KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — A new exhibit that will be on display for nearly a year is opening Saturday at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum and showcases the fascinating history of the Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital.
The exhibit, “Kalamazoo State Hospital: 165 Years of Psychiatric Care,” examines the history of the hospital and its patients, employees and numerous buildings.
Opened in 1848, it was the first state-run mental hospital in Michigan. It had several innovative programs like a nurses’ training school for psychiatric care and an occupational therapy program.
“One thing that was interesting about the Kalamazoo State Hospital is that they had a complete working farm. People who were patients (would) come in and they could do gardening, they could do farm work, they could do all kinds of different home economic-type things to really kind of help them with their healing process,” Julie Bunke, manager of exhibits and interactive experiences at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, said.