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46-399: After Keeley's death the institute began a slow decline but remained in operation under John R. Oughton , and, later, his son. The Institute offered the internationally known Keeley Cure, a cure which drew sharp criticism from those in the mainstream medical profession. It was wildly popular in the late 1890s. Thousands of people came to Dwight to be cured of alcoholism; thousands more sent for

92-551: A carriage house and a windmill , as well as a pond. Since 1978, the Oughton House has been occupied by a private restaurant, but the windmill is owned by the Village of Dwight, and the carriage house is a public library. The Oughton House and its outbuildings were added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 1879, Dr. Leslie Keeley announced the result of a collaboration with John R. Oughton, which

138-509: A physiological nature to alcoholism. The Dwight, Illinois location was the original institute founded by Leslie Keeley that treated alcoholics with the infamous Keeley Cure, which was criticized by the medical profession.(Lender, and Martin) This cure, which later became known as the "gold cure", expanded to over 200 locations in the United States and Europe.(Keeley Cure) The Keeley Institute eventually had over 200 branches throughout

184-403: A restaurant did not make any substantial changes to the house or its grounds. In 1978 Robert Ohlendorf and his wife purchased and renamed the restaurant, and made extensive changes to the interior which were mindful of the original Victorian architecture. No substantial changes have been made to the exterior, other than to allow access for the disabled. The Victorian style John R. Oughton House

230-538: A day he gets gold chloride injections; every two hours he takes a tonic." At its height, the clinic in Dwight treated 700 patients per day. Keeley claimed that when his medicine was administered according to his directions, it had no injurious effects and that 95 per cent of the patients were permanently cured. If they did return to drinking, he insisted that they were cured but that they drank because they choose to do so, not because they were still addicted. However, it

276-423: A merchant named Curtis Judd.("Fargo, N.D., History Exhibition") The institute attempted to treat alcoholism as a disease. Patients who were cured using this treatment were honored as "graduates" and asked to promote the cure. (Tracy) Keeley became wealthy through the popularity of the institute and its well-known slogan, "Drunkenness is a disease and I can cure it." His work foreshadowed later work that would attribute

322-470: A millionaire through the institute and its famous slogan, "Drunkenness is a disease and I can cure it." The Keeley Institute eventually had over 200 branches throughout the United States and Europe , and by 1900, the so-called Keeley Cure, injections of gold chloride , had been administered to more than 300,000 people. After 1900, the patient numbers were lower with 100,000 additional people taking

368-476: A period of four weeks. Patients at Dwight were free to stroll the grounds of the institute as well as the streets of the village. It has been called an early therapeutic community . Maud Faulkner would take her husband Murry to the Keeley Institute located near Memphis whenever his drinking became unbearable. While their father received "the cure", William Faulkner and his brothers would explore

414-566: A profound influence on Dwight 's development as a village. As the Institute gained national and international acclaim, Dwight began to develop into a "model" village. Eight hundred passengers per week were arriving in Dwight at the height of the Keeley Institute. Other developments followed the influx of people: modern paved roads replaced older dirt roads, electric lighting was installed in place of older gas lamps and water and sewage systems were replaced and improved. New homes, businesses, and

460-521: A railroad depot were all constructed and Dwight became the "most famous village of its size in America." There are few examples of structures associated with the Keeley Institute still extant in Dwight, and only one is open to the public: The Keeley Institute solidified its place in American culture throughout its period of prominence as several generations of Americans joked about people, especially

506-582: A water system for the Oughton Estate, has an 840 ft (256 m) deep well. The original windmill featured an 88 barrel cypress tank at its top and the windmill head, 16 feet (5 m) across, was one of the largest in the United States at the time of its construction in 1896. Only two owners held the deed to the windmill between 1896 and 2001. The first, the Oughton family, owned the windmill from its construction until 1996. That year, ownership

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552-515: Is a disease and I can cure it." His treatment, referred to as "Double Chloride of Gold", centered on a secret preparation that he said contained bichloride of gold . However, chemical analysis revealed that the proprietary tonic contained 27.55% alcohol plus ammonium chloride , aloin and tincture of cinchona but no gold. His hypodermic injections contained sulfate of strychnine , atropine and boracic acid . In 1890, Keeley began selling franchises and by 1893 there were 92 Keeley Institutes in

598-482: Is a disease of the brain and nervous system, and there are no shortcuts to health. Many individuals and groups, especially those within the mainstream medical profession, attempted to analyze the Keeley Cure for its ingredients and reports varied widely as to their identity. Strychnine , alcohol, apomorphine , willow bark, ammonia , and atropine were among the many suggested chemicals. The Keeley Institute had

644-405: Is a small place. Remove Dr. Keeley from Dwight and it would be but a pin mark on the state map." The founding of the Keeley Institute in 1879 by Dr. Leslie Keeley and his associates John R. Oughton and Curtis Judd had great influence on the development of the village of Dwight. The Lodge, first as Oughton's home and then as the focal point of the internationally known institute has always been one of

690-527: The Dwight Livingston Hotel, or the homes of private residents. Later patients stayed in the converted John R. Oughton House . The institute operated out of homes and hotels using a spa like atmosphere of peace and comfort. All patients received injections of bichloride of gold four times daily. There were other tonics given as well.(Tracy) The treatment lasted four weeks.(Larson pp. 161–163.) The medical profession continued to criticize

736-533: The Keeley Institute as a last resort, a prospect that he finds horrifyingly shameful. In the Murdoch Mysteries season 2 episode "Murdoch.com", Inspector Thomas Brackenreid takes injections of the Keeley Gold Cure and experiences aggressive personality changes due to its contents of strychnine and cocaine. The novel Opium and Absinthe: A Novel (2020) by Lydia Kang has a character visit

782-570: The Keeley Institute has been referred to as pioneering and humane. The institute maintained a philosophy of open, homelike care throughout its history. Little is known of what exactly went on in the many branches or franchises of the Keeley Institute around the world but it is thought that many were modeled after the Dwight institute. New patients who arrived at the Dwight institute were introduced into an open, informal environment where they were first offered as much alcohol as they could imbibe. Initially, patients were boarded in nearby hotels, such as

828-641: The Keeley Institute in White Plains, New York, for an opiate addiction. In the play Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1955) by Tennessee Williams, the character Doctor Baugh makes reference to "the Keeley cure" - a treatment for heavy drinkers used back in his day. Leslie Keeley Leslie Enraught Keeley (June 10, 1836 – February 21, 1900) was an American physician, originator of the Keeley Cure . He

874-456: The US, Canada, and Mexico and that number grew to over 200 and expanded to Europe. In 1939, Time magazine reported that "Unvarying is the traditional Keeley routine. An incoming inebriate pays $ 160, plus room and board, must stay for 31 days. His weekly whiskey ration is gradually tapered off: eight ounces the first day, six ounces the second, four ounces the third, none from there on. Four times

920-499: The United States and Europe, and by 1900 the so-called Keeley Cure, injections of bichloride of gold , had been administered to more than 300,000 people. The reputation of the Keeley Cure was largely enhanced by positive coverage from the Chicago Tribune . The New York Times also featured coverage on the Keeley Institute as early as 1891, and in 1893 a Brooklyn man's drunken rabble-rousing received coverage which noted he

966-441: The cure between 1900 and 1939. After Keeley died in 1900, Oughton and Judd took over and continued the Keeley Institute. The institute drew criticism and with Keeley, its primary spokesman and defender, gone, the organization began to fade into national oblivion. By the late 1930s, most physicians believed "that drunkards are neurotics [ sic ] and cannot be cured by injections." When John R. Oughton died in 1925, his son took over

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1012-426: The declining institute. In 1939 the institute celebrated its 60th anniversary. A ceremony which unveiled a commemorative plaque bearing the likenesses of Keeley, Oughton and Judd attracted 10,000 people. The plaque, designed by Florence Gray, a student of Lorado Taft , is still on the grounds, complete with a time capsule . The Keeley Institute continued to operate until it definitively shut down in 1965. Treatment at

1058-656: The declining institute. It continued to operate until closing its doors in 1965. The Oughton House, known as The Lodge, is a 20 room Victorian mansion located on the south side of the Livingston County village of Dwight , USA. The original building was constructed in 1891 on a different site and moved to the grounds of the Keeley Estate in 1894 to act as a clubhouse for the Keeley Club, an organization of Keeley Institute graduates that first met in

1104-443: The grounds or ride the streetcar to Memphis. The Keeley Institute offered a "scientific" treatment for alcoholism, something that until then was treated by various "miraculous" cures and other types of quackery . The Keeley Cure became popular, with hundreds of thousands eventually receiving it. From the beginning, Keeley's decision to keep his formula a secret drew sharp criticism from his peers. The Keeley Institute's popularity with

1150-408: The house was moved from its original site in 1894 and remodeled a year later. John R. Oughton occupied the house until his death in 1925, and in 1930, the house became a boarding home for patients of the internationally known Keeley Institute . The Keeley Institute was founded in 1879, in part by Oughton, and utilized a new form of treatment for alcoholism . The estate grounds feature two outbuildings,

1196-479: The house's interior but its exterior remains largely similar to its original appearance. The Oughton house is of wood frame and Bedford limestone construction. The grounds of the Oughton House also hold a 110 feet (33.5 m) windmill tower. The windmill was originally called the Pumping Tower and was constructed by U.S. Wind, Engine and Pump Company of Batavia, Illinois . The windmill, which provided

1242-508: The last to close, doing so in 1966. Despite his therapy being described by medical experts as an example of quackery , Keeley is remembered as one of the first to treat alcoholism as a medical problem. The Keeley cure is defined in the American Illustrated Medical Dictionary in the 1938 edition as "a proprietary method of treatment for the alcohol and opium habits by means of gold chloride." Keeley

1288-431: The mail-order oral liquid form which they took in the privacy of their homes. In 1879, Dr. Leslie Keeley announced the result of a collaboration with John R. Oughton, an Irish chemist , which was heralded as a "major discovery" by Keeley. The discovery, a new treatment for alcoholism , resulted in the founding of the Keeley Institute. The treatment was developed from a partnership with John Oughton, an Irish chemist, and

1334-408: The method and many tried to identify the mysterious ingredients. Strychnine , alcohol, apomorphine , willow bark , ammonia, and atropine were claimed to have been identified in the injections. The injections were dissolved in red, white and blue liquids and the amounts varied. In addition, patients would receive individually prescribed tonics every two hours throughout the day. Treatments lasted for

1380-455: The most visible reminders in Dwight of the Keeley Institute. The Keeley Institute solidified its place in American culture throughout its period of prominence as several generations of Americans joked about people, especially the rich and famous, who were "taking the Keeley Cure" or had "gone to Dwight." The Oughton House and the surrounding grounds are the only publicly accessible Keeley associated properties remaining in Dwight. Others, such as

1426-406: The organization, which had always drawn some criticism, faded into national oblivion. By the late 1930s most physicians believed that "drunkards are neurotics [ sic ] and cannot be cured by injections." Keeley Institute director Oughton, Jr. said in a 1939 Time magazine article that the treatment program had cured "17,000 drunken doctors". When John R. Oughton died in 1925 his son took over

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1472-535: The original building on the property and then in the Oughton House, until 1894. At the time of the move the house was known as the Scott House. It was originally constructed as a boarding house for W.T. Scott. In April 1894 the house underwent an elaborate remodeling project which transformed the clubhouse into a home for John R. Oughton. Oughton was one of the founders of the Keeley Institute . At

1518-475: The program touted in exchange for exorbitant fees from desperate families, and the toxic chemicals in the injections the program used. This final exposé would be the capstone to her career. In The Wet Parade (1932) , a film version of Upton Sinclair 's eponymous novel about the devastation wrought by alcoholism —and by Prohibition . Roger Chilcote ( Lewis Stone ) the patriarch of an old Southern family, promises his daughter he will reform after she mentions

1564-407: The public never translated to popularity with the medical profession. Medical professionals generally approached commercial cures, such as the Keeley Cure, with skepticism. A promotional brochure for one hospital specifically singled out the Keeley Cure in its language. Walnut Lodge Hospital has no specific Gold cures, or new mysterious drugs, to produce permanent restoration in a few weeks. Inebriety

1610-478: The rich and famous, who were "taking the Keeley Cure" or had "gone to Dwight" and Dr. Keeley is remembered as the first to treat alcoholism as a medical disease rather than as a social vice. Famed journalist Nellie Bly exposed the fraudulent claim that the Keeley cure had a 95% efficacy rate. She went undercover for a week, posing as an absinthe addict, to receive treatment in the Keeley facility in White Plains, NY. She documented medical malpractice, unethical claims

1656-471: The story as Bly’s account of "A Week’s Experience and Odd Talks with the Queer Little Family of Hopeful Inebriates." After Keeley died in 1900, the patient numbers lowered; 100,000 additional people took the cure between 1900 and 1939. Oughton and Judd took over the company following Keeley's death, and continued to operate the institute. But without Keeley, its primary spokesman and defender,

1702-488: The time indicated that the remodeling added 15 bedrooms to the house but left the exterior mostly unchanged. In addition, the brick barn was converted into a gymnasium at that time. The John R. Oughton House served as patient housing for the institute until the organization folded in 1965. Following the closing, James Oughton, Jr., grandson of John R. Oughton, opened the Lodge Restaurant. The conversion into

1748-498: The time of the structure's renovation, Mrs. Oughton named the house "the Manse." Oughton lived in the home until he died in 1925, at which time his widow had a home built next door and announced that the Oughton House was to become lodging for 40–50 patients at the Keeley Institute. The conversion for the change took over a year and a half and institute patients moved into the Oughton House on December 24, 1930. Newspaper reports at

1794-580: Was a Keeley Institute graduate. The Times said "it is not everyday that a man from the Keeley Institute for the cure of drunkenness comes to New-York and gets into such a predicament." In the June 10, 1894 edition of the New York World , Nellie Bly 's undercover report on the Keeley Institute in White Plains, New York , was published as "Nellie Bly Takes The Keeley Cure." A subheadline described

1840-597: Was born in Potsdam, New York , on June 10, 1836. Keeley graduated at the Rush Medical College , Chicago , in 1863, and later entered the Union Army as a surgeon . At the end of the war he moved to Dwight, Illinois , where he began his private medical practice. There, in 1880, he opened a sanatorium for persons addicted to the immoderate use of alcohol and opium . He asserted that "Alcoholism

1886-588: Was built as a carriage house by Oughton in 1896, and used to house horses and cattle. From 1930 to 1965 the building was used as a recreation facility for the patients at the Keeley Institute. In 1989 the Oughton family donated the structure to the Prairie Creek Library District and it has since become the home of the Prairie Creek Public Library. The London Morning News remarked in 1892, "Dwight, Illinois

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1932-467: Was described as handsome and inviting in an 1895 local newspaper article. Elements found within the home include, a slate roof, large windows, colonial piazzas and interior oak , mahogany and birch finishing. The 1895 house included 20 rooms on its first two floors, a number which included servants' quarters . In its basement was a bowling alley , dance hall and three storage rooms. The periods of renovation and remodeling have substantially changed

1978-409: Was heralded as a "major discovery" by Keeley. The discovery, a new treatment for alcoholism —developed from a partnership with John Oughton, an Irish chemist, and a merchant named Curtis Judd—resulted in the founding of the Keeley Institute. The institute's work was pioneering in its field; Keeley aimed to treat alcoholism as a disease rather than as a vice. Keeley managed to amass a fortune, becoming

2024-572: Was later noted that a "high percentage of those "cured" had relapsed." Keeley published numerous articles in the popular press in addition to pamphlets promoting his therapy, and wrote The Morphine Eater, or From Bondage to Freedom (1881) and the Non-Heredity of Inebriety (1896). He died on February 21, 1900, in Los Angeles, California . The Keeley Institute in Dwight, Illinois , was

2070-448: Was transferred to Mike and Bev Hogan. The Hogans donated the windmill to the Village of Dwight with the goal of saving the then deteriorating structure. Around the windmill area, while not precisely an outbuilding, is a pond . The grounds remain mostly unchanged, allowing visitors to stroll the area and view the restored windmill and the brick barn that was used as a gymnasium after 1930. The 50 by 80 ft (15 by 24 m) building

2116-594: Was widely cited as a quack. A 1908 article in the Illinois Medical Journal stated that "Leslie Keeley was a common, ordinary quack with a useless remedy which made good by advertising and catching suckers." John R. Oughton House The John R. Oughton House , commonly known as The Lodge or the Keeley Estate , is a Victorian mansion located in the village of Dwight, Illinois , United States . The grounds remain mostly unchanged since

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