The hospital was established in 1854 as one of three state almshouses needed to help care for the unprecedented influx of immigrants into Massachusetts at that time. The almshouses were the Commonwealth's first venture into caring for the poor, a duty which had previously been carried out by the cities and towns. Opened on May 1, 1854 with a capacity for 500, the almshouse population grew to 668 by the end of the first week, and to over 800 by May 20th. By December 2, 1854, 2,193 "paupers" had been admitted. Nearly 90% of these listed European countries as their birthplace. The almshouse reported having 14 employees at that time, and was spending 94.5 cents per week per resident.
The most famous patient in the almshouse during the 19th century was Anne Sullivan, who later became the tutor and companion of Helen Keller. Anne Sullivan spent most of her early life at the almshouse (her alcoholic father left her and her brother there) before being transferred to the Perkins School for the Blind, now located in Watertown, Massachusetts where she was valedictorian of her class. Her brother died due to a hip problem at a young age, while in the almshouse. At age 20 Sullivan left the school in Watertown to go to Helen Keller's home in Alabama. One of the buildings on today's Tewksbury Hospital Campus is named for Ms. Sullivan.
Reflecting its changing mission, the Tewksbury Almshouse became Tewksbury State Hospital in 1900, the Massachusetts State Infirmary in 1909, and Tewksbury State Hospital and Infirmary in 1938. Over the years, facilities were added for treating tuberculosis and other contagious diseases such as smallpox, venereal diseases and typhoid fever. Meanwhile it continued to serve as a last resort for many patients in need of shelter and supervised care, especially during the late 1920s and 1930s.
Administration Building
The Old Administration building of Tewksbury State Hospital was erected in 1894. This Queen Anne-style building stands at the head of the original main entrance drive on East Street, marked by a circa 1900 granite and wrought iron gate. Designed by Boston architect John A. Fox, the building was part of a major construction effort in the 1890s to upgrade the old almshouse by replacing the wood-frame buildings with more durable and fireproof masonry structures. The building is a -story, red brick building with a steeply pitched slate roof defined by bridge-end chimneys, roof dormers, and a copper-clad clock tower rising from its center. The original core was enlarged with lateral wings around 1920, and a one-story rear addition around 1930.
Prior to the opening of the Public Health Museum on September 30, 1994, the 100th anniversary year of the building, a concerted effort was made to restore the interior space of the Old Administration Building to its early 1900s appearance. In January 1994 this building and the Tewksbury Hospital campus were placed on the National Register of Historic Places.