Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 3.djvu/339

 for an Industrial Home for the Blind, and the Commissioners appointed by the Governor located the institution at Knoxville. The building was completed and opened for inmates by January 1st, 1892. The object of the institution is to instruct the adult blind in some suitable trade or profession and to furnish a home for such as desire employment therein. Each inmate works at that occupation for which he is specially fitted receiving reasonable wages for the same.

A Hospital for the Insane was established at Mt. Pleasant by act of the Fifth General Assembly in 1855. An appropriation of $44,425 was made for the purchase of grounds and the erection of buildings. The institution was opened March 6th, 1861.

The second Hospital for the Insane was provided for by act of the Twelfth General Assembly and was located at Independence. E. G. Morgan, Maturin L. Fisher and George W. Bemis were the Commissioners who superintended the erection of the buildings. Three hundred and twenty acres of land were donated to the State and beautiful and substantial buildings were completed and rapidly filled with inmates.

In 1884 a third Hospital for the Insane was required and the Twentieth General Assembly made an appropriation of $150,000 for the erection of the necessary buildings. J. D. M. Hamilton, E. J. Hartshorn and George B. Van Saun were appointed Commissioners to select a location in the southwestern portion of the State, purchase a site of not less than three hundred twenty acres and procure plans, specifications and estimates upon the cottage system. Clarinda was chosen as the location and the corner-stone of the structure was laid on the 4th of July, 1885. The buildings were completed ready for the reception of inmates in December, 1888; the capacity being two