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June 2024 by shawn harper
A great place if you take a guided tour it will be a transformative experience
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June 2024 by Steve Berry
The as e was very interesting and troublesome at the same time. It was a good insight on how the troubled were handled, and not that long ago. A must see if in the area
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May 2024 by Debbie Little
Mental illness history thst is shocking.
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May 2024 by Matthew Ford
I have been there 3 separate times and it's amazing yet VERY disturbing as well. And yes it's haunted as well. You can feel spirits around you when you look around in the museum. The most haunted place in the museum would be the basement because of the imboming room display and the moruge where they would keep the bodies ready for a proper buriel. I'm just getting scared just talking about it.
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March 2024 by Matthew Westra
We are so lucky to have this amazing place an hour's drive away. The late George Glore was inspired by what he encountered in the waning era of big institutions and captured some of the historical artifacts of that time. There are devices of torture and coersion as well as items that were the best that we had to offer at various decades.
This museum is one of 3 or 4 that visitors gain admittance to, for a single price. Definitely worth a visit.
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February 2024 by Tara Smith
Great learning experience.
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February 2024 by Jessica Houseman
This was a good exhibit and my family and I learned a lot of new thing about the mental health hospitals. Very informative but I did feel like there could have been a little more to it. If you have to use the bathroom and you don't like clowns you might wanna go before you arrive because there is a big clown picture in the bathroom.
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January 2024 by Jackie R
My friend brought me here as a surprise and “surprisingly” I actually like this place. That was a slow day and we were the only visitors there, so we took our time to explore, we even tried on the psychiatric patient’s outfit lol It’s a small museum but it’s something different than the typical Art Museums we usually go, I think it’s worth a visit.
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November 2023 by Scott McDonald
It was neat. I feel like they have a great opportunity to really dive deeper into the museum. Felt a little hokey and they had a weird branch about things that had nothing to do with the museum.
Wish there was more info about the intake center it is attached to. Maybe how they treat and take care of people now. Etc.
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November 2023 by Flere Bear
It was very interesting and disturbing to see the many treatments that were used. I don’t know that small children would enjoy it. You watch a brief video in the beginning that explains the history and then you are free to explore each floor at your own pace. With mental health still being such an important issue still, it’s sad to think that while medical treatment has improved, access to these services is still extremely limited even to those with insurance. As a healthcare professional, I cannot say how many patients were in need of services that were told they were waitlisted for several months.
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October 2023 by Lisa Holley
The history of the museum revealed some horrible treatment methods utilized by physicians in the past. The museum houses a very detailed collection of medical and physical evidence of how mental health was addressed in the past. It is still frightening to think that women, and men , were once institutionalized simply because they spoke their minds or “danced to the beat of their own drums”.. Admission fee was $10.00 for us , but rates were lower for children and senior citizens.
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October 2023 by Sheila Eaves
This place was more than I expected. Step in and travel back in time to see how mental health facilities used to be run. Full of interesting exhibits, items actually used at the asylum, and lots of interesting ways to educate. Only a $10 admission fee, and discounts for military and seniors. If you are into history I highly recommend this place.
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August 2023 by Isaiah G.
We were on our drive to Des Moines and this was on our way. I love everything medical so decided to stop by. This place is in front of the psychiatric facility and next to a prison. It's not very busy do you can find parking with no problem. The cost for 2 adults was $20. The staff who works there is super nice and helpful. This is probably one of the coolest museums I've ever been to. It's very real and raw this is what you don't really see since no one talks about it. They had actual tools they used in surgery. The revolution of mental health. It Aldo breaks down the types of conditions a person can have. There is the history of the treatments they had for mental health and how it's evolving. There was a very cool room that was my favorite where it was youth who were probled and how they became a success because of the help they got. There's a lot of cool art that was done by patients. This is not a boring museum this is very interesting and educational. I don't think it's for little kids but teenagers and adult can benefit from this place. This is under rated. Definitely worth checking out.
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August 2023 by Chris Gage
Great help. Enjoyed all the displays and information that was provided when all the buildings were the asylum.
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August 2023 by Winston Smith
Very interesting museum. Highly recommend. Some of the treatment "devices" were downright horrific in the past. This place will give you an unabashed look at the people who lived and died in these institutions.
