The Bryce Hospital Museum Grand Opening
A Celebration of History and Service
Tuscaloosa, Ala.- On Friday, June 28, the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) will host the Opening of Bryce Hospital Museum, which serves as a reminder of Alabama’s rich legacy and integral role in the transformation of America’s mental health landscape.
“We are proud to open the Bryce Hospital Museum, honoring the profound history of mental health care in Alabama,” said Commissioner Kimberly Boswell, ADMH. “Bryce Hospital has been a cornerstone in the state’s journey of mental health care and as a beacon of innovation and service.”
The celebrated event brings together honored guests and presenters, including Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, Nathaniel Ledbetter; Dr. Catherine Randall; and family members and friends of former ADMH Commissioner John Houston, whose unwavering commitment to all individuals served and to the preservation of mental health history, was the foundation for the Bryce Hospital Museum.
“The Bryce Museum is a testament to our state’s renewed commitment to supporting mental health care,” said Speaker Ledbetter. “It’s been an honor to work with Governor Ivey, Commissioner Boswell and many remarkable private partners and advocates to expand access to mental health care in Alabama. Our work has only just begun, and I look forward to our continued efforts to move Alabama’s crisis care system forward.”
The opening of the Bryce Mental Health Museum marks a full-circle moment in our state’s history. Alabama was ahead of its time when Bryce opened its doors in 1861 to its first mental health patient: a civil war solder. Renowned for the use of moral treatment in service to individuals and innovative architecture, Bryce played a pivotal role in the advancement of mental health care in the state.
In the 1960s, Governor Lurleen Wallace toured Bryce Hospital and successfully persuaded the Alabama Legislature to make historic investments in mental health facilities. Today, Governor Ivey, Speaker Ledbetter, and the Alabama Legislature have recommitted Alabama to this legacy. By approving the largest investments ever made to mental health in our state’s history, Alabama’s Crisis System of Care was made possible.
The museum is part of the Catherine and Pettus Randall Welcome Center at the University of Alabama, in the historic Bryce Main property. The museum offers education and information through its extensive collection of photographs, artifacts, and exhibits, while honoring history and progress of mental health care.
ADMH invites all to visit the Bryce Hospital Museum, located at the Catherine and Pettus Randall Welcome Center at the University of Alabama.
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