Main Admin Building - Delaware State Hospital (Farnhurst)

Hello and welcome to the Herman Holloway Campus walking history tour brought to you by the DHSS Library. We are glad to have you here and hope you enjoy your time with us today. This tour will guide you around our beautiful campus and educate you on its rich history.

This sprawling campus stretches across more than 100 acres and serves as the administration headquarters for the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. It was dedicated to the memory of Herman Holloway Sr., Delaware's inaugural African American state senator. A Wilmington native, Senator Holloway was an alum of Howard High School, an institution that continues its educational mission to this day. His political journey began in 1963 when he was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives, eventually advancing to the State Senate. During his time in the Senate, he was the primary sponsor of 176 bills that were signed into law, including bipartisan bill 138 that changed the then-Delaware State College into Delaware State University. Over a remarkable 29-year tenure, he tirelessly served the people of Delaware.

Senator Holloway left an indelible mark as a champion of civil rights legislation. For an impressive 16 years, he presided as the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, Social Services, and Aging. His commitment to public service and advocacy for social justice resonated throughout his career. In 1994, Senator Holloway passed away, leaving behind a legacy of dedication and impact on the state he served.

Now, please join us as we journey through this historical campus, one that helped pioneer mental health care as we know it in Delaware today. This tour begins at the Main Administration Building.

Now, scroll down the page and listen to the backstory and context section to learn more about this location.

Welcome to what is now the Main Administration Building. This very building was the original Delaware State Hospital, also known as Farnhurst Hospital. The hospital was established by the 82nd General Assembly of Delaware, who served in office from 1883 to 1885. The 82^nd assembly passed a law creating the State Hospital for the Insane. This groundbreaking move made Delaware the first state to assume the responsibility for the comprehensive care of the mentally ill.

The hospital was founded under the governance of the State Board of Trustees for the Insane, later renamed the State Board of Trustees for the Delaware State Hospital at Farnhurst. In 1889 the board acquired 10 acres of land from the Trustees of the Poor in New Castle County for $75,000, equivalent to a little over $2.5 million today.

It first opened its doors on August 1, 1889, and admitted 99 patients from across the state.

To the immediate left of the main hospital stood a structure with a similar façade – this building was called Almshouse, later known as The New Castle County Hospital or The New Castle Building at various points in its history. Unfortunately, this building met a fiery end in 1966 and is now the site of a parking lot.

Delaware State Hospital was one of the first state mental hospitals to be approved by the American College of Surgeons and the American Medical Association. With a training school for nurses and an operational farm providing much of the consumed food, the hospital was a self-sustaining community.

On the first floor, you'd find the original medical library, pharmacy, operating rooms, hospital administration, and medical records. The current lobby area was once occupied by the hospital’s switchboard operators. In the 1940s, the hospital utilized treatments like sterilization, lobotomies, and electroshock therapies, which were considered standard at the time. However, by 1968, patient housing had transitioned to the Kent Building which is another stop on our walking tour.

The Main Administration building is now as busy as ever, with the first, second and third floors fully converted to office space. It is home to the DHSS Secretary’s office, as well as the home of Contracting and Procurement, Fiscal, and Grants departments. Fortunately, many of the original architectural elements of this historic building remain intact, including the outside overall structure.

Fun fact: Some employees have experienced unexplained occurrences in this building, leading many to believe the building has a few resident ghosts.

We will now move to the back of the Main Administration Building, known as the Annex. To reach the Annex, walk along the left side of the building on Schramm Street. Please pause the recording until you reach the Annex, a pivotal part of this fascinating journey through this historical campus. 

Source: Abrams, Rose Mary. (1889-1939). Delaware State Hospital - The First Fifty Years. Accessed through Delaware Public Archives.

Source: Dettwyler, K. A. (2019). Remembering Farnhurst: Stories from the Delaware State Hospital 1894-1920. Outskirts Press.

Source: History of Delaware State Hospital. (n.d.) Accessed through Delaware Pubic Archives.