Brattleboro Retreat

The Brattleboro Retreat is a private, non-profit psychiatric hospital that pioneered mental health care in the United States. It is located on over 1,000 acres (4.0 km) of land between the Connecticut River and downtown Brattleboro, Vermont. It treats all psychiatric issues through every modern modality, from outpatient addiction treatment to full hospitalization. It operates as a resource of Retreat Healthcare and is a member of the Ivy League H... more

The Brattleboro Retreat is a private, non-profit psychiatric hospital that pioneered mental health care in the United States. It is located on over 1,000 acres (4.0 km) of land between the Connecticut River and downtown Brattleboro, Vermont. It treats all psychiatric issues through every modern modality, from outpatient addiction treatment to full hospitalization. It operates as a resource of Retreat Healthcare and is a member of the Ivy League Hospitals. The Retreat was founded in 1834 by Anna Marsh, the widow of Dr. Perley Marsh, whose attempts to treat mental illness were frustrated by the lack of appropriate existing treatments. Marsh endowed the hospital (originally known as the Vermont Asylum for the Insane) with $10,000 from her estate. Her wishes were that the hospital exist independently in perpetuity for welfare of the mentally ill. Taking some inspiration from the York Retreat in England, the Brattleboro Retreat originated as an alternative to demeaning prisons and... less