Laurel Sanitarium

Laurel Sanitarium was a medical and residential-care institution in Laurel, Maryland, established in 1905 by physicians Jesse C. Coggins and Cornelius DeWeese. Originally known as the Laurel Sanitarium for Nervous and Mental Diseases, it treated people with mental illness and addiction and became one of the more prominent private institutions of its kind in the Washington, D.C., region. Its location along U.S. Route 1, substantial acreage, and discreet treatment of patients helped give it a regional reputation, although the identities of many patients were not publicly disclosed. The sanitarium occupied approximately 163 acres and developed into a campus of four principal buildings and five cottages. At its height in the earlier period, the institution accommodated about 90 women patients and employed two full-time physicians and 42 other staff members. Its operating philosophy included a relatively domestic model of care: patients had private rooms, and many were allowed to keep personal furniture, family objects, and other familiar possessions. Coggins also encouraged relatives to visit patients at least weekly, a practice he regarded as important to treatment and continuing family connection. By 1950, the institution reported having treated more than 20,000 patients. Laurel Sanitarium was connected to the wider history of addiction treatment in Laurel. A former Keeley Institute facility, originally built as the Brewster Park Hotel in the 1880s, stood roughly half a mile closer to central Laurel. After the Keeley treatment system fell out of favor and was judged fraudulent, the property briefly operated as the Dr. Flora A. Brewster Sanitarium. Coggins and DeWeese acquired it at auction in 1906. In late 1908 and early 1909, they moved the large building to the Laurel Sanitarium grounds, where it was reused as a men's dormitory. Contemporary accounts described the relocation as an exceptionally ambitious house-moving project for Maryland. The institution's public profile was reinforced by the social prominence of some people who sought treatment there. One documented patient was the father of J. Edgar Hoover, who was committed to the sanitarium in 1917. Coggins nevertheless maintained a discreet approach to patient identities. His views on alcoholism evolved toward support for Alcoholics Anonymous, which he regarded as the only effective treatment for alcoholics. The institution's history also included personal and tragic events involving the Coggins family. Coggins's first wife, Mabel, died by suicide at the sanitarium in 1931; contemporary reporting created uncertainty about whether she had been a patient. DeWeese died in 1934, and Coggins later married Helen, a nurse at the facility, in 1941. In 1950, Laurel Sanitarium changed its principal function and became a 90-bed women's geriatric hospital or nursing home. It continued in that role until Coggins's death led to the cessation of operations. The facility closed on September 1, 1963, when approximately 70 remaining patients were transferred or relocated to nearby rest homes and other institutions. Coggins's estate also generated controversy because his will directed a major bequest to the Keswick nursing home in Baltimore with a stipulation that it support a rehabilitation home restricted to white patients. The racial restriction could not be applied to the alternative beneficiary identified in the disposition, and the funds were ultimately directed to the University of Maryland Medical Systems. The former institution did not survive as a physical landmark. Its buildings were demolished by controlled fire in August 1964 to permit redevelopment. Part of the grounds was sold to the Prince George's County Board of Education and became the site of Laurel High School in 1965. The portion containing the former sanitarium was later redeveloped; the Middletown and Avondale high-rise apartments occupy the area associated with the former campus. Laurel Sanitarium therefore survives primarily as a local historical landmark and an example of the changing American institutional landscape from private psychiatric and addiction treatment to geriatric care and, ultimately, redevelopment.

Laurel Sanitarium was founded in 1905 in Laurel, Maryland, by Dr. Jesse C. Coggins and Dr. Cornelius DeWeese. Its formal name, Laurel Sanitarium for Nervous and Mental Diseases, reflected its original purpose: residential treatment for people with mental illness and addiction. The facility was situated along what became U.S. Route 1 and developed on a 163-acre campus containing four principal buildings and five cottages. The institution formed part of Laurel's earlier history of private addiction and psychiatric treatment. A Keeley Institute center had operated closer to downtown in a building originally constructed as the Brewster Park Hotel during the 1880s. After the Keeley method was discredited, the property briefly became the Dr. Flora A. Brewster Sanitarium. Coggins and DeWeese purchased it at auction in 1906. They subsequently moved the building to their own grounds in late 1908 and early 1909, using it as a men's dormitory. The move was considered an unusually large and difficult house-moving undertaking for Maryland. Laurel Sanitarium combined medical supervision with a residential environment. It housed about 90 women patients during its principal sanitarium period and employed two full-time doctors alongside 42 other employees. Coggins supported regular family contact and urged relatives to visit patients at least once a week. Rooms were private, and residents could often retain personal furnishings and family mementos, producing a setting intended to feel more like a household than a strictly institutional ward. By 1950, the facility had treated more than 20,000 patients. The sanitarium attracted patients from the Washington area, including members of socially prominent families, but Coggins generally protected patient confidentiality. The best-known publicly identified patient was J. Edgar Hoover's father, who was committed there in 1917. Coggins's approach to alcoholism eventually emphasized Alcoholics Anonymous, which he considered the only effective treatment for alcoholics. The institution's history also included several events involving its leadership and family. Coggins's first wife, Mabel, died by suicide at the sanitarium in 1931, while press coverage raised questions about whether she had been a patient. DeWeese died in 1934. Coggins later married Helen, a nurse at the sanitarium, in 1941. A major institutional transition occurred in 1950, when the sanitarium became a 90-bed women's geriatric hospital and nursing home. This later operation continued until Coggins died. The facility closed on September 1, 1963, and approximately 70 patients were dispersed among other care facilities. After closure, the site was divided and redeveloped. Some land was sold to the Prince George's County Board of Education and became the location of Laurel High School in 1965. The original buildings were demolished by controlled fire in August 1964. Housing was developed on the former sanitarium site, and the Middletown and Avondale high-rise apartments later occupied the area. Coggins's estate also became part of the institution's historical record. His will attempted to dedicate a substantial bequest to the Keswick nursing home in Baltimore for a rehabilitation home restricted to white patients. The racial condition did not carry through to the alternative beneficiary, and the money was ultimately directed to the University of Maryland Medical Systems. Laurel Sanitarium no longer operates and no longer survives as a building, but its history documents changing approaches to mental-health care, addiction treatment, geriatric care, institutional privacy, and urban redevelopment in Maryland.

• 1965

  Part of the grounds becomes a school site

  [1]Laurel Sanitariumen.wikipedia.org

  Land formerly associated with the institution was sold to the Prince George's County Board of Education and became a new site for Laurel High School.

• 1964

  Buildings demolished

  [1]Laurel Sanitariumen.wikipedia.org

  The former sanitarium was destroyed by controlled fire in August as the property was prepared for redevelopment.

• 1963

  Operations cease

  [1]Laurel Sanitariumen.wikipedia.org

  The facility closed on September 1 following Coggins's death, and its remaining patients were transferred to other institutions.

• 1950

  Conversion to women's geriatric care

  [1]Laurel Sanitariumen.wikipedia.org

  The sanitarium was converted into a 90-bed women's geriatric hospital and nursing home after its earlier role in mental-health and addiction treatment.

• 1934

  Death of co-founder Cornelius DeWeese

  [1]Laurel Sanitariumen.wikipedia.org

  Co-founder and physician Cornelius DeWeese died, leaving Coggins as the institution's principal documented leader.

• 1931

  Death of Mabel Coggins

  [1]Laurel Sanitariumen.wikipedia.org

  Mabel Coggins, Jesse C. Coggins's first wife, died by suicide at the sanitarium. Contemporary reports created uncertainty about her relationship to the patient population.

• 1917

  J. Edgar Hoover's father treated at the facility

  [1]Laurel Sanitariumen.wikipedia.org

  J. Edgar Hoover's father was committed to Laurel Sanitarium, one of the few publicly documented cases involving a socially prominent patient.

• 1909

  Large building moved to the sanitarium campus

  [1]Laurel Sanitariumen.wikipedia.org

  The former Brewster Park Hotel building was relocated from Fifth and Talbott Streets to the Laurel Sanitarium grounds and repurposed as a men's dormitory.

• 1906

  Former Brewster property acquired

  [1]Laurel Sanitariumen.wikipedia.org

  Coggins and DeWeese purchased the former Dr. Flora A. Brewster Sanitarium property at auction for incorporation into their expanding operation.

• 1905

  Laurel Sanitarium founded

  [1]Laurel Sanitariumen.wikipedia.org

  Jesse C. Coggins and Cornelius DeWeese established the Laurel Sanitarium for Nervous and Mental Diseases in Laurel, Maryland, to treat mental illness and addiction.

A private, residential medical institution emphasizing discreet care, private rooms, family visitation, and a home-like environment for patients with mental illness, addiction, and later geriatric needs.

• Healthcare service · 1905

  Mental-health residential treatment

  The institution's original service was residential care for people with mental illness. Patients lived in a supervised campus environment with private rooms, physician oversight, staff support, and a stated preference for regular family visitation.

• Healthcare service · 1905

  Addiction treatment

  Laurel Sanitarium treated addiction alongside mental illness. Jesse C. Coggins later expressed the view that Alcoholics Anonymous was the only effective treatment for alcoholics, connecting the institution to changing approaches to alcoholism care.

• Long-term care · 1950

  Women's geriatric hospital and nursing home

  From 1950 until closure, Laurel Sanitarium operated as a 90-bed women's geriatric hospital and nursing home. Its final patients were relocated after operations ended in September 1963.

• 1964

  Redevelop the former sanitarium siteStrategy

  Background

  The closed institution no longer operated and its buildings were considered available for redevelopment.

  Action taken

  The historic buildings were demolished by controlled fire in August 1964 to make way for new housing.

  Aftermath

  The former campus was replaced by later residential development, including the area associated with the Middletown and Avondale high-rise apartments.

  Source

• 1963

  Close the facility and relocate patientsOther

  Background

  The death of principal leader Jesse C. Coggins was followed by the end of the institution's operations.

  Action taken

  The facility closed on September 1, and approximately 70 patients were sent to nearby rest homes and other institutions.

  Aftermath

  The site was subsequently divided, sold in part for educational use, and prepared for redevelopment.

  Source

• 1950

  Convert the sanitarium to women's geriatric careStrategy

  Background

  After decades as a facility for mental illness and addiction treatment, the institution changed its principal function as the population it served and its operating model evolved.

  Action taken

  Laurel Sanitarium was reorganized as a 90-bed women's geriatric hospital and nursing home.

  Aftermath

  The geriatric operation continued until the facility closed in 1963.

  Source

• Redirect Coggins's restricted rehabilitation bequestOther

  Background

  Coggins's will directed his fortune toward a rehabilitation home for white patients through a bequest to the Keswick nursing home in Baltimore.

  Action taken

  Because the racial restriction could not be maintained through the alternative beneficiary arrangement, the funds were directed to the University of Maryland Medical Systems.

  Aftermath

  The disposition became part of the institution's historical record and illustrates the discriminatory conditions attached to some mid-twentieth-century charitable bequests.

  Source

1. 1Laurel Sanitariumen.wikipedia.org