Wednesday, April 18, students in Keith Rieder’s psychology class went on a trip to the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia.

Rieder took the students to explore all four floors of the asylum and learn about the medical treatments that happened 137 years ago and what society back then labeled as psychological illnesses.

According to the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum’s website, the structure is about 137 years old, being built between 1858 and 1881.

It was designed to help with mental illnesses and physical injuries and had a capacity of 250 patients. Unfortunately, due to overcrowding and generally poor conditions over time, the asylum closed its doors in 1994.

Now, the asylum is a museum, hosting tours to teach about the history of how people with mental illnesses were treated back then compared to how they are treated now.

Rieder has been conducting these trips since late 2009 and has fun going on tours with the students each spring semester to see how much the building has been restored since.

“I love the architecture of the building,” said Rieder. “It is the second largest stone cut building to have ever been built during that time.”

He said the tours and different events held each year are the building’s main source for restorations.

Rieder understands the gap between medical treatments back then and tries to convey that understanding to his students.

“The way people were treated for a psychological illness is very different to how we treat [them] now,” said Rieder. “One thing that has changed since then would be the living conditions and the use of medicinal drugs to help calm patients.”

Rieder also explained how closed off the asylum was to the public and how it provided small things like event gatherings or providing plumbing back in the day.

“The asylum was much integrated in the community,” said Rieder. “The psychiatric hospital hosted the first high school football game in Weston, [West Virginia] along with its first baseball game, provided produce from its own farm and even hosted school proms in the hospital’s auditorium.”

When students were finished with the tours, the group typically gathered for lunch, and would eventually have to write a reflection on what they learned during the trip.

According to Rieder, there are humane ways to treat mentally ill patients, that there needs to be more precise and careful diagnoses of an illness and provide better treatment to those in need. Rieder finds it fun, how much the building gets restored every year, and believes that the trip is important for students, as it provides the opportunities for team building and communicating among their peers.

Karen Younger, chairperson for the humanities department and assistant professor of history, believes that field trips are beneficial for students, and some time out of the classroom can be rewarding as well.

“How better to understand the past than going and seeing what the past left behind and learning what it was like back then,” said Younger. “I would encourage students to go. It’s great learning experience and fun too.”

Carissa Doody, a senior psychology major, went on the trip two years ago and said the trip was a blast. She also talked about her experience on the trip and learning about the medical practices and how it has evolved over the years.

She discussed how some patients would draw pictures depicting what that particular individual was thinking.

“There were old drawings done by patients, and it intrigued me to see how their brains were working,” said Doody.

Doody stated that people should definitely go if they are interested and the asylum has a bunch of interesting tours.