Central State Hospital Museum is located at Broad Street in Milledgeville, Georgia and is approximately two hour's drive from Atlanta. It is housed in a Victorian depot built in 1891 and visitors can view various items retained from the hospital's history. Visitors can only come here by making an appointment in advance.
The museum tells the story of mental health treatment in the United States with artifacts on display such as medical equipment, annual reports and client's personal effects. The significance of the Central State Hospital in this story is that it was once renowned as the largest "insane asylum" in the world. The museum helps visitors to gain an understanding of the history of mental healthcare and the stigma associated with it at its height.
Visitors can also learn how the hospital survived through the Civil War after it opened in 1842 as well as the Great Depression. Whist in the area visitors may wish to go to Memorial Hill Cemetery, which is rich with history and is the site of war veterans and the writer, Flannery O'Connor amongst others. There are several eateries near the museum too, including Aubri Lanes Restaurant in South Wayne Street a mile and a half away.
