Archive Record
Metadata
Title |
Sunmount Hospital 40th anniversary collection |
Collection |
ADKX Library: Manuscript Collection |
Object Name |
Manuscript |
Scope & Content |
Collection of news clippings, photographs, press releases, and brochures from the Veterans Administration's Sunmount Hospital in Tupper Lake, New York. Most of the material documents the lead-up to and celebration of the hospital's 40th anniversary in 1964. |
Call Number |
MS 21-005 |
Catalog Number |
2021.004 |
Creator |
Sunmount Developmental Center (Tupper Lake, N.Y.) |
Year Range from |
1959 |
Year Range to |
1967 |
Dates of Creation |
1959-1967 |
Extent of Description |
2 folders |
Admin/Biographical History |
The Veterans Administration opened Sunmount in Tupper Lake in August of 1924 for the treatment and recouperation of veterans suffering from tuberculosis. In its first years the hospital averaged up to 450 patients, many of them staying for months at a time. In 1960 the hospital transitioned from specializing in tuberculosis treatment to serving as a general hospital. The facility employed for than 400 people and included a library, social services, a halfway house, a laboratory, and even a printing press for newsletters produced by its patients. Although the hospital celebrated its 40th anniversary with much fanfare in August of 1964, just a year later the Veterans Administration closed the hospital. Within weeks of the closure, New York State took over administration of the hospital and converted it to a school and housing facility for people with developmental disabilities, retaining more than 300 jobs for the region. The Sunmount Development Center continues to operate and has expanded to include the Center for Intensive Treatment (1999) and a network of group homes. |
Notes |
Container listing: Folder 1: - The Sunmount Story [booklet], c. 1954 - Administrator's Visit (Mr. J. S. Gleason, Jr) [photographs], July 27, 1959 - Administrator's Visit (Mr. Sumner G. Whittier) [photographs], December 4, 1959 - Newspaper clippings pasted on paper, 1959 - Independence Hall articles, c. 1962 Folder 2: - Veterans Administration Sunmount Hospital, Tupper Lake, New York, Recognition of Volunteer Service [program], August 12, 1964 - Employee Recognition Ceremony, 40th Anniversary 1924-1964 [program], August 13, 1964 - 40th Anniversary Veterans Administration Sunmount Hospital, Tupper Lake, New York, 1924-1964 [program], August 15, 1964 (2 copies) - 40th Anniversary V.A. Sunmount Hospital Tupper Lake, New York [booklet], August 15, 1964 - Collection of newspaper clippings and photographs from the Adirondack Daily Enterprise [approx. 20 pages], August 14, 1964 - letter from Hyla S. Watters (former Sunmount employee) to Marcia Smith (Adirondack Museum librarian) describing the 1965 closure of Sunmount Hospital, November 6, 1967 |
Search Terms |
Veterans' hospitals--New York (State); United States. Veterans Administration.; Tuberculosis--Hospitals.; Sunmount Developmental Center (Tupper Lake, N.Y.); |
Access Conditions |
Access is unrestricted. |
Copyrights |
Fair use copy permitted for research, study, or investigational purposes citing the Adirondack Experience. Any other use requires written permission. Preferred citation: Sunmount Hospital 40th anniversary collection, MS 21-005, Adirondack Experience Library, Blue Mountain Lake, NY. |