In 1879, Leslie E. Keeley, M.D., a Civil War surgeon, Major Curtis J. Judd, a retired Army officer and bookkeeper, and John R. Oughton, a chemist, formed the first institution to recognize and medically treat alcoholism as a disease. The Leslie E. Keeley Company expanded its treatment to other forms of addiction, including nicotine and opium, and its "gold cure" was administered at centers in every state of the Union and almost every country of the world. The first Keeley Laboratory built on this site burned and was replaced in 1903 by this building. In 1924, the company moved to new offices at 310 South Prairie Avenue, and the Keeley Lab became the Administration Building for the Veteran's Administration Hospital. In 1965, the State of Illinois Department of Mental Health purchased the entire complex, which today houses the William W. Fox Development Center. During the 1890's, as many as 1,000 Keeley patients resided in Dwight at a time for the 4 week treatment, and many large and beautiful homes were built to accommodate them, with over 100 houses built in 1891 alone. The Keeley boom enabled Dwight to build its cursed brick streets, have early electricity, and construct excellent central water and sewer systems. Keeley ceased treatment in 1966.