[1][5] The Brattleboro Retreat was founded in 1834 as the Vermont Asylum for the Insane through a $10,000 bequest left by Anna Hunt Marsh for the establishment of a psychiatric hospital that would exist independently and in perpetuity for the welfare of the mentally disordered.

[4] The institution was renamed as the Brattleboro Retreat in the late 19th century in order to eliminate confusion with the state-run Vermont State Asylum for the Insane.

The focus is on "moral treatment" an idea derived from a Quaker concept introduced by William Tuke in the late 18th century,[3] which approaches mental disorders as diseases and not as character flaws or the results of sins.

[3] For much of the 19th and 20th century, treatment methods emphasized fresh air, physical activity, educational enrichment, therapeutic farm and kitchen work, and supportive staff.

[4] The retreat cautiously approached modern treatment methods such as electroconvulsive therapy ("ECT") and utilized them in a fairly limited capacity.

The hospital lacks the historical stigma associated with some psychiatric institutions due to its consistent focus on patients' individuality and fair treatment.

A full staff of doctors, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, and other medical personnel continue this tradition of patient care.

[4] A unique back-lit clock tower with four faces sits atop a rotunda on Lawton Hall—a feature originally intended to provide any sleepless patients a sense of the time and comfort.

[7] The hospital has extensive landholdings throughout the area, including the site of the castle-like Retreat Tower, which was constructed by patients and staff in the late 19th century.