Lawrence Flick State Hospital

Lawrence Flick State Hospital was a state mental health hospital near Cresson, Pennsylvania that had several different names and uses before becoming defunct and converted into a prison in the 1980s.

It is located on Old Route 22, approximately one mile east of the town of Cresson in Cambria County and has a rich history of service to the health and welfare of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Beginning with the donation of the land by steel tycoon and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and prescribed by the Act of Assembly in June 1910, the Cresson Tuberculosis Sanatorium was opened in 1916. The location was considered as ideal due to the abundance of fresh air and the treatments used to combat the disease. The present administration building was built in the European style with gargoyles on the tower and the crests of Scottish clans cut into the sandstone as a reminder of Mr. Carnegie's heritage.

With the introduction of new drugs and treatments for tuberculosis, the need for sanatoriums declined. In December 1956 the facility was incorporated into the Lawrence F. Flick State Hospital being run by the Department of Public Welfare to treat the mentally ill. The facility remained in operation until December 1982.