Central State Hospital (Kentucky)

Central Kentucky Lunatic Asylum
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Anchorage, Kentucky
Coordinates
Area	less than one acre
Built	1874
Architectural style	Classical Revival, Tudor Revival
MPS	Jefferson County MRA
NRHP Reference #	83002646
Added to NRHP	July 12, 1983

Central State Hospital is a 192-bed adult psychiatric hospital located in eastern Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky. In 1869, land was bought from the Issac Hite family, from the same original grant, part of which would later become nearby Anchorage, Kentucky. Built on Lakeland Drive on the outskirts of Anchorage, it initially housed the "Home for Juvenile Delinquents at Lakeland". In 1873, it was converted into the state's fourth lunatic asylum and renamed Central Kentucky Lunatic Asylum. In late 1887, it was given its own post office, known simply as "Asylum", but early the next year the post office name was changed to "Lakeland" and it was commonly referred to as "Lakeland Hospital" or "Lakeland Asylum". By 1900, its official name was changed to Central Kentucky Asylum for the Insane. Later, by 1912 it became known as Central State Hospital. Comparable institutions are Eastern State Hospital at Lexington in Fayette County, Kentucky, and Western State Hospital at Hopkinsville in Christian County, Kentucky.

The secluded, rural setting was typical of such facilities in the late 19th century, as such an environment was thought to be beneficial for recovery from mental illness. However, not all patients had mental disorders - some suffered from brain damage, mental retardation or were simply poor or elderly. The later decades of the 1800s were marked by repeated allegations of abuse and malfeasance. Deaths went unreported and uninvestigated, and records were lost. It is unknown how many deceased patients are buried on the hospital grounds, though over 600 death certificates exist denoting burial in the hospitals cemeteries. Though built for 1,600 patients, by 1940 there were 2,400 and again various accusations of patient mistreatment began to arise. However, starting in the 1950s, changing community perception of the mentally disturbed, led to fewer patients staying permanently in mental hospitals.

In 1986, a new modern facility was completed on Lagrange Road, on property adjacent to the original hospital which was subsequently abandoned and demolished in 1996.

External links

• Asylum Projects website information and history on CSH