- Anna Marsh
Anna Marsh (birth year unknown, died 1834) established the Vermont Asylum of the Insane in 1834.
Marsh was born and raised in
Hinsdale, New Hampshire . She was the widow of physicianPerley Marsh .She is responsible for the creation of the
Brattleboro Retreat , originally known as theVermont Asylum for the Insane She was the first woman credited with starting ahospital for thementally ill . She was responsible for selecting the trustees before her death.A bad
healing experience leading to the death of a member of her family has been suggested as an impetus to her idea of creating a humane care option. Her vision was a facility patterned on aQuaker concept calledmoral treatment .She didn't have much to do with
Brattleboro until she died, but her influence is enormous.Upon her death, her will instructed heirs to build a
mental hospital inBrattleboro . This was founded in 1834 with her $10,000 bequest.The Brattleboro Retreat grew in popularity and had success treating people with a combination of fresh air,
exercise , good food, and other treatments for the "insane ". Large porches on the buildings allowed patients to sit and read, relax, and recover.As of 2006, the Brattleboro Retreat, now named
Retreat Healthcare , is still in operation serving a wide variety of mental conditions. It is a 1000-acre (4 km²) campus of many large buildings, a workingfarm , and lots of land to explore.External links
* [http://www.crjc.org/heritage/V02-34.htm Description of Retreat Buildings]
* [http://www.retreathealthcare.org/Retreat Retreat Healthcare] (formerly Brattleboro Retreat)
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