In the spirit of Ianna’s post, I too would like to post
about TB in the Adirondacks. I know that
many of us noticed the extensive white complex in Tupper Lake that seemed a bit
out of place. We all wondered what it
was so I decided to do some research on it.
The facility opened in 1924 under the title of Sunmount Veterans
Administration Hospital and was created to treat veterans with TB following the
surge in TB cases among WWI veterans, who had previously stayed at private cure
cottages in Saranac Lake. As a
consequence, Sunmount boosted Tupper Lake’s economy, but took away from
Saranac’s cure industry. Sunmount closed
as a TB hospital in 1965, but reopened as a facility for people with
developmental disabilities, now called Sunmount Developmental Center. It is an immediate care facility for the
mentally retarded. It is a private – nonprofit
facility that has been a Medicade participant since 1975. There have been cases of abuse reported which is currently a contentious issue. Also, contrary to what might have been said, this was not the location of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest which was mostly filmed in Oregon.
http://images.delcampe.com/img_large/auction/000/098/860/819_001.jpg
This is really interesting! I remember on our trip to the Adirondacks we passed a building and someone mentioned it was some sort of mental institution. I wonder if it is the same one you are talking about!
ReplyDeleteNew York State took over the facility when the VA closed it in 1965. It is run by DDSO for people with developmental disabilities. My grandfather was a patient there 1928-1931, having contracted TB from being gassed in WWI.
Deletehow many rooms did it have
ReplyDelete