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In 1869 the General Assembly appropriated funds for the location and establishment of the Northern Illinois Hospital and Asylum for the Insane. Nine commissioners were appointed by the Governor to choose a suitable site on which to locate the institution. After selection of a site in Elgin a board of three trustees, appointed by the Governor, was empowered to supervise planning and construction, choose a superintendent, and operate the institution, subject to inspection by the Board of State Commissioners of Public Charities (L. 1869, p. 24).
The hospital opened on April 3, 1872 and received some of its first patients from the hospital for the insane at Jacksonville. In 1906 the hospital opened a training school for nurses. The board of trustees and the Board of State Commissioners of Public Charities were abolished in 1909 when all state charitable institutions came under the control of the newly created Board of Administration. As part of this reorganization the institution became the Elgin State Hospital (L. 1909, p. 102).
From 1917 to 1961 the Department of Public Welfare administered Elgin State Hospital. In 1956, while under the Department of Public Welfare, Elgin State Hospital began to participate in a departmental affiliation program in psychiatric nursing. The Psychiatric Nursing Affiliation Program provided instruction in psychiatric nursing to students from general hospital nursing schools.
The hospital remained part of the Department of Public Welfare until the creation of the Department of Mental Health in 1961 (L. 1961, p. 2666). Elgin State Hospital became Elgin Mental Health Center in 1975 (P.A. 79-581, p. 1895).
Access to some of these records is restricted according to the provisions of the Mental Health Code and the State Records Act of 1957 as amended.
256.001
MEDICAL CASEBOOK. March 16, 1897-February 9, 1898. 1 vol. Index.
Casebook entries include patient's name, age, sex, marital status, number of children, town and county of residence, birthplace, occupation, religion, and education; case/admission number; type of commitment; admission date; whether supported privately or by county; number of previous admissions; number of attacks; duration and assigned cause of insanity; form of insanity; name and address of correspondent (occasional); information on family background and use of tobacco, alcohol, and narcotics; names of any insane relatives; and date and cause of discharge. Each medical history also has a superintendent's report which outlines patient's general physical condition, including patient's height, weight, and eye and hair colors.
256.002
OFFICER AND EMPLOYEE CENSUS. October 1877-March 1879. 1 partial vol. No index.
Daily census of officers and employees gives only total number present each day and the names of individuals added to or discharged from staff.
256.003
FARM ACCOUNTS. 1872-1876. 1 partial vol. No index.
Record of expenditures and receipts for farm account includes date of each transaction, name of supplier or description of farm items purchased or sold, and amount of receipt or expenditure.
256.004
GENERAL ACCOUNTS. 1897. 1 partial vol. No index.
Accounts for improvement of grounds, repairs, painting, and ordinary and cash expenditures include date of each transaction and the amount paid or received.
256.005
SCHOOL OF NURSING STUDENT RECORD. 1911-1933. 1 vol. Index.
Record of students in nurses' training program includes student's name, address, age, birthplace, birth date, religion, and previous occupation; names of schools attended and degrees earned; dates entered and completed program; physical condition; name and address of nearest relative; names of courses, hours spent, and grades received in
classwork; and hospital units assigned to, hours spent, and grade received for practical work. Student's affiliation with other nursing programs occasionally is noted.
256.006
PSYCHIATRIC NURSING AFFILIATION PROGRAM STUDENT FILES. 1956-1965. 1.5 cu. ft. No index.
File for each nursing student affiliated with Elgin State Hospital includes either a record of affiliation or a final record form which lists student's name; name and address of home school; dates affiliation began and ended; names of courses taken, hours spent, and grades received in
classwork; hospital units assigned to, hours spent, and grades received for practical work; evaluation of nursing ability and performance in program; scores on achievement test in psychiatric nursing; and date certificate issued. Files also include a course outline for the affiliation program.
256.007
PSYCHIATRIC NURSING AFFILIATION PROGRAM GRADE BOOK. 1962-1965. 1 vol. No index.
Record of grades given each term to students in psychiatric nursing affiliation program includes student's name, name of home hospital, scores and grades received on tests, final academic grade, final clinical grade, and score received on state board examination. Included for each class is a student roster which lists the dates term began and ended along with the names of nursing students and their home hospitals.
These records are available at the Illinois State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State.
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