Western State Hospital/Fort Steilacoom - Steilacoom, WA
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 47° 10.748 W 122° 33.828
10T E 533051 N 5225163
Western State Hospital still operates from this location, the site of Fort Steilacoom, built in 1849 and use for military purposes through 1868. The Washington Territory received the property and in 1871 turned it into a mental hospital.
Waymark Code: WM27Y9
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 09/19/2007
Views: 217
The following excerpt is from "Washington: A Guide to the Evergreen State":
The WESTERN STATE HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE with attractive grounds and buildings, occupies the site of old Fort Steilacoom, established by the United States Army to protect settlers from Indian attack, the first United States Army Post on the Puget Sound.
On the hospital grounds are four residences constructed for the officers of Fort Steilacoom between 1855 and 1858. One was occupied by General Philip E. Sheridan, Civil War hero. Still in good condition, the buildings are used as dwellings by the State hospital doctors.
The Fort was active from 1849 through 1868 and at that time the property was given to the Washington Territory. In 1871 the territory turned the buildings and grounds into the State Mental hospital and it is still used as such today. Not much is left of the original fort other than the officers' residences mentioned in the guide. The hospital is the second oldest set of governmental facilities in the state and predates statehood by almost a generation (1889). In the 1970s the Historic Fort Steilacoom Association formed to help save the remaining fort buildings.
In 1971 the remaining buildings were placed on the National Historic Register as the Fort Steilacoom Historic District. The officers' quarters have been restored and are now used as an interpretative center and museum. The structures are still located on the property of the state hospital. Visitors are welcome to come and explore the fort structures and walk the grounds, however a security guard instructed us that photo's on the campus are not allowed to protect the privacy of hospital residents.