A variety of personal hygiene items from patients of the Willard Asylum, photographed by Jon Crispin. This new display at the Sutter County Museum encourages visitors to see and discuss how society has dealt with mental health issues historically and learn more about current approaches. Photo by Jon Crispin 

YUBA/SUTTER COUNTY, CA (MPG) - The Sutter County Museum is inviting guests to view their newest exhibit, “The Willard Asylum Suitcases,” currently on display until Feb.7.

In 1869, New York State opened the Willard Asylum for those in need of long-term psychiatric hospitalization. The Willard Asylum in rural upstate New York grew to hold several thousand patients, evolving in the 20th century into a modern psychiatric hospital.

Willard distinguished itself by having a particularly close relationship with the nearby communities. When it closed in 1995, an employee discovered more than 400 suitcases belonging to previous patients that were filled with objects from before and during their stays at Willard. The collection of cases dates from 1910 into the 1970s.

Photographer Jon Crispin has been photographing at Willard regularly since the 1980s. His photographs of the Willard Asylum suitcases are an extremely rare and important look into the institutional lives of patients with mental illness. This exhibit presents visitors with the opportunity to see into the lives of the Willard residents, to discuss how our society historically dealt with mental health issues, and to learn about today’s current approaches.

This exhibit was made possible by Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health. Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health (SYBH) provides services to individuals and families who are experiencing serious or ongoing mental health and/or substance use disorders in Yuba and Sutter Counties.