Rockwood Asylum for the Criminally Insane
History:
Construction of Rockwood Asylum began in 1859 to house the "criminally insane" of Kingston Penitentiary. The asylum's site overlooking Lake Ontario was thought to have a calming effect on patients. The new limestone edifice - still situated near here - began accepting non-criminal patients in 1868. Rockwood became part of the Ontario provincial asylum system in 1877.