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Andrew McFarland Mental Health Center renamed for one of the women he tormented

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Illinois

* From the Sangamon County Historical Society’s website…

Dr. Andrew McFarland, the namesake of the Andrew McFarland Mental Health Center near Springfield, directed the Illinois Hospital and Asylum for the Insane in Jacksonville in the 1850s and ’60s. Perversely, McFarland (1817-91) also helped expand the rights of people accused of mental instability – by opposing them.

McFarland’s nemesis was a Manteno woman, Elizabeth Packard (1816-97), who won national fame in the late 1800s for her efforts to reform mental treatment and the mental confinement process.

Packard was sent to the Jacksonville asylum in June 1860 – literally carried out of her house and put on a train – on the sole authority of her husband, Theophilus, a Calvinist minister. The “evidence” of her insanity was that she publicly disagreed with Theophilus on religious issues. […]

The legislature nonetheless set up a commission in 1867 to investigate Packard’s allegations against McFarland and the asylum. Among other things, the panel found McFarland had tolerated a variety of abusive treatments, including one similar to modern-day waterboarding: obstreperous patients would be wrapped in a straitjacket and dunked in a bathtub over and over, submerged each time until they nearly passed out. […]

McFarland, suffering from depression, hanged himself at Oak Lawn in 1891.

* Today, Gov. Pritzker fittingly announced that the Andrew McFarland Mental Health Center’s name would be changed to commemorate Elizabeth Packard…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) announced a new name for the McFarland Mental Health Center. By executive proclamation, it is now officially the Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard Mental Health Center. On signage and in common use, it will become known simply as the Packard Mental Health Center. Located on the south side of Springfield, the psychiatric hospital employs more than 250 staff and supports over 120 patients with serious mental illness on a 24/7 basis.

“Today, we are putting a spotlight on the real hero associated with this institution, someone who in truth better expresses our proud history of positive reform and someone who changed our world for the better,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Here in Illinois, we are committed to righting the wrongs of the past wherever we can. Renaming this Center in honor of Elizabeth Packard, who founded the Anti-Insane Asylum Society and pushed multiple states to reform their laws to better recognize the rights of mental health patients, is an important step in the right direction.” […]

Best-selling author Kate Moore published The Woman They Could Not Silence about Packard in 2021. This non-fiction book tells the story of Packard’s involuntary commitment and chronicles Dr. McFarland’s role in keeping her inappropriately confined. Since the book’s release, staff and community members have questioned the appropriateness of keeping Dr. McFarland’s name on the building. In January 2023, an online petition was created, calling on the State to rename the facility.

“I am delighted for Elizabeth that this mental health center is being renamed in her honor, and I have no doubt she would be thrilled too. In her lifetime, she was denigrated and dismissed as a madwoman because she stood up for those in need, but today we honor her courageous stance and her remarkable achievements,” said Kate Moore. “It is fitting, too, that Elizabeth’s name replaces that of her tormentor and doctor, McFarland. She always warned him she was not mad, simply ahead of her time, and today, at long last, her truth is heard. Truly the woman they could not silence, Elizabeth deserves this honor deeply and I am so grateful to the Governor and the State for recognizing this very special woman.”

This renaming reflects the State’s commitment to righting the wrongs of the past, while celebrating the contributions of those who have historically been overlooked.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:16 am

Comments

I’m surprised they gave the facility that name after the investigation. Well, it’s about time and appropriate.

Comment by Norseman Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:24 am
Good and I hope they have a large plaque with her story in a prominent place

Comment by DuPage Saint Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:27 am
I’ve been in Springfield area over 40 years and kept hearing complaints about the McFarland name. I’m always surprised how long it takes to rectify a wrong, but I’m glad it’s finally done.

Comment by Lurker Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:49 am
I can’t believe it was named after someone who killed themselves. Weird.

Comment by Sir Reel Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 11:05 am
Geez, this is right up there with intentionally naming southern military bases after confederate generals. At least we know that was done intentionally. I wonder what the story was about why they named it after him in the first place.

Comment by Homebody Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 11:33 am
“The Woman They Could Not Silence” is a great read. terrifying, but great.

Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 2:37 pm
That is very interesting. Lived in Springfield almost my whole life and knew none of that. Well done. Name change seems very appropriate

Comment by Stormsw7706 Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 5:14 pm
Well done, Governor, well done

Comment by Former State Employee Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 5:22 pm