Napa State Hospital


Napa State Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Napa, California, founded in 1875. It is located along California State Route 221, also known as the Napa Vallejo Highway. One of California's five state hospitals, Napa State holds civil and forensic patients in a sprawling 138 acre campus. According to a hospital spokesperson, there were 2,338 people employed at the facility during the 2016-2017 fiscal year, making it one of the region's largest employers.
The Napa Valley Cricket Club play their matches at McGrath Field, a multi-use sports field, at the eastern end of the Napa State Hospital campus.

History

Originally named Napa Insane Asylum, the facility opened on November 15, 1875. It sat on of property stretching from the Napa River to what is now Skyline Park. The property was originally part of Rancho Tulucay, part of a Mexican Land Grant, sold by Cayetano Juarez to the State of California in 1872. The facility was originally built to relieve overcrowding at Stockton Asylum. By the early 1890s the facility had over 1,300 patients which was over double the original capacity it was designed to house. The original main building known as "The Castle" was an ornate and imposing building constructed with bricks. Facilities on the property included a large farm that included dairy and poultry ranches, vegetable garden and fruit orchards that provided a large part of the food supply consumed by the residents.
"The Castle" was torn down after World War II.
It is also the site of The Cramps famous 1978 show when several patients attempted to escape.

Notable patients