Georgia Lunatic Asylum

 

Georgia Lunatic Asylum (Milledgeville, Georgia)
A Comtesse Travelogue to the old asylum, built in 1842 and still partially in use.

Where Have All the Loonies Gone?

Georgia Lunatic Asylum 
Milledgeville, GA – April 20, 2003 

Georgia Lunatic Asylum (aka Central State Hospital)
US 441 South to Swint Avenue
Milledgeville, GA
Central State Hospital Museum
Broad Street
Located on the Grounds of Central State Hospital
Phone: 478-445-6713
Website: http://www.centralstatehospital.org/

While in Milledgeville to visit the slave graves at Memory Hill Cemetery I heard of the existence of an old partially abandoned asylum just outside of town. I decided to divert to the asylum on my way home. I was not disappointed. Although part of the complex is still in use, and the part that isn’t is heavily patrolled, I was still able to get some nice pictures of the abandoned buildings.I was able to find a short history of the asylum at the Georgia AGHP website: “In 1837 a law was enacted to establish a state lunatic asylum. 57 1/2 acres of land was purchased to erect the first buildings. Completed in October 1842 and open for patients December 15, 1842. The first patient was identified as Tilman B., brought from Macon, tied to a wagon. He died 6 months later. The first building for black patients was erected in 1866. Georgia Lunatic Asylum name was changed to the Georgia State Sanitarium Sep. 1, 1898; to Milledgeville State Hospital in 1929 and to Central State Hospital in 1967.”I parked and began walking around the complex, and this is what I saw…

This is the remains of the Walker Building (Male Convalescent Building), built in the 1884. This building served as the admission ward for white males.

This is the Green Building down the street. It is still in use.

The crumbling steps up to the Walker Building.

This sign struck me as particularly representative of segregation.

The cornerstone.

A nice shot of the front of this beautiful old building.

I saw an open door to the basement and was ever-so-tempted to make a move… and I would have if not for 2 factors: 1) Cop cars were passing by with frightful regularity; and 2) I didn’t have a flashlight and it looked awfully dark in there. I contented myself with taking some shots through windows instead… Yes, I am a coward.

I began circling around the building, documenting the decay as I went…

Broken windows to peer through.

Various shots of the rear of the Walker Building.

Here are a couple of my patented “stick your camera through a hole and see what turns up” shots.

Another shot from the rear of the building.

Ah, the musky organic smell of decay!

I quite like this “stick your camera through a hole shot” – which captures an old decrepit rather dungeon-like bathroom.

Oh, I wish I’d gotten the courage up to go in there!


Another nice interior shot.

A lovely niche.

One final shot of the Walker Building.

I am always worried about being run off of these abandoned sites (I lasted about five minutes at Kings Park Asylum in New York), so I was actually relieved to see that they don’t shy away from the tourist-aspect of old asylums here. There is a museum in one of the occupied buildings (which was sadly closed when I was there – it’s open by appointment only), and there was a historic marker as you enter up the driveway: “MILLEDGEVILLE STATE HOSPITAL: In 1837, largely through the influence of Tomlinson Fort and William A. White, the legislature appropriated $20,000 for a dormitory near Milledgeville where the state’s mentally ill could receive custodial care. A four-story building was opened on this site in 1842 and together with various later additions became known as the Center Building. Originally serving only pauper patients, services were expanded for all bona fide citizens. Dr. David M. Cooper (serving 1843-1846) was the first Superintendent and was followed by Dr. Thomas F. Green (1847-1879) and Dr. Theophilus O. Powell (1879-1907).”

After I finished photographing the Walker Building, I drove further up into the complex, past the portion of the asylum which is still being used today to treat mental illness and developmental disabilities. There are some abandoned buildings up in this area as well, which are even nicer-looking than the Walker building. Alas, being so deep into the complex, there would be very little chance of breaking into one of these buildings without getting caught by the ever-lurking security.

This is the current administrative building – the Powell Building – which was built in 1856 and is obviously one of the most historic structures in the Milledgeville area. Beautiful, but occupied.

I took some pictures of one of the unused structures but most of them did not turn out, so I’m not sure what building it was. However, this image did turn out and I quite like it.

Here’s another building that is in current use. Of course, I had to take a picture of it simply for the sign.

This is the building that houses the museum, which is open by appointment only. Alas, I didn’t make an appointment…

This is the cornerstone of the building showing that it was building 1883.

This is my favorite abandoned building – the Jones Building. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s really a shame they’re letting such a nice building rot away.

I adore the colorful cornice over the front entrance.

The title “L M Jones Building” can be seen over this doorway.

A sadly faded Visiting Hours sign.

A sign from the side of the Jones Building shows that it was built in 1928-1929.


 

I walked around the perimeter of the Jones Building taking pictures, wishing I could get inside where the good stuff is! Aren’t those urns atop the building nice?

Such a majestic building – you’d think they would have found SOME use for it?

A nice old rusting stairway at the rear of the Jones building.

A sad, lonely bench behind the Jones Building. I couldn’t help but wonder how many people had sat upon it, and what became of them…

One last shot of the majestic old building, taken from the road.

At this point, I bid the old Georgia Lunatic Asylum farewell, regretful that I wasn’t able to see more of it. Maybe one of these days I’ll go back and actually get inside the buildings.


For additional information see:

Central State Hospital 

Anyone have any additional stories, tidbits or photos to add?
If so, by all means, write me!

20 thoughts on “Georgia Lunatic Asylum

  1. I thoroughly enjoyed the photos of the old Georgia Lunatic Asylum! The place sounds fascinating. It is a shame that the Jones Building isn’t being restored and used. Your article inspires me to visit that place.

  2. Some friends and I got arrested for trespassing there in January 2015. They have night guards that patrol all of the buildings. The cops didn’t want to press charges but the build owner/director guy made them. And because is government owned the charges are considered a felony. I’ve posted this on a few pages just to warn people

  3. My husband and I live in milledgeville and go to CSH all the time… It is now all closed down but we still take pictures and seen some ppl ( ghost) in the windows ….write bk and I’ll send u a few nice pictures u took
    Thanks so much the Price’s

  4. Thank you for sharing this info, I have just recently relocated to GA. I am more then interested in finding and discovering new places here, for I know Ga has a lot of history. I will be visiting this place shortly. Thanks again.

  5. It is said that my Great Grandfather, Wiley Thomas Roberts was very despondent over the death of his beloved wife, Belle in October of 1945. They had been married 53 years on her death and had raised 5 children together. He was admitted to the Georgia Lunatic Asylum in Milledgeville due to his depression and was diagnosed as a Lunatic. He died there less than a year later on December 23, 1946 of depression.

    • Very Sad! My great aunt was admitted to Georgia Lunatic Asylum in Milledgeville when she was a young girl because she had epilepsy and seizures. She lived there most of her life, getting taken out by family members occasionally only to be returned there after a brief stay with family. It is hard to believe that epilepsy could be a cause for admitting someone to a mental hospital!!!

      • what year was that? so very sad how the medical profession were so ignorant that they thought epilepsy was caused by satanic controlling of the person, or later, because someone was “crazy”

  6. Who would I need to contact to get permission to view and take pictures if the abandoned asylum? I called two different numbers. One just rings, ones no longer in service. Thank you.

  7. I work for a metro Atlanta Sheriff’s Dept. and made quite a few transports to and from Central State mainly in the 1990s and early 2000s before the closing stages.
    The inmates went to the forensic unit in the Binion building and I was there once picking up an inmate when he began to fight and as staff and myself were restraining him, another patient attacked with a pair of scissors taken of a cart that weren’t secured. Patient was taken down and luckily we weren’t injured. The forensic unit has moved to a modern facility about a mile south to the Cook building and I was there just a few days ago picking up.
    The history is a sad reminder of what human beings were subjected to. People with mental health issues are humans to.
    Georgia still has a lot of work to do and closing down CSH may be good but it would have been better to renovate and simply reclassify the campus.

    • I have a lounge chair on casters that supposedly was used to transport restrained patients at this facility. Could you possibly verify if you seen the chair?
      Thanks

  8. This is indeed fascinating! My grandfather was in CHS for 6 months. I would love to visit the entire property, im sure i would be amazed. Thank you for the pictures and you are brave!

  9. I was a patient there from 1981 to 1986 and from 1989 to 1996. Almost all of my stay there was in the Binion Bldg. I had a brief stay in the Powell Bldg between 89 and 96. I may be able to answer some questions you have about the hospital. You can contact me at davidln19611961@gmail.com.

  10. My 2nd gray grandmother died her in the mid 20’s. I have seen her death certificate. I would love to know more of her condition. Does anyone know how to go about this? I’m afraid the records were probably thrown out or not kept.

  11. I was reading your article and looking at your pictures. Great place isn’t it? The museum you speak of is actually in the building across the street from the building you said it is in. That was actually where female patients stayed and the auditorium is in that building. I have been to the museum. It is very interesting. Lots of artwork done by patients there and lots of personal belongings left from former patients over the years. Plus a lot of history about the hospital. Send me your email address and I’ll be glad to send you some of my photos from the museum and the hospital. Another great asylum to visit is The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Va. I went there last September on a photography tour You can actually go in those buildings.

  12. I was wondering if this is still an active comment section. I enjoyed all of the pictures and information. I live a couple hours from the hospital. I have been to Milledgeville several times doing family history, I had many families in the town.
    Two of my father’s aunts and one uncle were there in the early 1900s. The two women were diagnosed as depressed (1 of them) and manic depression for the other. One was there for 6 months, went home and returned for a shorter visit. One stayed a year. The uncle ended up staying for about 11 years, manic depression.
    Someone above in the comments mentioned if the records were still there. I did obtain copies of just the admission cards. I had seen a notice online several years ago that the facility was going to release those to people who requested them. I have them in my files, but not easy to get to at the moment. Would take some time, as I have a lot boxed up from a move. You might want to look up their website, it may have a department who can answer that question.
    I am so glad to see the inside the window shots especially which gives an outsider and idea.

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