Immigration and Mental Health: A Crossroad of Social Reform in Maryland's Late 19th Century

Join Gate House Museum Curator Adrienne Smith as she presents ongoing research about turn-of-the-century Maryland immigration, its perception, and how it affected the population of Sykesville's Springfield Hospital. Learn about the demographic shift in immigrant populations in the late 1800s and what factors may have driven the perception of these individuals as having a disproportionate presence in our state institutions of mental healthcare. We will also examine social factors contributing to change in the care and housing of individuals with mental illness, which encouraged more people from all backgrounds to seek help during this pivotal period.