Central State Hospital's Founding Year
Year that the hospital was Desegregated
Establishment of the Digitization Project
Number of items in the Collection
Records
The Collection
Explore the Collection
Throughout Central State Hospital's one hundred years as a segregated mental institution, its staff were recording the administrative, medical, and other daily activities of the hospital. Today, over 800,000 pages of the hospital's historical documents have been digitized. The collection chronicles the lives of thousands of African Americans diagnosed and treated in the hospital. It is the most complete archival collection of blacks and mental illness in the United States. Central State Hospital's archival collection tell a vivid national story of how race has historically influenced perceptions and treatment of mental illness. What discoveries will you find? Start exploring now!…
Nurses Station
Located in the new patients building (1959)
Attendants
Participants of a 115-hour training course (circa 1955)
Capping Ceremony
First class of American Red Cross Gray Ladies (1960)
“Our dryer”
Clothing washed on children’s ward (circa 1955)
Housing for patients
Buildings for female epileptics and chronic cases (1898)
Charities & Correction
Central State Hospital staff (1908)Our Supporters
Thank you to our supporters, past and present, who fund this project.
