065202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-68738975995888646122019-05-07T19:42:46.045-05:002019-05-07T19:42:46.045-05:00My Great Grandfather spent the last 21 yrs of his ...My Great Grandfather spent the last 21 yrs of his life at Dunning. I was able to secure his medical record and it is amazing that this happened to him. He apparently was placed there by his sons after his wife passed away and turned to alcohol. I was pleased to see a photo of him as he passed away in 1941 or 42.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00379358349527142414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-29378243055963619992019-02-22T17:21:09.114-06:002019-02-22T17:21:09.114-06:00My grandparents lived across the street and when w...My grandparents lived across the street and when we would visit patients would be running around the property.Plus the gangway.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00467430074736885298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-41325945743227913892019-02-22T12:02:17.651-06:002019-02-22T12:02:17.651-06:00This is Chicago Reed a inpatient pysch facility ow...This is Chicago Reed a inpatient pysch facility owned by CMS state of Illinois is ts still a marginalized institutionAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01672441173117976482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-50723714511645869752018-11-09T19:08:02.942-06:002018-11-09T19:08:02.942-06:00We lived near Montrose & Narragansett and, one...We lived near Montrose & Narragansett and, one daydin 1988 or so, my mom took in a young man, maybe 16, when he had wandered off the grounds. She fed him a sandwich while I called the cops from my bedroom land line! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2698674352470153088.post-67358134270189006932018-10-20T16:36:05.121-05:002018-10-20T16:36:05.121-05:00My mom used to hand out cigarettes and cookies to ...My mom used to hand out cigarettes and cookies to inmates who would stand behind the high fence which surrounded the bus turn around just west of Narragansett on Irving. She would be crying the whole time because it made her so sad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com