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KPH
Brook and Colony Farms:
From
its inception, the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital's treatment of the
mentally ill was known for its humane innovation. No less so was the
establishment of Brook Farm in 1885 and Colony Farm in 1887. The
patients living and working at these establishments were sent to the
farms when their diseases were under control and life in the
institutional setting had become monotonous and irksome. Working on
the farms afforded creative and physical outlets, while, at the same
time, filling the needs of the institution for dairy and vegetable
products. The establishment of these farms made Michigan a
forerunner in this type of treatment that was later copied by many
states. This
treatment, for want of a better term, became known as the
"colony" method. Patients were transferred from the main
hospital to reside in "cottages" at the farm colony. They
participated fully in the operation of the farms and were able to
supply the main hospital with badly needed milk and foodstuffs that
were becoming too costly to purchase from local farmers.
Brook
Farm was located two and one half miles north of the hospital on
Douglas Avenue. Two hundred fifty acres stretched on either side of
the road. A year after the purchase, the first "cottage"
was built. It was a two-story wooden structure, known as Trask
Cottage, that could hold 45
male patients and attendants to supervise them. Within the first
five years timber was cleared, and the farm became known as one of
the most productive and pleasant in the vicinity. When the house was
built, a dairy barn was also constructed that housed 56 cows, room
for calves, a silo, storage space for roots, hay, grain and vehicles
needed to run the farm. The herds grew over the years and soon were
providing the main hospital with most of its dairy needs. By 1938
the farm also included 34 horses, 11 mules and six colts. The farm
was discontinued in 1958.
Colony
Farm sat three miles southwest of the state hospital on what was
formerly known as the "Hind's Farm" on the southern shore
of Asylum Lake, to which the institution gave its name. In 1887, the
State Legislature authorized purchase of 320 acres on an
elevated plateau and 40 acres of timberland. Because about 40 acres
of the land were covered with large native oak trees, the site was
also known as "Fair Oaks." The
output of the farms enabled the state hospital, in 1933, to maintain
lower costs per patient, lowering it in 1933 to 57 cents a day. In
1942, the farms raised 100 tons of
alfalfa and all the vegetables, such as sweet corn, tomatoes, string
beans, peas, pumpkins, squash, beets and carrots. Fifteen thousand
gallons of tomatoes alone were canned in the hospital's cannery. By
1958, the cost of maintaining both farms began to outstrip the cost
of purchasing needed foodstuffs for supplying the dwindling
population of the main institution, so the farms were scaled down or
eliminated. In
May of 1958, in just a few hours, the dairy herd at Colony Farm was
sold at public auction and netted $32,395 for state coffers. The
prize of the day went to a six-year-old milker named Kalamazoo
Bessie Tobey, who had produced 14,619 pounds of milk and 540 pounds
of butter in one 335-day lactation period. She sold for $630 and
went to the City of David Farm in Berrien Springs, Michigan. In
1971, Michigan State agencies were given first crack at bidding on
the surplus items at the farm, and $5,000 was raised. Some of the
furniture was of historical value and went to the Michigan State
University Biological Center at Hickory Corners, and the Department
of Military Affairs. A large number of table and chairs went to the
Department of Corrections. In August of that year, dynamite and
bulldozers razed the brick "cottages" and the farm faded
into a warm memory.
Written by Fred Peppel, former Kalamazoo Public Library staff member, April 2005. Updated 27 June 2005.
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KPH Colony 
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