Camarillo State Hospital - Paperback

by Evelyn Taylor (Author), Mary Holt (Author)

Camarillo State Hospital, affectionately known as Cam, officially opened its doors in 1936, during a time when the California State Commission in Lunacy oversaw the treatment and care of those deemed mentally ill. A pioneering research institution in autism and schizophrenia, Cam achieved notoriety as one of two state institutions that accommodated children and as the first state hospital to receive certification for treatment of the developmentally disabled. Although it was an independent body, retaining its own dairy, farm, residences, and even a bowling alley, Cam also developed creative relationships with volunteers, educators, and businesspeople for the betterment of its patients. Enhancing Innovation Through Independence became Cam's final ambition and, in the end, its ultimate achievement.

Author Biography

This book is a pictorial reflection of Cam's rapid expansion as the largest state hospital west of the Mississippi to the shuttering of its doors 60 years later. After having earned a master's degree in history, with an emphasis in archives, Evelyn S. Taylor became the first archivist for California State University Channel Islands, Cam's former location, in 2000; there, she came to appreciate firsthand the hospital's alluring history. Mary E. Holt is a fellow researcher of Cam and an avid photographer who has captured the hospital's haunting beauty since its closure.