Central Indiana State Hospital

Central Indiana State Hospital
Construction Began	1846
Opened	1848
Closed	1994
Current Status	Closed
Building Style	Kirkbride Plan (Demolished)
Location	Indianapolis, IN
Peak Patient Population	2,528 in 1950
Alternate Names	Central Indiana Hospital for the Insane Central State Hospital

History

Central State Hospital was brought into existence by an Act of the 1844-1845 Indiana General Assembly which provided for "the procuring of a suitable site for the erection of a State Lunatic Asylum." The property, consisting of 160 acres of farmland belonging to N. Bolton, was selected due to its proximity to the State Capitol. Purchased at the rate of $33.125 per acre, the property passed to the State of Indiana on August 29, 1845.

An Act approved on January 19, 1846 provided "That the Commissioners of the Indiana Lunatic Asylum are hereby authorized to cause to be erected upon the grounds heretofore purchased for that purpose, suitable buildings for the use and accommodation of said institution, which shall hereafter be called and known by the name of the Indiana Hospital for the Insane, and also to make such improvements upon and about said grounds as they may think expedient and proper." To fund the construction, an appropriate of $15,000 was approved "for the purpose of defraying the expenses incurred under the provisions of this act."

On May 5, 1846 a contract to begin the construction of "Old Main" (Men's Department Building, razed in 1941) was authorized and on November 21, 1848 the first five patients were admitted. Thus Central State Hospital was born. The hospital served the entire state until 1905, by which time additional hospitals had been constructed in Evansville, Logansport, Madison, and Richmond leaving Central State with patients from 38 counties in central Indiana.

The hospital grew to include the massive Seven Steeples building (Women's Department), a farm colony, a Pathology Building for the study and teaching of mental illnesses, and well manicured gardens and fountains. At its peak, the hospital accommodated over 2,500 patients.

The institution served continuously from that date until June 3, 1992 when Governor Evan Bayh announced that the hospital would close as Indiana moved towards deinstitionalizing mental health clients in favor of community based mental health care delivery systems.

On June 30, 1994 Central State Hospital officially closed its doors after 148 years of service. The State used the land for a variety of purposes for the next decade, including a location for the American Red Cross and the State motor vehicle pool. The old Pathology building was restored and is used as the Indiana Medical History Museum, while a new fire station was constructed along Washington Street. In 2003, the City of Indianapolis purchased the site from the State. The Kirkbrides have been demolished but many other buildings remain. As of late 2008 the property has still not been developed due to lack of funds by the developer & the city has retaken the property. The unmarked graves on the property continue to be a problem with any plans for the property.

Images of Central Indiana State Hospital

Main Image Gallery: Central Indiana State Hospital

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Museum Information

Indiana Medical History Museum
(Former Pathology Building)
3045 W. Vermont St.
Indianapolis, IN 46222
(317)635-7329
Museum website

Cemetery

The cemetery is on the hospital grounds, and is in 4 sections in the northwest section of the property. Burials dating back to the 1st burial on September 1855, and the last in September 1947. The number of graves is estimated to be around 4,000. There are no markers & records are incomplete.

• Central State cemetery in poor condition, by 13 Eyewitness News

Links

Brief background on Central State

Movies

Central State:Asylum for the Insane (2006)

Books

• Haunted Indiana 3 by Mark Meriman