Harrisburg State Hospital

Opened in 1851 as Pennsylvania's first public institution for the mentally ill, the Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital was designed by John Haviland following the Kirkbride Plan, favoring light, air, and privacy over simple confinement. The Main Building originally housed 250 patients; the campus later expanded to over 70 buildings and 1,000 acres, becoming known as the "City on the Hill" for its self-sufficient farm, power plant, and stores. Renamed Harrisburg State Hospital in 1921, it operated until January 27, 2006, when deinstitutionalization and new medications led to its closure. Today the 295-acre campus provides office and storage space for state agencies and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Despite its documented history, the site circulates in ghost-tour culture through generic claims of footsteps and temperature drops that lack primary attribution; the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania acknowledges only that buildings are vacant, not haunted.

Harrisburg State Hospital was created as the Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital and Union Asylum for the Insane, driven by the lobbying efforts of 19th-century social reformer Dorothea Dix. A nine-member board of trustees was empowered to appoint a superintendent, purchase land, and construct facilities near Harrisburg. In 1848, the name was changed to the Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital when $50,000 was appropriated to begin construction. The Main Building, designed by architect John Haviland in the Kirkbride Plan style, was completed in 1851 and initially served as the only building, housing administration, staff, and patients. It was designed following the Kirkbride Plan, a very popular building style during the late 19th century, with the original capacity of 250 patients. The plan called for long, rambling wings arranged in a staggered formation so that every connecting section received abundant sunlight and fresh air, and patients had privacy rather than being warehoused in communal halls. A 130-acre farm was located adjacent to the hospital and provided work therapy for the patients, enabling the hospital to be self-supporting by growing its own food and raising livestock. When the first patient was admitted on October 6, 1851, every poor district was charged a $2.00 weekly maintenance fee for the care of each indigent patient. Boarding charges for private patients varied between $3.00 and $10.00 based upon ability to pay. In 1869, the Board of Public Charities was created to inspect all public and voluntary charitable institutions in the Commonwealth and report to the legislature with recommendations concerning their operation. A Committee on Lunacy was created within the Board in 1883 to oversee the operations of these mental institutions. Between 1893 and 1912, the hospital was rebuilt following the Cottage Plan, which became popular at the beginning of the 20th century. At its peak, the hospital consumed over 1,000 acres (400 ha) and included more than 70 buildings designed by Pennsylvania architects Addison Hutton and John A. Dempwolf. The campus and buildings were meant to represent an Italianate window; buildings on the male and female sides of the campus mirrored each other until the addition of new buildings in the 1930s. In 1921, the name of the hospital was changed to Harrisburg State Hospital. Also that year, the Board of Public Charities was abolished and the Department of Public Welfare was created to administer all state hospitals. With the completion of the new Cottage Plan buildings, the hospital had grown considerably larger. Its patient capacity was 2,019, but at one time it held as many as 2,441 with 437 on parole. The hospital was self-sufficient, with its own farm, power plant, and stores; it became known as the "City on the Hill". During wartime there was a 50% shortage of attendants, at the lowest level of employment there were as few as one nurse to 166 patients. In June 1945, only 26 of the 92 authorized positions on the male side were filled. The manpower shortage resulted in widespread curtailment of services to both the public and patients. In 1955 an amendment to the Administrative Code authorized the Department of Public Welfare to assume administrative responsibilities for Harrisburg State Hospital, relegating its Board of Trustees to specific advisory duties. This act also provided for the appointment of a Commissioner of Mental Health in the Department of Public Welfare who assumed overall responsibility for Pennsylvania's mental health program. Like other institutions, Harrisburg State Hospital's patient population began to fall in the late 20th century due to new medicines being developed and finally deinstitutionalization. The hospital was finally closed on January 27, 2006. Currently, the hospital sits on a 295-acre (119 ha) campus with stately buildings in a country setting, in Dauphin County, with the majority of its campus in Susquehanna Township. There are over fifty buildings still located on the campus. The former hospital facility now provides office and storage space for many state agencies. In 2017, the appraised worth of the campus was $2 Million. As of 2019, the campus cost $5 Million annually to maintain and is up for sale to developers. In December 2024, one building on the campus was destroyed in a fire. Notable patients include Edith May (pseudonym of Anne Drinker; 1827–1903), American poet. The hospital was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 (NRHP reference #86000057) and designated a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission historical marker in 1987.

Harrisburg State Hospital is located at Cameron Street and Arsenal Boulevard, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17103. The campus comprises 295 acres (119 ha) in Dauphin County, with the majority of the site located in Susquehanna Township. The former hospital facility now provides office and storage space for many state agencies. The site is not open for casual public access or ghost tours; it is private property owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania / Department of General Services. Over fifty buildings still stand on the campus, many in various states of disrepair. One building was destroyed in a fire in December 2024. Unauthorized entry is prohibited and subject to trespassing penalties. Visitors should be aware that the campus is active with state agency operations, and the grounds are not a tourist attraction or a site for paranormal investigation. Those interested in the architectural or historical significance of the campus may inquire about official tours through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission or the Dauphin County historical society, but these are organized educational visits, not ghost hunts. The National Register of Historic Places nomination (1986) and the PHMC historical marker (1987) provide context for the site's significance, and the campus is documented in the collections of the Smithsonian's "City on the Hill" project and the archives of the Pennsylvania State Archives (RG-23, Department of Public Welfare records).