Central State Hospital Museum in Milledgeville, GA

The Central State Hospital Museum, which is located in an 1891 Victorian depot, contains memorabilla that spans the history of CSH. From annual reports to medical equipment, to client’s personal effects, the museum’s contents tell the story of  the history of mental health treatment in the United States and the unique story of the hospital once renowned as the largest ” insane asylum ” in the world. Central State Hospital Museum tours are available by appointment only. For more information regarding tours of the museum or for media inquiries, contact Kari Brown at 478-445-4878.

Central State Hospital first opened its doors in 1842, when the Georgia State Legislature established the facility as the state’s hospital for ” Lunatics, idiots and epileptics.” The hospital survived the Civil War and the Great Depression and grew to its peak in the 1950′s, with more than 11,000 patients and 100 buildings filled to capacity. Medical procedures we may consider “primitive” today were once the latest innovation in psychiatry. The museum offers a look into some of the highlights of mental health treatment, as well as a look back at the darker times, when the stigma of mental illness and mental retardation was at its height.

Street View