Agnew in Santa Clara in Santa Clara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Early History of Agnews

Photographed By Joseph Alvarado

1. Early History of Agnews Marker

Inscription. The California Legislature established the California Hospital for the Chronic Insane in 1885. It was the third state hospital constructed strictly for the care of mentally ill people. Theodore Lenzen designed the first structures on the 323-acre site. His ornate brick buildings called for surroundings of gardens, orchards, and pastures for livestock. The first patients were transferred from hospitals in Napa and Stockton in 1888. The following year the hospital’s name changed to the State Insane Asylum at Agnews and again to Agnews State Hospital in 1897.

”All hospitals for the insane should be made as homelike and attractive as possible.”
Superintendent W.W. Macfarlane, M.D., June 30, 1888.

Inset Images:
After the 1906 earthquake, Agnews was rebuilt (it never closed) with a new philosophy. Dr. Stocking said, “the hospital was built with the idea of securing for the patients and employees and abundance of sunshine, comfort and cheer.”

In the early days of Agnews, visitors and some residents arrived by train to the Agnew Station. From there a buggy ride took them to the facility.

In 1958, floodwaters surrounded the campus of Agnews State Hospital causing considerable damage to buildings, roads and crops.

Circa 890’s, California Hospital for the

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Chronic Insane, the building was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake.

Until the 1960s, patients worked in the bakery, the laundry, the furniture shop and in the cannery, as shown here. These were therapeutic, as well as enterprises that served Agnews.

Treatment has changed fundamentally over the years at Agnews. Hydrotherapy used to be a common treatment for the mentally ill.

The hospital was self-sufficient for much of its food sources, including livestock, poultry and agriculture.

As part of their therapy, patients worked on the farm at Agnews, which served the hospital by providing food for the patients and staff.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Disasters • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.

Location. 37° 23.555′ N, 121° 57.291′ W. Marker is in Santa Clara, California, in Santa Clara County. It is in Agnew. Marker can be reached from George Sellon Circle south of Palm Drive, on the right when traveling east. The resin marker is mounted in the outdoor visitor center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4030 George Sellon Circle, Santa Clara CA 95054, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Life at Agnews: Change Over a Century (here, next to this marker); Agnews Today: The Legacy (a few steps from this marker); Agnews: A Century of Service

Photographed By Joseph Alvarado, April 5, 2023

2. Early History of Agnews Marker

(a few steps from this marker); Recent History of Agnews (a few steps from this marker); Auditorium (within shouting distance of this marker); Administration Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Superintendent's Residence (about 400 feet away); Clocktower Building (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Santa Clara.

Also see . . .
1. Looking Back: Agnews State Hospital. San Jose Public Library

"The hospital is most famously known as the site of the greatest loss of life in Santa Clara County after the 1906 earthquake. Eleven officials and over one-hundred patients were crushed when the main treatment building collapsed. But the history of Agnews is more interesting than this grim memory."

(Submitted on April 19, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.)

2. Agnews Insane Asylum. National Park Service

"The treatment of the insane in California dates from the earliest days of the Gold Rush. The first provisions for the insane were to lock them up with criminals in the ship Ephemia, purchased in 1849 by
Photographed By Joseph Alvarado, April 5, 2023

3. Agnew Train Depot
the City of San Francisco, and later to house them at the San Francisco marine hospital in 1850, used primarily for ailing seamen. In 1885 the Agnews Residential Facility was established by the California State Legislature as a neuropsychiatric institution for the care and treatment of the mentally ill."

(Submitted on April 19, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.)

Agnews Insane Asylum After 1906 Earthquake image. Click for full size.

4. Agnews Insane Asylum After 1906 Earthquake

Agnews Visitor Center image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Joseph Alvarado, April 5, 2023

5. Agnews Visitor Center

Agnews Campus Map image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Joseph Alvarado, April 5, 2023

6. Agnews Campus Map

At the visitors center.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 19, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 104 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 19, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 3. submitted on April 10, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 4. submitted on April 12, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 5. submitted on April 17, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 6. submitted on April 14, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.