Asylum and community: the Athens Lunatic Asylum in nineteenth-century Ohio.

The article examines the role of the village of Athens, Ohio, in the founding and operation of the Athens Lunatic Asylum during the nineteenth century. It focuses on paper focuses on the function of the Athens Lunatic Asylum as a participant in the economy of its surrounding community. It is noted that the Athens Lunatic Asylum was connected with its community, functioning as a market for local goods and services as well as an employer.