Then...
Now...
Property maps: Kentukiana Digital Library, Insurance Maps of Louisville, KY, Sanborn Map Co., 1905
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Central State Hospital
Central State Hospital, operated by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, is located at 10510 LaGrange Rd. However, the original hospital sat just east of the current facility on Lakeland Rd. Opened in the 1869 for juvenile delinquents, it was converted into a “lunatic asylum” within a few years. Like a lot of mental hospitals during the time period, budgets were slim, diagnosis and treatment were primitive, and overcrowding, poor sanitation, and even abuse were not uncommon. In the 1960s, the facility, by then called Central State Hospital, began constructing and moving into its present buildings. By 1986, all operations had moved out of the old structure; it was razed in 1996. Now, the Sawyer Hayes Community Center, part of E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park, occupies its location. In fact, the whole state park kind of sits on what used to be hospital property. There are even cemeteries within the park - gravesites of those who passed away at the hospital and didn’t have family to take them. All said, excellent bit of Louisville history...
Property maps: Kentukiana Digital Library, Insurance Maps of Louisville, KY, Sanborn Map Co., 1905
Property maps: Kentukiana Digital Library, Insurance Maps of Louisville, KY, Sanborn Map Co., 1905
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I was a student nurse at IUS during the spring of 1970; our class was assigned to Central State for our psych nursing experience. Most our time was spent in what I recall a "new" section of the hospital that sat in front of the older buildings. We were given several tours in the older buildings, and as I recall gruesome. I recall children being cared for large wards, the ward was bare with the exceptions of cribs and beds. As I recall the children "housed" were primarily "mongoloid" now referred to as having Downs Syndrome. My experience very much resembled "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" E
ReplyDeleteWell, I work for the state, Dept. of Corrections. Our budget's always tight, and I know Kentucky's mental health system is grossly underfunded too. I can only imagine how little they had to work with 40, 50, 100 years ago. I'm sure it was awful, but I know a lady who worked at Central State in the '50s, and she said most did care about the patients, did the best they could, and followed practices accepted at the time. Kind of sad. I'm glad we've progressed since then, but this state still has a long way to go...
DeleteMy grandmother in law died a patient there in 1964 at tye age of 49. Her diagnosis was hidden from us and we still dont know. Her name was Eva Catherine Noble Mattingly.
DeleteHi,
DeleteI found your Grandmother-in-laws entry in the CSH death ledgers, she passed from Pulmonary Thrombosis on December 3rd, 1964. She had been a patient at Central State for 16 years.
-Jay Gravatte
CSH Archivist, Kentucky Historic Institutions
https://kentuckyhistoricinstitutions.com