Lakeville State Sanatrium

1910- 1992

Lakeville, Massachusetts

History

Located, in Lakeville, Massachusetts the state added three new sanatoriums to take pressure off its already crowded facilities like the one at Rutland. Construction begin in 1907 and finished 3 years later. On January 6, 1910 Lakeville State Sanatorium opened it doors to treat patients with tuberculosis. It opened to male patients only until the female ward was finished being built a month later. Around the 1950s, patients with tuberculosis started to decline with modern medicine. To keep the facility running, they started to treat other crippling conditions like Polio, Chronic asthmatics, Muscular Dystrophy, Arthritis and similar diseases. They used hydro therapy, iron lungs, bone stretchers and heliotherapy to help treat these conditions. Lakeville was one of the few places in the world to practice heliotherapy. (Use of sunlight to provide palliation of disease) 

In later years the first floor was turned into a children hospitals. In 1963 the sanatorium changed its name to the Lakeville Hospital. The hospital also opened a nursing school on the campus to help make money. Due to lack of funding and money loss, Lakeville Hospital lost its battle to stay open and finally closed its door on February 8, 1992.

Photography