History

Data@Museums

Glore Psychiatric Museum

The Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph, MO, uses
census records to interepret the lives of the hospitals
patients and staff.

Photo courtesy of the Glore Psychiatric Museum

In 1968, George Glore, an employee of the St. Joseph State Hospital, helped construct a series of full-size replicas of 16th, 17th, and 18th century treatment devices for a "Mental Health Awareness Week" open house. Those exhibits sparked the idea to create a museum to reduce the stigma associated with psychiatric treatment for patients, their families, and their communities.

From George Glore's exhibits, the Glore Psychiatric Museum opened in Saint Joseph, MO, to interpret the 130-year "State Lunatic Asylum No. 2" and the history of mental health treatment in the United States. The award-winning museum is located on the grounds adjoining the original state hospital.

Along with its exhibits featuring surgical tools, nurses' uniforms, furnishings, and artwork, the museum uses census records to interpret the lives of hospital staff and patients. Today, the museum houses one of the largest and best single exhibits explaining the evolution of mental health care in the United States.

To learn more about the "State Lunatic Asylum No. 2" and the collection George Glore amassed over his 41-year career with the Missouri Department of Mental Health, visit the Glore Psychiatric Museum.