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After World War II, the emerging field of occupational therapy offered patients an opportunity to be useful in society. To take advantage of this new approach, the hospital constructed a separate "OT" building in 1948, with a library, carpentry shop, and studios for pottery, basketmaking, and weaving; it later incorporated leatherworking, ceramics, and other handicrafts. The hospital's annual report to the legislature that year stated that these activities were "directed specifically at improving mental conditions by treating external interests and rebuilding self-confidence." By the 1970s, additional activities offered to patients included music therapy, recreational therapy, and industrial therapy.
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Hospital patients at work on craft and art projects, c. 1960.
Some images in this exhibition have been electronically altered to protect the identity of past and present hospital patients.
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 Fulton State Hospital
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