PODCAST
Episode 1: Central State Hospital
November 28, 2023
Guests: Jessica Whitehead, Matt and Sarah Dennis
“I’m struck by how massive the hospital was, but then there’s these thousands of individual intimate stories. That’s something that I try to capture.”
– Jessica Whitehead
“It just came out of nowhere…when we discovered it, it was kind of like a time capsule.”
What’s it all about?
Lost Places & Faces is a podcast for people who like to look through fences. I unlock the gates to dark and musty hallways, looking for the memories lingering in forgotten space. These places can be dangerous….and the scariest things are often the real people inside.
In this first episode, we go behind the fences of Central State Hospital, an abandoned asylum just outside of Milledgeville, Georgia. On the way, we’ll meet a photographer named Jessica and learn a lot about the state of mental health in Georgia. Jessica Whitehead is an award winning photographer whose art is hanging in the Georgia Governor’s mansion.
Are you ready to go inside?
Open the GatesResearch
If you’re interested in learning more about Central State Hospital, these are some of the resources I used to put together this story.
Central State Hospital History
Asylum: Inside Central State Hospital – Atlanta Magazine
Central State Hospital, Milledgeville – Georgia College
Asylum’s Dark Past Relived as Cycle Ends – Atlanta Journal Constitution
Former Employee Remembers History of Green Building – 13WMAZ
Gov. Kemp Signs Order to Demolish Several Central State Buildings – 13WMAZ
Abandoned Asylum – The Moonlit Road
Abandoned Georgia Asylum Has Hopes for the Future – Forgotten South
Another Prison Gone – The Union-Recorder
The First Year of the State Hospital Authority (1939 – 1940) – Ivan Allen, Jr.
Healthcare
The Truth About Deinstitutionalization – The Atlantic
The Family History of Deinstitutionalization – Nat. Council for Mental Wellbeing
Housing for Homeless Mentally Ill – The Current (Journalism for Coastal Georgia)
The History of Sanitariums and Surveillance – Wellcome Collection
Early Research and Treatment of Tuberculosis – American Lung Association
When Fresh Air Went Out of Fashion in Hospitals – Smithsonian Magazine
Original Content
Thank you to Jessica Whitehead, Matt Dennis, and Sarah Dennis for your insightful interviews and an unforgettable weekend adventure.
Thank you to Seeking Asylum Photography for permission to use your poignant photographs to tell the history of mental healthcare in Georgia
Special Note
We had permits to enter the Central State Hospital campus. We took precautions to enter the building safely with our law enforcement escort, Matt. These buildings are dangerous and best explored through podcasts, like this one. Please don’t trespass and get hurt!