Tuscaloosa in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Dr. Peter & Mrs. Ellen Peter-Bryce Gravesite

Tuscaloosa County

Photographed by Kai NeSmith

1. Dr. Peter & Mrs. Ellen Peter-Bryce Gravesite Marker

Inscription. Dr. Peter Bryce, first superintendent of the Alabama Insane (Bryce) Hospital was a leading proponent of humane treatment for people who experience mental illness. Born March 5, 1834, in Columbia SC, Bryce entered the South Carolina Military Academy (The Citadel), at age 17 and later received his medical degree from New York University in 1859. Upon graduation, Dr. Bryce worked for the State Hospital of New Jersey at Trenton and then the State Hospital for the Insane at Columbia, SC. Dorothea Lynde Dix recommended him for the superintendent position of the Alabama Insane Hospital at Tuscaloosa. Miss Dix had worked with Tuscaloosa's Senator Robert Jemison to convince the Alabama legislature to fund construction of what became one of the first progressive "moral treatment" mental hospitals in the United States. Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan designed the structure according to the specifications of Dr. Thomas Kirkbride, the leading mental health authority of the time, and creator of the Kirkbride Linear Plan, wherein the building became part of the treatment. On November 28, 1860, Dr. Bryce married Maria Ellen Clarkson

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from Columbia, SC.

Reverse Side
The couple moved to Tuscaloosa where Dr. Bryce supervised the hospital, which had been under construction since 1853. In the summer of 1861, the first patient was admitted. The Bryces lived in an apartment in the hospital's center pavilion and Mrs. Bryce joined her husband in implementing the moral treatment movement's theories. She helped to develop a calm and peaceful environment that surrounded patients with beauty and also enhanced the landscaping of the hospital grounds. Mrs. Bryce organized pleasant activities for the patients including art and music programs. Following moral treatment philosophy, male patients worked on the hospital farm and female patients performed domestic chores. These therapeutic activities were essential during the Civil War when the hospital, with no funds from the state, relied on its own farm produce to remain open. Dr. Bryce died of Bright's disease in 1892 and, at his request, was buried on the hospital's front lawn. In 1929, Mrs. Bryce was buried beside him. The hospital was renamed in Dr. Bryce's honor for his contributions to the humane treatment of people who

Photographed by Kai NeSmith

2. Dr. Peter & Mrs. Ellen Peter-Bryce Gravesite Marker

Reverse side of the marker.

experience mental illness.

Erected 2011 by Susan & Brad Cork and the Bryce Hospital Historic Preservation Committee.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Science & Medicine • Women.

Location. 33° 12.805′ N, 87° 32.371′ W. Marker is in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in Tuscaloosa County. It can be reached from the intersection of Bryce Lawn Drive and Campus Drive. The marker is located on the southeast side of the open area of the Peter Bryce Preserve. There is a service road right before the intersection of Hackberry Lane and Campus Drive that one can pull onto. Once there, the marker should be visible to the east of the service road; it is located within the fencing of the gravesite that it marks. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tuscaloosa AL 35401, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Photographed by Kai NeSmith

3. Dr. Peter & Mrs. Ellen Peter-Bryce Gravesite & Marker

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Bryce Hospital (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Centennial of Women 1893 - 1993 / Top 31 Women (approx. 0.2 miles away); University of Alabama’s Slavery Apology (approx. 0.2 miles away); Zeta Beta Tau (approx. ¼ mile away); Smith Hall, 1908 (approx. ¼ mile away); Druid City Hospital School Of Nursing (approx. 0.3 miles away); Sigma Alpha Epsilon (approx. 0.3 miles away); Tuomey Hall (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tuscaloosa.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 3, 2023, by Kai NeSmith of Augusta, Georgia. This page has been viewed 439 times since then and 29 times this year. Last updated on November 3, 2023, by Kai NeSmith of Augusta, Georgia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 3, 2023, by Kai NeSmith of Augusta, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.