Suitcases reveal past of state hospital inmates

Hundreds of dusty suitcases were found in the attic of the Willard Psychiatric Center near Albany, NY, closed in 1995. They belonged to the inmates of the asylum who came to stay and died at the institution, many to be buried in unmarked graves on the hospital grounds.

Frank, pictured above, was a WWII vet from Brooklyn who caused a disturbance at a restaurant in 1945 because he was served a meal on a broken plate. Instead of being arrested, he was committed to a psychiatric hospital by the police. He bounced from one institution to another, spending three years at Willard and dying at a Pittsburgh VA hospital in 1984 at age 74. He had never seen freedom after that day at the restaurant and spent nearly 40 years -- over half his life -- in institutions.

Via Penny Richards at Disability Studies, Temple U., the stories of other inmates, and the poignant photos of the contents of their suitcases can be viewed. It's an online museum that portrays some of the most haunting life stories I've seen in a long time. Follow the links to browse through the collection.