The grounds and area surrounding the Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene (MHCP) are steeped in history. The original 380 acre site was chosen by Governor John Graves Simcoe as a naval and military base to protect the Upper Great Lakes from American threats in the aftermath of the War of 1812. Perched at the entrance of Penetanguishene Harbour, the site retains its commanding view of Severn Sound. (During the 1960's about 60 acres were turned into a historical park to preserve the early history of the site.) Carving a military site out of the bush led to further development in the region. The beginnings of a town sprung up on the harbour to service the lumber trade, farming and the military - including a pub which was probably located on the edge of the current hospital grounds. A number of Victorian heroes such as Sir John Franklin (who later perished in an ill-fated search for the Northwest Passage) visited the military site until it was decommissioned and turned over to the Government of Upper Canada in 1855. The Boys Reformatory of Upper Canada was established in the abandoned barracks in 1859, continuing the economic link between the local people and government institutions. The barracks were consumed by fire in 1870, so the location of the reformatory was moved up the hill and a new building was constructed with the boys providing the labour. Stones from the old barracks were used as a foundation and new stone was taken from Quarry Island in Severn Sound. The resulting structure, currently known as the MHCP Administration Building, is the oldest on the grounds and one of several registered historic sites. How did the grounds eventually become a major psychiatric hospital? By 1904 it was clear that, for a number of reasons, the Boys Reformatory was not suitably located in Penetanguishene. The remaining boys were scattered to other provincial institutions or community placements and the building was converted into an "asylum for the insane." The first Superintendent of the hospital, Dr. Phillip Spohn, was also the first Reeve of the Town of Penetanguishene. An extensive farming program carried out by the patients made the institution self-sufficient in food production - in fact it provided meat and produce for other provincial institutions. (The demands of modern therapy and a shrinking patient population led to the phasing out of the farm program in the mid-1960's). Most staff members lived on the grounds either in residential sections of the larger buildings or in white clapboard houses, some of which have been preserved as historic sites or active treatment areas. The Superintendent lived in the large Victorian mansion on the edge of the grounds which is now the Georgianwood Addiction Centre. The mansion, also a registered historical site, has the best view of Penetanguishene harbour and was once graced with a lawn tennis court. Dr. Barry Boyd, the last man to call the mansion home, retired as Medical Director in 1978. Since 1974, MHCP has had a separate Administrator and Medical Director (now called Psychiatrist-in-Chief). All staff now live off the grounds. In 1933, the first four wards of the Oak Ridge Division were constructed. Originally intended to provide custodial care to the "criminally insane," Oak Ridge was the only institution of its kind in Canada at the time. During this period the name of the entire institution was changed to Ontario Hospital. Prior to 1933, mentally disordered offenders were shunted around the province to locations of convenience. The Oak Ridge Division eventually grew into an active treatment centre which has won world recognition for its research and innovative programs. Since patients rarely moved on in the early days, a second four wards were added to Oak Ridge in the mid-1950's bringing the patient capacity to 300. In 1967, the Brebeuf and Bayfield buildings opened. Originally designed as apartment-style living quarters to simulate life in the community, both buildings are now active treatment centres. Psychotropic drugs, developed in the late 1950's, and the development of a psychosocial rehabilitation model made it possible to stabilize and discharge many patients who had formerly been confined to psychiatric hospitals. The trend to de-institutionalize patients to appropriate community placements continues to this day. Upper Brebeuf is now the home of the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program, which works with patients requiring longterm care. The lower floor houses the Forensic Services Program. Lower Bayfield is now the location of the Geriatric Services Program. The names of these buildings were chosen for their historical value to Huronia: Bayfield was a British Admiral and surveyor who charted the shores of Georgian Bay from an office in the Naval and Military Establishments; and Brebeuf was a famous Jesuit missionary who was martyred by the Iroquois in the 1600's while they were at war with the Hurons. Around 1970, the number of patients in residence at both divisions reached a historical high of about 650. In 1971 the name of the institution was changed to the Mental Health Centre and work was begun on the newest major structure on the site - the Toanche Building. Toanche was the name of a large Huron village, long since disappeared, which was located just across the harbour. The six levels of the Toanche Building offer a variety of therapeutic programs, including the Admission Assessment Program and the Bayview Dual Diagnosis Program. Over the years many buildings have been demolished, others have been built and some, such as the Administration Building, have been extensively renovated and put to other uses. The Mental Health Centre continues to adapt to new therapies and treatment philosophies. Both divisions currently offer a combined maximum of 300 beds, but MHCP now takes a much larger role in the community, acting as a resource and operating an Outpatient Services Department located in Midland. The latest construction on the grounds is the Oak Ridge Activity Centre which houses a spacious pool and gymnasium for patient use. Buildings have come and gone and so have many dedicated staff and volunteers who devoted their working lives or spare time to caring for the mentally ill. This hospital's long heritage as a leader in the treatment of mental illness is currently sustained by almost 800
