Superintendent's Office, c. 1900

This photograph of the the Superintendent's Office was taken sometime around the turn of the 20th-century. The man sitting behind the desk was J. Percy Wade, MD, Superintendent of Spring Grove between 1896 and 1927. Meetings of the Board of Directors were routinely held in this room, and the table seen in the foreground was probably used for that purpose. A fireplace was located just out of view on the right side of the picture, and among the room's other features was a parquet floor. The office was twice again as large as the section shown, and had windows on three sides. Although photographs of the front parlor that was located to the north of the Main Building's lobby have not been found, that room was a mirror image of the Superintendent's office, and it is believed that its appearance would have been similar to the Superintendent's Office.  Note the telephone on Dr. Wade's desk, and the gas chandelier that had been converted for electricity.