Timberlawn Sanitarium: A Deep Dive
Essay — February 2025

Timberlawn Sanitarium was opened in 1917 by Dr. James J. Terrill and Dr. Guy F. Witt. While not the oldest or the biggest sanitarium or psychiatric hospital in the state of Texas, it did hold one "first;" Timberlawn was the first privately-owned psychiatric facility in the state of Texas. The principal stockholder for the facility at its opening was Dr. George Moody.

Advertisement for Timberlawn Sanitarium — The Portal to Texas History: Texas State Journal of Medicine, Volume 37, Number 9, January 1942.

"Timberlawn is for the maladjusted wealthy bourgeoisie. The patients had a deranged look of opulence, of too much luxury and blurred perceptions. They complained, they swore, they thought their hang-ups had never been known before in human history, they demanded attention and fought for prestige.
— In the Bin by Edward Snow, Texas Monthly, December 1976.

The hospital was considered one of prestige,

Ignore this part, I'm just drafting/writing notes, this deep dive is nowhere near done: - ClearPath Church 2626 Grove Hill Rd: Uses one of Timberlawn's buidings; my source says this may have been their outpatient services building. -