Hiawatha's Administrators
A former mayor of the City of Canton and a State
Representative, Attorney Oscar Gifford was the first
Administrator of the Hiawatha Asylum. With no practical training
to run a hospital of any sort and a lack of understanding of his
inmates, Oscar was dismissed amidst scandal when Lizzie Vipont
became pregnant.
Representative, Attorney Oscar Gifford was the first
Administrator of the Hiawatha Asylum. With no practical training
to run a hospital of any sort and a lack of understanding of his
inmates, Oscar was dismissed amidst scandal when Lizzie Vipont
became pregnant.
Dr. Harry Hummer was a 29 year old
psychiatrist from St. Elizabeth's Hospital in
Washington DC. While no records remain as
to why Dr. Hummer was chosen to run the
hospital, one can only imagine what this man
did to anger his superiors. If he had such a
bright career ahead of him, why send him to
the middle of nowhere instead of promoting him
within their own ranks? Nothing was
documented to indicate that Dr. Hummer was
chosen for his expertise or abilities. It can very
easily be surmised that somebody at the top
knew Dr. Hummer's foibles and wanted him out
of the way.
It has long been speculated as to whether or
not Dr. Hummer initially knew the ultimate
purpose of the hospital. That is a very good
question and one we'll probably know the full
answer to but most indicators lean towards the
reality that if Harry Hummer did not know that
Hiawatha was a warehouse for Indians he
certainly caught on fast. It's also safe to
surmise that it didn't take Hummer long to catch
on - the man, while a maniacal tyrant to
patients and employees alike, was certainly not
an idiot. Signs point towards Dr. Hummer
having a good idea of what was happening and
then going out of his way to make sure it
continued at all costs.
psychiatrist from St. Elizabeth's Hospital in
Washington DC. While no records remain as
to why Dr. Hummer was chosen to run the
hospital, one can only imagine what this man
did to anger his superiors. If he had such a
bright career ahead of him, why send him to
the middle of nowhere instead of promoting him
within their own ranks? Nothing was
documented to indicate that Dr. Hummer was
chosen for his expertise or abilities. It can very
easily be surmised that somebody at the top
knew Dr. Hummer's foibles and wanted him out
of the way.
It has long been speculated as to whether or
not Dr. Hummer initially knew the ultimate
purpose of the hospital. That is a very good
question and one we'll probably know the full
answer to but most indicators lean towards the
reality that if Harry Hummer did not know that
Hiawatha was a warehouse for Indians he
certainly caught on fast. It's also safe to
surmise that it didn't take Hummer long to catch
on - the man, while a maniacal tyrant to
patients and employees alike, was certainly not
an idiot. Signs point towards Dr. Hummer
having a good idea of what was happening and
then going out of his way to make sure it
continued at all costs.
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