A bit about the hospital: It was founded in 1821 as the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum. For a few months in 1865, during the Civil War, the hospital was used as a prison camp for Union soldiers.By 1900 it housed 1,000 patients. In 1896, it changed it's name to the South Carolina State Hospital for the Insane. By the 1950s, over 5,000 patients occupied the hospital, however by the 1970s, the population had dwindled to 3,000. Care for the mentally ill changed over the years and in 1990, the last of the patients were removed and the site was completely abandoned in 1996.
The grounds are well maintained. The building itself is fenced in. Despite that, I was able to take what I believe are some great pictures.The first building you're likely to see once entering the grounds is the Babcock building. Although weather-worn, it still stands majestically with an equally weather-worn dome on top that can be seen for miles around.
Most of the windows are broken, either from vandals or just the hands of time. Below is the dome, from the back of the property.
This is a wing of the Babcock building to the right of the entrance:
To the left of the front entrance:
A tunnel under the porch of the front entrance:
More of the front left:
The following are around the corner of the wing on the left side of the building:
(didn't stay here long to find out what's behind that door)
Just a random little table sitting on a covered walk way:
This part of the hospital is now used as DHEC offices (the second picture is the dome on top of it):
A few random pictures:
Credit for the two following two pictures goes to my daughter, Katt Hawkins:
Thank you for looking at my photos! All photos with the exception of the last two belong to me, however, if you'd like to use them, you may but I ask that the watermark remain on the photo.
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