Northampton State Hospital Photos Added to Forbes Library Special Collections ExhibitDecember 2007 - January 2008 Online Exhibit: http://www.forbeslibrary.org/vewebsite/exhibit5/vexmain5.htm
Image printing, framing and digitization funded by the Friends of Forbes Library. Mark Majeski photographed the Northampton State Hospital buildings in 2002, when they had been unused since the early 1990s, and several years before they were finally torn down. The result is a series of exterior and interior views showing the buildings' architecture and how they were affected by years of neglect. The color images include the former theater, kitchen, cafeteria, visiting area, doctor's office/apothecary, among others. The buildings and rooms, even while uninhabited and in a deteriorated condition, give the viewer a sense of the people and activities that took place there during a period of over 100 years.
Twenty-seven 10"x15" archival prints made from the original 35mm negatives are on exhibit. Events during the exhibit include a public reception and slideshow of additional images by Mark Majeski, and a talk by local author Mike Kirby on the history of the State Hospital and the plans for redevelopment of the Hospital site. After the exhibit is over, the prints will become part of the library's Special Collections of historic photographs where they will be accessible for future research or any interested member of the community to explore. In addition, the process of creating the archival prints involves digitizing the images, so they could be cataloged and put into an online Virtual Exhibit with Past Perfect museum software.
The life and death of Northampton State Hospital is an important chapter in the history of our community. The exhibit, and the preservation of the images, will promote a better understanding of the environment that patients lived in. The interior views are of particular significance since while the hospital was in operation, only patients, staff and visitors saw the inside of these buildings. These documents can shed light on the history of health care in Northampton, treatment of the mentally ill, architecture, community preservation, and the ongoing controversy regarding the disposition of the land and buildings.
News coverage:
- Daily Hampshire Gazette [December 13, reproduced on Library website]: http://www.forbeslibrary.org/news/NSHphotos.shtml
- Downstreet.net [December 10]: http://www.downstreet.net/StateHospitalPhotos.htm
- Valley Advocate [December 28]: http://valleyadvocate.com/listings/cat.cfm?cID=4
~ Faith Kaufmann, Information Services Librarian/Head of Arts & Music Dept., Forbes Library, Northampton [fkaufmann@forbeslibrary.org http://www.forbeslibrary.org/ ]
