Apple Creek State Hospital
| Apple Creek State Hospital | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Opened | 1931 |
| Closed | 2006 |
| Current Status | Closed |
| Building Style | Cottage Plan |
| Architect(s) | Joseph A. Gattozzi |
| Location | Apple Creek, OH |
| Peak Patient Population | 2,300 in 1958 |
| Alternate Names |
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History[edit]
It began Feb. 14, 1931, Valentine’s Day, when the Apple Creek State School opened in what had been a tuberculosis hospital. It was the third such center in the state. The others were in Columbus and Gallipolis. While most patients in the early days were “feeble-minded,’ as they were labeled, the place held a mixture of the mentally retarded and mentally ill, alcoholics, cerebral palsy sufferers, unwed mothers. By 1947, the institution had blossomed into a small city covering more than 2,100 acres, much of it dedicated to raising crops, chickens, cattle and hogs. It had its own power and sewage-treatment plants, along with cemeteries where 128 people are buried.
Closed in 2006 due to lack of maintenance funds. Most of the buildings have been demolished, only a few remain. The site is expected to be turned over to Ohio State University’s Agricultural Technical Institute, which already uses nearby land that was once part of the Apple Creek campus.
Video[edit]
This video is from 1965 when a reporter visited the hospital with a hidden camera.
Cemetery[edit]
Located adjacent to the Apple Creek Presbyterian Cemetery. This cemetery serves as a "potter's plot" for those who were wards of the State that died while committed to the Apple Creek Developmental Center. It contains the graves of around 130 patients.
