Stockton Developmental Center
aka Insane Asylum of California at Stockton, Stockton State HospitalStockton, California
Established 1853
The Stockton Developmental Center began in 1853 as the
Insane Asylum of
California at Stockton. It was founded on 100 acres
with ready access to the goldfields on land donated by Captain Charles Weber, founder of
Stockton. California's Legislature was convinced that
the turbulence of the Gold Rush had caused many to suffer from mental problems, and
that the existing hospitals were inadequate to cope
with large numbers of people with mental and emotional conditions. Consequently it
authorized the establishment of the Stockton Hospital,
the first public hospital in California to serve the mentally ill. California's mental hospital
is one of the oldest in the west, and early on
was recognized for its progressive forms of treatment.
Location: 510 E Magnolia St, Stockton
