Museums ultimately serve as a place to educate us on how things used to be many years ago. The Glore Psychiatric Museum is no different and chronicles the 130-year history of the St. Joseph State Lunatic Asylum. For those who have ever suffered from mental illness or are close to someone who has, this could be a tough visit to make as some of the treatments put on display appear extremely inhumane. However, it’s still very interesting to see where medical science was at the time compared to where it is at today.

The St. Joseph State Lunatic Asylum was established in 1874. Though it is no longer in service, guests can visit the Glore Psychiatric Museum to learn about its history.
Saint Joseph Museums/website
The museum is filled with objects recovered from the old asylum, like this collection of safety pins that were ingested by a patient.
Johnnie L./Yelp
In 1910, a patient died at the asylum and this is what was extracted from her stomach. Doctors found about 1, 446 foreign objects which included safety pins, nuts, bolts and even fork handles. The patient suffered from Pica, a disease in which people ingest items that are unfit for humans. It is usually brought on by stress and malnourishment.
Have you thought about electroconvulsive therapy?
Rich_Holden/TripAdvisor
Hopefully, you haven't had to. Back in the day, it was referred to as electroshock therapy or shock therapy. Seizures are electrically induced in patients to provide relief from mental illness.

Related Stories

The 8 Best Free Museums In Missouri You'll Want To Take Advantage Of

The 8 Best Free Museums In Missouri You'll Want To Take Advantage Of

 You Can Find America's Only Pig Museum Right Here In Missouri

You Can Find America's Only Pig Museum Right Here In Missouri

 The Missouri Boathouse Museum Everyone Needs To Visit At Least Once

The Missouri Boathouse Museum Everyone Needs To Visit At Least Once
You would never want to be trapped in the Utica crib.
fatzaz/TripAdvisor
The Utica crib was used to calm down aggressive patients. The container was so tight though, that patients were forced to lie on their back and had no room to turn over. If you had a fear of claustrophobia, this would have been a nightmare.
Learn about a variety of medical treatments and procedures, including the lobotomy.
909frankl909/TripAdvisor
Did you know, that President John F. Kennedy's sister, Rosemary had a lobotomy procedure done on her? After years of displaying intellectual disabilities, her family decided to have this neurosurgical procedure done. It failed, and she was left incapacitated and institutionalized for the rest of her life.

The procedure involved scraping away at the prefrontal cortex. The outcome of this procedure, for the most part was negative and it was soon abandoned in the medical world for treating mental illness.
It's pretty amazing to see how much this psychiatric museum was able to preserve.
Ja_Brett/TripAdvisor
From surgical tools and equipment to bottles of medicine and sedative drugs, you'll get a first-hand look at how mental illness was treated in the late 1800's and early to mid 1900's.

This interesting video below will shed a bit of light on psychiatric state hospitals throughout the U.S. while discussing the state hospital system in Missouri.

The museum is open from Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from Sunday to 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for students. Children under the age of 6 are free. The museum is located at 3406 Frederick Avenue in Saint Joseph, Missouri. For more information, you can visit their website by clicking here.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Related Articles

Explore Missouri