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The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph
This photograph is a copy of that captured in approximately 1900 and depicts the on site nurses homes. During the 1880s, these detached cottages were constructed and provided accommodation for the staff (in this case, the nurses) who lived within the hospital walls. Within the image are weatherboard buildings, a number of nurses and water tanks. Beechworth's Mayday Hills was chosen as the site of Victoria's newest asylum, at the time, due to the landscape and altitude. The hilltop atmosphere and the native fauna, it was argued, would assist in the cure of the patients kept at the hospital (Wood 1985, 122). The positioning of the hospital had a beneficial effect on the rural town. A pamphlet published by James Ingram and Son (1849) reveal that famous landmarks in Beechworth which included the Post Office, Gaol, Courthouse and Asylum "demonstrate the appreciation of Beechworth by the Government not only as as important district center, but also as a site unrivaled as a sanitarium". There were other locations in contention at the time, but ultimately Beechworth was chosen (Craig 2000, 33). Prior to the creation of the Asylum in Beechworth, those charged with having mental illnesses or, as it was termed, "insanity" were unable to be properly cared for in the Gaol (which is where they were often sent). John Buckley Castieau wrote, in 1861 for the Ovens and Murray Advertiser, that the Gaol was unable to properly care for those classified then as "insane" but that they would endeavor to treat them above the other inmates (which he notes is not always the case in other establishments). Castieau wrote this in favour of supporting the building of the Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth. It was stated that at the time the Mayday Hills Hospital was built, there were 83 prisoners kept in the Gaol who were to be rehoused to the Hospital on the grounds of "insanity". The classification as someone as "insane", in this period of time is a reflection on the inability to cure and understand illnesses of the mind during the mid to late 1800s. Opening on the 24th of October 1867, the Mayday Hills Hospital was originally named the "Ovens Lunatic Asylum", a title which is very much a product of its time. Whilst controversial, changes to the name is part of the history of the Hospital and can provide much insight into the understanding of mental illness throughout history and the use/disuse of this term provides information into the reception/changing opinions of mental illness in society. The Hospital would later become known as the "Mayday Hills Asylum" and/or "Mayday Hills Hospital" with the latter being the most commonly used title. An article in the Ovens and Murray Advertiser notes that on the 7th of March 1865, the foundation stone of the Hospital was laid (it would officially open in 1867) and that it was such a moment of accomplishment and joy for Beechworth that a letter to the editor even suggested that there should be a holiday dedicated to the day the foundation stone as laid. This reveals an extent to which the townspeople of early Beechworth valued the construction of the Hospital in their town. It provided the town with a sense of prestige and honour.At first glance, the remains of the Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth, Victoria, inspire tragedy, trauma and beauty. The buildings themselves, with their Italianate style Renaissance architecture designed by J.J. Clark (Craig 2000, 49 & Smith 2016, 203) reflect a bygone period of European and Australian history. The gardens provide a sense of tranquility and beauty. The experience of those within these walls remains a valuable area of study to provide a more complete understanding. This particular hospital is considered the fourth of its like and one of three identified as the largest of their kind. The Mayday Hills Hospital is a sister to the Kew and Ararat Asylums in Melbourne which are both located in relative proximity. Understanding the role of the Mayday Hills Hospital in Beechworth history is integral to understanding the development of the goldfields town, but also for providing important information as to the history of caring for, and the reception of, mental illnesses in Australian and wider European history. Mayday Hills provides a case study which can be researched through oral history, an analysis of the grounds/buildings and through images like these. Images like these depict the strong façade of the Hospital and provide a glimpse into the tranquility of the gardens. This has been done deliberately to provide a sense of comfort and healing about the building to those looking from the outside. Further research into the importance of the Hospital in Beechworth and it's connection to the town will be supported through images like these kept in the Mayday Hills photo album in the collection of the Burke Museum.Black and white rectangular photograph printed on photographic paper mounted on cardmayday hills, nurse, weatherboard, watertank, mayday hills hospital, asylum, mental health, kew, ararat, mental hospital, beechworth, gold town -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph - Photograph Reproduction, 1890
The photo is taken in 1890 and a man is depicted, entering the main gates of the Mental Hospital at Beechworth, with the lodge on his right side. The man is dressed according to the australian fashion of that time, wearing a dark suit and a top hat. The countryside surrounding the Hospital is in the background. The Mayday Hills Hospital was constructed between 1864 and 1867, with buildings created in a number of periods. It formally opened on 24 October 1867 and, along with the Ovens Hospital and the Benevolent Asylum, made Beechworth a prominent social welfare centre in Victoria. The need for an institution of this kind was arisen due to the increased number of people with mental disturbances (induced by the harsh living conditions on the goldfields) and the remoteness of the district from Melbourne. The site was chosen for its panoramic view of the countryside, the hilltop atmosphere and the native fauna, all contributing to the cure of patients. It was designed in Italianate style and around 250 workmen were employed for its construction. The Hospital was originally named the “Ovens Lunatic Asylum” but, during the centenary celebrations in 1967, the name was officially changed to “Mayday Hills Hospital”, showing the gradual shift in the perception and understanding of mental health conditions over the last decades. The Hospital lies on the traditional land of the Kulin Nation.This photograph is historically significant as it provides an insight into the location, surroundings and the exterior of the Mayday Hills Hospital at the end of the 19th century. It also contributes to the understanding of the district`s development and its importance to the course of Victoria`s history. Moreover, it adds information to the scientific research and the way mental health conditions were treated at that time.Black and white rectangular photograph printed on paper unframed.Obverse: Asylum Gates & Lodge/ Reverse: 3451-1/mental hospital, beechworth, australian fashion, dark suit, top hat, countryside, mayday hills hospital, ovens hospital, benevolent asylum, institution, mental disturbances, social welfare, living conditions, goldfields, workmen, italianate style, kulin nation, mental health, ovens lunatic asylum, patients -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph, 1934
The photo is taken in 1934 and illustrates the internal view of a ward in the Mental Hospital at Beechworth. Some patients in beds and three nurses are in view. Beds were arranged in lines alongside the walls and there were no partitions or screens to create privacy for patients. Furniture was simple and humble; bed frames were made of metal or wood and pillowcases and covers for the attendant`s tables were sometimes made of blue-striped canvas or calico. Large windows in the walls were offering ample light and the room was well-tended, with Christmas decoration, flowers, pots and carpets on the floor. The nurse in the foreground is Miss Neary. The Mayday Hills Hospital was constructed between 1864 and 1867, with buildings created in a number of periods. It formally opened on 24 October 1867 and, along with the Ovens Hospital and the Benevolent Asylum, made Beechworth a prominent social welfare centre in Victoria. The need for an institution of this kind was arisen due to the increased number of people with mental disturbances (induced by the harsh living conditions on the goldfields) and the remoteness of the district from Melbourne. The site was chosen for its panoramic view of the countryside, the hilltop atmosphere and the native fauna, all contributing to the cure of patients. The Hospital was originally named the “Ovens Lunatic Asylum” but, during the centenary celebrations in 1967, the name was officially changed to “Mayday Hills Hospital”, showing the gradual shift in the perception and understanding of mental health conditions over the last decades. The Hospital lies on the traditional land of the Kulin Nation. This photograph is historically significant as it provides an insight into the living conditions of patients admitted to the Mayday Hills Hospital at the beginning of the 20th century. It also contributes to the understanding of the district`s development and its importance to the course of Victoria`s history. Additionally, it provides important information about the way mental health conditions were perceived at that time and how patients were treated. Black and white rectangular photograph printed on paper. Reverse: 1997.2665/ To Miss JA.Peach/ [hallmark: Printed by Harringtons]/ With best wishes/from/H.Jeanes/for 1934.mayday hills hospital, benevolent asylum, ovens hospital, ovens lunatic asylum, kulin nation, beechworth, patients, nurse, social welfare, goldfields, melbourne, mental health, living conditions, blue-striped canvas, calico, bed frames, miss neary, mental disturbances, traditional land, centenary celebrations -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph - Photograph Reproduction, 1870
The photograph is a copy of the original one, with the latter been captured in 1870. The man depicted is Doctor Thomas Thomson Dick, who was the first Medical Superintendent at Mayday Hills Hospital. He was born in Scotland in 1840 and he died in East Malvern in 1919. He obtained his degree of Doctor of Medicine from Melbourne University in 1864 and, later in his career, he became Inspector-General of the mentally ill. Dr Dick promoted the hospital`s self-sufficiency by engaging patients in various forms of work, such as clothing alterations and cultivation of the farm. He also introduced monthly balls, which could be attended by patients, staff and guests, and they were later replaced by concerts. The Mayday Hills Hospital was constructed between 1864 and 1867, with buildings created in a number of periods. It formally opened on 24 October 1867 and, along with the Ovens Hospital and the Benevolent Asylum, made Beechworth a prominent social welfare centre in Victoria. The need for an institution of this kind was arisen due to the increased number of people with mental disturbances (induced by the harsh living conditions on the goldfields) and the remoteness of the district from Melbourne. The site was chosen for its panoramic view of the countryside, the hilltop atmosphere and the native fauna, all contributing to the cure of patients.The Hospital was originally named the “Ovens Lunatic Asylum” but, during the centenary celebrations in 1967, the name was officially changed to “Mayday Hills Hospital”, showing the gradual shift in the perception and understanding of mental health conditions over the last decades. The Hospital lies on the traditional land of the Kulin Nation.This photograph is historically significant as it provides information about the staff served at the Mayday Hills Hospital when it first opened. It also contributes to the understanding of the district`s development and its importance to the course of Victoria`s history and adds valuable information about the changing approaches to the treatment of mental health conditions.Black and white rectangular photograph printed on paper.Obverse: (7)/ Reverse: 1997.2452/ Dr Dick/No(7) Pioneer Board/doctor thomas thomson dick, superintendent, mayday hills hospital, scotland, east malvern, doctor of medicine, melbourne university, inspector-general, clothing alterations, cultivation of the farm, self-sufficiency, balls, concerts, ovens hospital, benevolent asylum, beechworth, goldfields, kulin nation, panoramic view, mental health conditions -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph - Photograph Reproduction, 1998
The photograph, created in 1998, is a copy of the original one, depicting a nurse in uniform at the Mental Hospital in Beechworth, with a fern house behind her. In the background, the two-storey building is in view, along with the covered walkway. The institution had to operate with serious shortage of female nurses for long periods of time. During the 1880s, small houses (cottages) were built to offer accommodation for the nurses living in the hospital and in 1937 began the construction of a nurses` hostel. In 1962 the upper level of the Nurses` Home was converted into a Nurses` Training School. The Mayday Hills Hospital was constructed between 1864 and 1867, with buildings created in a number of periods. It formally opened on 24 October 1867 and, along with the Ovens Hospital and the Benevolent Asylum, made Beechworth a prominent social welfare centre in Victoria. The need for an institution of this kind was arisen due to the increased number of people with mental disturbances (induced by the harsh living conditions on the goldfields) and the remoteness of the district from Melbourne. The two-storey buildings, designed in Italianate style, and the three-storey towers at the front, were influenced by the asylum at Colney Hatch in England. Large masses of granite were excavated for its foundation and around 250 workmen were employed for its construction. The building, divided into six sections, was comprised of dormitories, doctors` rooms and plenty ancillary rooms and facilities, such as laundries, reading rooms, a concert hall and cooking areas. The site was chosen for its panoramic view of the countryside, the hilltop atmosphere and the native fauna, all contributing to the cure of patients. The Hospital was originally named the “Ovens Lunatic Asylum” but, during the centenary celebrations in 1967, the name was officially changed to “Mayday Hills Hospital”, showing the gradual shift in the perception and understanding of mental health conditions over the last decades. The Hospital lies on the traditional land of the Kulin Nation.This photograph is historically significant as it provides an insight into the everyday life of staff living within the walls of the Mayday Hills Hospital. It also offers important information about the location and the exterior of the Hospital and contributes to the understanding of the district`s development and its importance to the course of Victoria`s history.Black and white rectangular photograph printed on paper unframed.Reverse: 3445/mental hospital, beechworth, fern house, female nurses, nurses` home, nurses` training school, nurses` hostel, mayday hills hospital, ovens hospital, colney hatch, two-storey buildings, italianate style, benevolent asylum, ovens lunatic asylum, kulin nation, workmen, covered walkway, granite, hilltop atmosphere, mental health -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph, L. Maher, 1936
... Hills Mental Asylum Beechworth Lunatic Asylum lunatic asylum ...Mayday Hills Mental Hospital was originally constructed in 1864 under the name of the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum. It was built for locals in need of help who were kept in the local gaol. In its first decade, the residents of the hospital were used as menial labourers but over time, as mental healthcare progressed, were cared for in more nuanced ways. This site became a training hospital for nurses in the 1960's. Eventually, mental health patients were moved to other care facilities and Mayday Hills was operating as a geriatric care facility. It was closed in 1995, after which the buildings and their grounds were purchased to La Trobe University to be used as a campus. The university sold the site in 2011 to private ownership. The image depicts an interior room which is presumed to be a dining or common room. This space has been decorated for Christmas.Mayday Hills Mental Hospital is a historically significant site for many factors. It is representative of healthcare practice in nineteenth century Victoria. It contains rare examples of construction and architecture. It is also significant for aesthetic and technical reasons. Black and white rectangular photograph printed on photographic paperObverse: PRINTED BY/ L.MAHER/ BEECHWORTH/ 1997.2702mayday, mayday hills hospital, mayday hills, mayday hills mental asylum, beechworth lunatic asylum, lunatic asylum, beechworth, gaol, beechworth hospital for the insane, beechworth mental hospital, mental hospital, hospital, nurse, nurses quarters, la trobe university, training facility, christmas, christmas party -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph, 1880 - 1900
... Mental Asylum Beechworth Asylum Beechworth Lunatic Asylum ...Mayday Hills Mental Hospital was originally constructed in 1864 under the name of the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum. It was built for locals in need of help who were kept in the local gaol. In its first decade, the residents of the hospital were used as menial labourers but over time, as mental healthcare progressed, were cared for in more nuanced ways. This site became a training hospital for nurses in the 1960's. Eventually, mental health patients were moved to other care facilities and Mayday Hills was operating as a geriatric care facility. It was closed in 1995, after which the buildings and their grounds were purchased to La Trobe University to be used as a campus. The university sold the site in 2011 to private ownership. This image depicts people enjoying the grounds and gardens.Mayday Hills Mental Hospital is a historically significant site for many factors. It is representative of healthcare practice in nineteenth century Victoria. It contains rare examples of construction and architecture. It is also significant for aesthetic and technical reasons.Black and white photograph printed on matte photographic paperReverse: at the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum/ (wade)/ do not copy - copy for Burke Museum/ for collection only only/ BMM 8326mayday, mayday hills hospital, mayday hills, mayday hills mental asylum, beechworth asylum, beechworth lunatic asylum, beechworth mental hospital, beechworth institution, healthcare, mental health, nurses quarters, nurses, gaol, garden, garden party -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph, 1930
... Reverse: Mental Hospital/ Beechworth Lunatic Asylum/ Xmas... Hills Mayday Hills Mental Asylum Beechworth Beechworth Asylum ...Mayday Hills Mental Hospital was originally constructed in 1864 under the name of the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum. It was built for locals in need of help who were kept in the local gaol. In its first decade, the residents of the hospital were used as menial labourers but over time, as mental healthcare progressed, were cared for in more nuanced ways. This site became a training hospital for nurses in the 1960's. Eventually, mental health patients were moved to other care facilities and Mayday Hills was operating as a geriatric care facility. It was closed in 1995, after which the buildings and their grounds were purchased to La Trobe University to be used as a campus. The university sold the site in 2011 to private ownership. This image depicts the front facade of the building and a portion of the gardens, including a fountain. Mayday Hills Mental Hospital is a historically significant site for many factors. It is representative of healthcare practice in nineteenth century Victoria. It contains rare examples of construction and architecture. It is also significant for aesthetic and technical reasons.Black and white photograph printed on matte photographic paperReverse: Mental Hospital/ Beechworth Lunatic Asylum/ Xmas 1930/ 8190 VELOX (Watermark)mayday, mayday hills hospital, mayday hills, mayday hills mental asylum, beechworth, beechworth asylum, beechworth lunatic asylum, beechworth hospital for the insane, garden, gardens & parks, architecture, historic victorian architecture, healthcare, health, fountain, la trobe university -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Postcard, Eda P Beckmann, c1935
... Mental Asylum mayday hills mental hospital Beechworth Beechworth ...Mayday Hills Mental Hospital was originally constructed in 1864 under the name of the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum. It was built for locals in need of help who were kept in the local gaol. In its first decade, the residents of the hospital were used as menial labourers but over time, as mental healthcare progressed, were cared for in more nuanced ways. This site became a training hospital for nurses in the 1960's. Eventually, mental health patients were moved to other care facilities and Mayday Hills was operating as a geriatric care facility. It was closed in 1995, after which the buildings and their grounds were purchased to La Trobe University to be used as a campus. The university sold the site in 2011 to private ownership. This postcard depicts an interior room which is presumed to be a living or reception room. It is filled with period furnishings. Mayday Hills Mental Hospital is a historically significant site for many factors. It is representative of healthcare practice in nineteenth century Victoria. It contains rare examples of construction and architecture. It is also significant for aesthetic and technical reasons.Black and white postcard printed on matte cardReverse: 11.5.35/ Miss Peach/ Best wishes/ from/ P. Beckman mayday, mayday hills hospital, mayday hills, mayday hills mental asylum, mayday hills mental hospital, beechworth, beechworth asylum, beechworth hospital for the insane, beechworth lunatic asylum, lunatic asylum, healthcare, health, living in country towns, living room, furniture, interior -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Postcard, c1910
... Beechworth Lunatic Asylum Beechworth Mental Hospital Healthcare ...Mayday Hills Mental Hospital was originally constructed in 1864 under the name of the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum. It was built for locals in need of help who were kept in the local gaol. In its first decade, the residents of the hospital were used as menial labourers but over time, as mental healthcare progressed, were cared for in more nuanced ways. This site became a training hospital for nurses in the 1960's. Eventually, mental health patients were moved to other care facilities and Mayday Hills was operating as a geriatric care facility. It was closed in 1995, after which the buildings and their grounds were purchased to La Trobe University to be used as a campus. The university sold the site in 2011 to private ownership. This postcard depicts the Mayday Hills Mental Hospital (Titled as 'Asylum for insane') from a distance and includes the surrounding grounds and farmlands.Mayday Hills Mental Hospital is a historically significant site for many factors. It is representative of healthcare practice in nineteenth century Victoria. It contains rare examples of construction and architecture. It is also significant for aesthetic and technical reasons.Sepia tone postcard printed on matte cardObverse: Beautiful Beechworth (Vic.) 1880 ft. above Sea Level - General View of Asylum for Insane/ Copyright F. Foxcroft Reverse: 1997.2459/ Post Card/ THIS SPACE MAY BE USED FOR CORRESPONDENCE/ THIS SPACE FOR NAME AND ADDRESSmayday, mayday hills hospital, mayday hills, mayday hills mental asylum, mayday hills mental hospital, beechworth, beechworth asylum, beechworth hospital for the insane, beechworth lunatic asylum, beechworth mental hospital, healthcare, health, rural australia, farm, architecture, historic victorian architecture, classical architecture -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph, c. 1910
... mayday hills hospital mental hospital Beechworth Lunatic Asylum ...Taken approximately 1910, this black and white photograph shows the interior of the surgery and consulting rooms at the Mayday Hills mental hospital known at that time as a lunatic asylum in Beechworth. Mayday Hills Hospital, then known as the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum was constructed between 1864-67 designed by The Public Works Department. The hospital is made up of a number of buildings, landscaping, ha-ha, workshops, laundry, administrative facilities and farmland, it was constructed in 'Italianate' style by a team of up to two hundred and fifty workers (Woods p. 122). The asylum was established in response to the need for the regional shire to locally care for those particularly affected by their time working the Ovens goldfield during the Indigo Shire gold rush era where poor living conditions and isolation were significantly affecting the welfare of a great many people through poverty and lack of resources. The gaol and orphan labour systems were not able to effectively support to give housing, rehabilitation and ongoing care for the mentally ill, and transporting to Melbourne by waggon was a time consuming and counter-productive solution when the metro facilities were already overcrowded. According to Woods (A Titan's Field p. 122), between 1901 and 1911 a large percentage (thirty five percent in 1901 and twenty four in 1911) of the Beechworth population were either patients or inmates of Beechworth institutions, Mayday Hills accounted for some six hundred and seventy four patients in 1901, Beechworth's Mayday Hills was chosen as the site of Victoria's newest asylum, at the time, due to the landscape and altitude. The hilltop atmosphere and the native fauna, it was argued, would assist in the cure of the patients kept at the hospital (Wood 1985, 122). The positioning of the hospital had a beneficial effect on the rural town and the large volume of people living at the hospital and contributing to this population growth is counted as reason for the survival of Beechworth as a regional township. Mayday Hills continued to function as a mental hospital up until 1995 when it was sold to LaTrobe university. The building and grounds are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register under criterion A, B, D, E and F. Although grainy, the image gives a good indication of a functioning interior space of a surgery and consulting room at Mayday Hills in the early 1900's, from which we might interpret (from the types of tools and furniture present), the medical practices being performed at the time.Black and white rectangular photographmedical, asylum, surgery, hospital, beechworth, mayday hills, mayday hills asylum, mayday hills hospital, mental hospital, beechworth lunatic asylum, beechworth institutions, social welfare, public works department, consulting room -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph - Postcard, George Rose, c. 1910
Produced c. 1910 by The Rose Stereograph co. This colourised photographic postcard shows the exterior of the administrative buildings at Mayday Hills mental hospital with three young boys in the foreground. This postcard forms part of the extensive Rose Series. (P. 4689) of postcards being produced by the Rose Stereograph co. which depicted landmarks from across Australia. Despite the early date attributed to this image, according to Walsh dates from this series place the postcards being produced typically between 1920-54. Mayday Hills Hospital, then known as the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum was constructed between 1864-67 designed by The Public Works Department. The hospital is made up of a number of buildings, landscaping, ha-ha, workshops, laundry, administrative facilities and farmland, it was constructed in 'Italianate' style by a team of up to two hundred and fifty workers (Woods p. 122). The asylum was established in response to the need for the regional shire to locally care for those particularly affected by their time working the Ovens goldfield during the Indigo Shire gold rush era where poor living conditions and isolation were significantly affecting the welfare of a great many people through poverty and lack of resources. The gaol and orphan labour systems were not able to effectively support to give housing, rehabilitation and ongoing care for the mentally ill, and transporting to Melbourne by waggon was a time consuming and counter-productive solution when the metro facilities were already overcrowded. According to Woods (A Titan's Field p. 122), between 1901 and 1911 a large percentage (thirty five percent in 1901 and twenty four in 1911) of the Beechworth population were either patients or inmates of Beechworth institutions, Mayday Hills accounted for some six hundred and seventy four patients in 1901, Beechworth's Mayday Hills was chosen as the site of Victoria's newest asylum, at the time, due to the landscape and altitude. The hilltop atmosphere and the native fauna, it was argued, would assist in the cure of the patients kept at the hospital (Wood 1985, 122). The positioning of the hospital had a beneficial effect on the rural town and the large volume of people living at the hospital and contributing to this population growth is counted as reason for the survival of Beechworth as a regional township. Mayday Hills continued to function as a mental hospital up until 1995 when it was sold to LaTrobe university. The building and grounds are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register under criterion A, B, D, E and F. Through the colourisation of the photograph and through the unusual choice of the subject matter being used as a postcard, we can get a good indication of aesthetic interests of the time.Rectangular coloured photograph printed as postcardObverse: Beautiful / Beechworth / (Vic.) / 1800 ft. / above / Sea / Level / - / Asylum / for / insane / (Front / View) / Copyright. / F. / Foxcroft / Photo Reverse: 1997.2454 / Postcard / THIS / SPACE / MAY / BE / USED / FOR / CORRESPONDENCE: / THIS / SPACE / FOR / NAME / AND / ADDRESS / STAMPpostcard, rose series, mayday hills hospital, mayday hills, beechworth lunatic asylum, photographic postcard, george rose, the rose stereograph co., social welfare, welfare services, ovens goldfield, lunatic asylum, the public works department, australian landmark, regional shire, indigo shire council, gold rush, beechworth institution, victorian heritage register -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph - Photographs, E. Yellard, c. 1950's
Two rectangular black and white photographs of the Beechworth Mental Hospital (Mayday Hills) administrative building showing the left and right hand sides of the exterior building with three cars parked in driveway turning circle in the foreground taken in the 1950's by E. Yellard. Mayday Hills Hospital, originally known as the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum was constructed between 1864-67 designed by The Public Works Department. The hospital is made up of a number of buildings, landscaping, ha-ha, workshops, laundry, administrative facilities and farmland, it was constructed in 'Italianate' style by a team of up to two hundred and fifty workers (Woods p. 122). The asylum was established in response to the need for the regional shire to locally care for those particularly affected by their time working the Ovens goldfield during the Indigo Shire gold rush era where poor living conditions and isolation were significantly affecting the welfare of a great many people through poverty and lack of resources. The gaol and orphan labour systems were not able to effectively support to give housing, rehabilitation and ongoing care for the mentally ill, and transporting to Melbourne by waggon was a time consuming and counter-productive solution when the metro facilities were already overcrowded. According to Woods (A Titan's Field p. 122), between 1901 and 1911 a large percentage (thirty five percent in 1901 and twenty four in 1911) of the Beechworth population were either patients or inmates of Beechworth institutions, Mayday Hills accounted for some six hundred and seventy four patients in 1901, Beechworth's Mayday Hills was chosen as the site of Victoria's newest asylum, at the time, due to the landscape and altitude. The hilltop atmosphere and the native fauna, it was argued, would assist in the cure of the patients kept at the hospital (Wood 1985, 122). The positioning of the hospital had a beneficial effect on the rural town and the large volume of people living at the hospital and contributing to this population growth is counted as reason for the survival of Beechworth as a regional township. According to the Victorian Heritage database, during the period 1921-1950 Mayday Hills underwent some modernisation by Public Works Department architect Percy Everett which included a nurses' hostel and new ward which were further developed and continued to function as a mental hospital up until 1995 when it was sold to LaTrobe university. The building and grounds are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register under criterion A, B, D, E and F.These photographs give a good indication of the ongoing use of Mayday Hills from its original establishment in the 1860's through to almost one hundred years later when these photographs were taken. The clarity of the images combined with the style and make of the cars in the foreground give a good indication of the time period and show the continued use and need for the facility over the years. Through images of building facades such as these, we might gain fuller understanding of the structural and aesthetic characteristics to be used in any future development or restorative work.2 x black and white rectangular photographs [copies] printed on Ilford photographic paper8688.1 reverse: Beechworth / Mental / Hospital / 80% 19cm / 12 cm / 80% / 728 / New / Print / BMM / 8688.1 / E. / Yellard / [Stamped : ILFORD] 8688.2 reverse: Beechworth / Mental / Hospital / E. / Yellard / BMM / 8688.1 / [Stamped : ILFORD]administrative building, black and white photographs, beechworth, mental hospital, beechworth mental hospital, mayday hills, cars, 1950, e. yellard, the public works department, public works department, hospital, mayday hills hospital, beechworth lunatic asylum, lunatic asylum, asylum, ovens goldfield, indigo shire, indigo shire gold rush -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Audio - Oral History, Jennifer Williams, Mrs Sheila Parkinson, 3 January 2000
... Asylum Beechworth Mental Hospital Beechworth Hospital ...Mrs Sheila Parkinson was born in Wagga in 1916 and came to Beechworth as a young woman around 1938. Sheila trained as a psychiatric nurse at Mayday Hills hospital prior to the second World War. At that time, unmarried women were accommodated and received nursing training on-site. Shiela was obliged to cease professional training and employment when she married in 1941, which disrupted completion of her final nursing examinations. Following post-war changes to the law that allowed married women to work, Sheila returned to Mayday Hills. Sheila's husband, Don, returned to Beechworth after four years abroad as a serviceman in the Australian Air Force. Beechworth's institutions were a major source of local employment throughout the twentieth century. As well as providing limited employment opportunities to young women like Shiela, post-war European migrants from Bonegilla Migrant camp found at Mayday Hills, encouraging European migrant settlement in the district. Mayday Hills was renamed several times since its establishment in 1867. At the peak of operations, it comprised sixty-seven buildings housing over twelve hundred patients patients and five hundred staff. The hospital officially closed in 1998. Today, the decommissioned two-storey Italianate style main building stands on eleven hectares of botanical gardens under National Trust protection. The site remains a popular cultural heritage destination for visitors. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. The cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke.Employed as a psychiatric nurse at one of Beechworth's large welfare institutions, Mayday Hills, Mrs Sheila Parkinson recalls the conditions faced by staff and patients at the hospital, which cared for chronically ill people from the Ovens region and patients from the Yarra Bend Asylum, Melbourne, which closed in 1925. When Sheila first began her nurse training, Mayday Hills suffered from a lack of resources and rudimentary facilities and patients frequently suffered from the cold due to poor heating and inadequate clothing and bedding. However, as the twentieth century progressed, Sheila recalls how conditions and treatments improved as a result of increased government funding of services and advances in psychiatry and pharmaceutical medicine. Mrs Sheila Parkinson's oral history recording is historically and socially significant for its witness to life in Beechworth in the pre- and post-WWII period. Sheila's story enriches our understanding of processes of modernisation with regard to psychiatric and welfare services, while the course of Sheila's professional training and employment brings attention to systemic and socio-economic barriers faced by women, as well as the valuable contribution women and migrants make in the delivery of care and ancillary services. This oral history account is socially and historically significant as it is a part of a broader collection of interviews conducted by Jennifer Williams which were published in the book 'Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth-century Beechworth.' While the township of Beechworth is known for its history as a gold rush town, these accounts provide a unique insight into the day-to-day life of the town's residents during the twentieth century, many of which would have been lost if they had not been preserved.This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Mrs Sheila Parkinson /twentieth century beechworth, mayday hills, psychiatric care, benevolent asylums, nursing, wwii, psychiatric treatment, country women, psychiatric hostpital, beechworth's institutions, local employment, government institutions, listen to what they say, oral history, burke museum, sheila parkinson, beechworth lunatic asylum, beechworth mental hospital, beechworth hospital for the insane, the kerferd clinic, bonegilla migrant camp, working women, white australia policy -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Audio - Oral History, Jennifer Williams, Mavis Jensen, 11 May 2000
Mavis Jensen (nee Knight) was born in Broadford in 1920 and came to Beechworth with her family a year later, so her father could assist his father at Knight's Blacksmith at 1A Camp Street, where the Hotel Nicholas is now located. Mavis Jensen left school at the age of 13 and worked as a kitchen maid at Ovens Benevolent Asylum. She was employed as a ward assistant at Mayday Hills Hospital from 1939 to 1980, except for 1958-59 when she gave birth to her son, Noel. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke.Mavis Jensen's account of her life in Beechworth and the local area during the 20th century is historically and socially significant to the cultural heritage of the region. She details important historical events and hardships in the region's history that had a lasting local, regional and national impact, including Australia during war time, economic struggles, and women's societal roles in a rural area. Her oral history is particularly significant for its insights into developments in psychiatric patient treatment and care in regional Victoria, as well as women's work conditions in the mid-twentieth century. This oral history account is socially and historically significant as it is a part of a broader collection of interviews conducted by Jennifer Williams which were published in the book 'Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth-century Beechworth.' While the township of Beechworth is known for its history as a gold rush town, these accounts provide a unique insight into the day-to-day life of the town's residents during the 20th century, many of which will have now been lost if they had not been preserved.This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Mavis Jensen /listen to what they say, beechworth, oral history, burke museum, jensen, mavis jensen, psychiatric hospitals, mid-twentieth century psychiatry, regional hospitals, regional mental health care, mid-twentieth century women's working conditions, mayday hills hospital., ovens benevolent asylum, beechworth hospital history -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Audio - Oral History, Jennifer Williams, Mrs Beth Miller, 8 June 2000
Mrs Beth Miller was born in February, 1924 in Latvia. Her family left for Germany after Russian occupation was implemented in Latvia, and eventually sailed for Australia from Naples, Italy in 1949. A working contract and position at the Mayday Hills Mental Hospital brought her to Beechworth, where she settled with her husband and parents. Mrs Miller recounts the daily work in the Mental Hospital during the 1950s, life in Black Spring and the isolation of the immigrant experience. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke.Mrs Beth Millers account of her life in Beechworth and the local area during the 20th century is historically and socially significant to the cultural heritage of the region. She gives important insights into the life of post-war European immigrants in the area. This oral history account is socially and historically significant as it is a part of a broader collection of interviews conducted by Jennifer Williams which were published in the book 'Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth-century Beechworth.' While the township of Beechworth is known for its history as a gold rush town, these accounts provide a unique insight into the day-to-day life of the town's residents during the 20th century, many of which will have now been lost if they had not been preserved.This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Mrs Beth Miller /beechworth, beth miller, miller, listen to what they say, jennifer williams, oral history, latvia, bonegilla, immigration, mayday, mayday hills, mental hospital, asylum, black spring, bakery, lutheran, immigrant -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph - Lantern Slide, c1900
This image appears to show nurses at what is now the Mayday Hills Mental Asylum arriving for work in approximately 1900. These individuals are part of a long history of nursing in Beechworth. Three medical or social welfare facilities opened in the mid-1800s as part of a push by the township to become a regional centre for Government services. These were the Ovens District Hospital (opened in 1857), the Ovens Benevolent Asylum (opened in 1863), and the Beechworth Mental Hospital (opened in 1867 and renamed Mayday Hills Hospital at Centenary celebrations in 1967). It was recognised that the unsettled living conditions, poverty and relative isolation of the Goldfields environment could produce 'mental disturbances' which required local treatment facilities as services in Melbourne were too far away. Carole Woods' publication 'A Titan's Field' describes activities undertaken by patients at Beechworth Mental Hospital as including monthly balls and occasional concerts as well as work to make the facility self-supporting such as farm work and making clothes. She mentions a report in 1870 that the approximately 300 patients were clean and neat with 'no-one in restraint or seclusion' but that by 1905 the organisation had 623 patients which placed strain on building infrastructure such as heating and water supplies, leading to high turnover of nurses and other issues. A program of building works to extend and improve facilities followed over subsequent decades. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and Woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques This glass slide is significant because it provides insight into Beechworth's social and medical amenities in the early Twentieth Century, around the time of Australia's Federation into one nation. It is also an example of an early photographic and film-making technology in use in regional Victoria in the time period.Thin translucent sheet of glass with a rectangular image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metals strips to secure the edges of the slide.Obverse: i /burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, magic lantern, indigo shire, north-east victoria, nineteenth century, 1900s, twentieth century, emulsion slides, nursing, nurses, mental hospitals, lunatic asylums, asylums, social services, social welfare, insane asylums, mental health, infrastructure -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph - Lantern Slide, c1900
This image appears to show nurses at what is now the Mayday Hills Mental Asylum in approximately 1900. These individuals are part of a long history of nursing in Beechworth. Three medical or social welfare facilities opened in the mid-1800s as part of a push by the township to become a regional centre for Government services. These were the Ovens District Hospital (opened in 1857), the Ovens Benevolent Asylum (opened in 1863), and the Beechworth Mental Hospital (opened in 1867 and renamed Mayday Hills Hospital at Centenary celebrations in 1967). It was recognised that the unsettled living conditions, poverty and relative isolation of the Goldfields environment could produce 'mental disturbances' which required local treatment facilities as services in Melbourne were too far away. Carole Woods' publication 'A Titan's Field' describes activities undertaken by patients at Beechworth Mental Hospital as including monthly balls and occasional concerts as well as work to make the facility self-supporting such as farm work and making clothes. She mentions a report in 1870 that the approximately 300 patients were clean and neat with 'no-one in restraint or seclusion' but that by 1905 the organisation had 623 patients which placed strain on building infrastructure such as heating and water supplies, leading to high turnover of nurses and other issues. A program of building works to extend and improve facilities followed over subsequent decades. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and Woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is significant because it provides insight into Beechworth's social and medical amenities in the early Twentieth Century, around the time of Australia's Federation into one nation. It is also an example of an early photographic and film-making technology in use in regional Victoria in the time period.Thin translucent sheet of glass with a circular image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metals strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, magic lantern, indigo shire, north-east victoria, nineteenth century, 1900s, twentieth century, emulsion slides, nursing, nurses, mental hospitals, lunatic asylums, asylums, social services, social welfare, insane asylums, mental health, infrastructure -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph - Lantern Slide, c1900
... Mental Asylum nurse. Also known as the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum ...Taken in approximately 1900, this glass slide captures an image of a Mayday Hills Mental Asylum nurse. Also known as the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum, Mayday Hills was officially opened on the twenty-fourth of October 1867 and was commissioned following lobbying from Beechworth Municipal Council concerning a need for better living conditions for certain individuals confined to the town's gaol. These individuals, as well as many others who were brought from surrounding institutions, exhibited behaviours that were deemed to be unfit for mainstream society. At its peak, the asylum consisted of sixty-seven buildings and housed over twelve-hundred patients and five-hundred staff. At the time of Australian Federation in 1901 - just a year after this photograph was taken - the patient population numbered six-hundred and seventy-four. The designated site of the institution was chosen due to its scenery and altitude. It was argued that these picturesque surroundings would assist in curing the hospital's patients of their ailments. The asylum was officially closed in 1996. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register as being architecturally significant. The extensive complex of buildings are examples of Italianate-style, which is strongly associated with asylums of the 1860s - the period in which construction of this particular asylum began. Today the asylum offers tours to visitors: both daytime history tours and night-time ghost tours. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is socially and historically significant as it is representative of the lives of the nurses who worked at Beechworth's Mayday Hills Asylum in the early twentieth century. Thin translucent sheet of glass with a portrait image printed on the front. It is held together by metal strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, mayday hills, mayday hills mental asylum, beechworth asylum, beechworth asylum nurses, psychiatric nurses, psychiatric care, 1900 mayday hills, victorian heritage register, italianate style, 19th century asylums, asylums victoria