Episode 15 Central State Hospital

Explore Central State Hospital in Kentucky with Ghost and Gavel by Sabryna and Joey

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Source:

Google.com
Louisvilleghs.com
Whas11.com
Seriousparanormal.com
Asylumproject.org
Kyhi.com

Transcript

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Welcome to Ghost and Gavel with Joey and Sabrina. Welcome to episode 15 of Ghost and Gavel, where we are going to talk about Central State Hospital in Anchorage, Kentucky. So again, coming close to home. History of the land. We're coming back close to home, like I said, taking a little break on discussing the gore and the horror of murders, the condition of the area we are about to discuss will leave you questioning whether or not some of this was actually intentional. So there's still a little, you know, gore to it, but don't worry, the story you are about to hear still has the horror feature if in it, but we are again coming back close to home. The land that now encompasses Tom Sawyer State Park can be traced back in history to Shawnee tribes. However, we're going to begin today's story in the late 1700s. Hundreds of acres of what is now Eastern Jefferson County were once awarded to Virginia frontiersman Isaac Haidt for his service as an officer in Virginia militia during the French and Indian War. After establishing a small settlement near Harrodsburg, Kentucky, Haidt traveled back and settled on his land in 1784. It was established near what is now known today as Anchorage, Kentucky, along what is now known to be Goose Creek. He constructed a mill in Tannery along with a farm on the surrounding acreage. He dubbed the land Cave Springs Plantation. And what you'll notice, I'll try to keep it on track for you, but the land and the name of the hospital changed many, many times. So it was named Cave Springs Plantation after the water stream that came from the cave on his property. It is said that on earlier maps of Kentucky, this land was known as Heights Mill. Later on, this area would come to be known as Lakeland due to the small spring-fed lake constructed in 1852 by local nurseryman Simon L. Garr, who later became the president of Central State Asylum's Board of Commissioners. Four years later, Height, 35 at the time, married a 20-year-old Harriet Smith, and they began to raise a family on the prospering land that ever naturally grew to encompass over 400 acres. This prosperity would only last a few years when on February 22nd, 1794, the homestead was attacked by the Shawnee tribe. Hyde was wounded during the attack and died shortly thereafter. The land, house, and business were passed down to his wife and four small children, and the land stayed in the Hyatt family for generations to come until 240 acres were sold by James and Elisa Hyatt to the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1869 for the sum of$75,000. The state had planned to establish a state house of reform for juvenile delinquents passed in February of 1869, Act of Kentucky legislature. The deal contained Cave Springs land and any building contained therein. With deeds secured, construction began on the new main children's home as well as the adjoining workshop. Pre-existing buildings were put to new uses, such as the family homestead, which was converted into the school, or otherwise known as the family building. Several months later, construction was completed and the House of Reform officially opened July 1st, 1871. By the early 1870s, severe patient overcrowding at both Eastern and Western state lunatic asylums in Lexington and Hopkinsville necessitated a drastic change in the way that the state housed and cared for the mentally ill. And yes, I know it's not proper now to call them lunatic asylums, but again, we will see how these names changed many times over the years. The Kentucky General Assembly established an act on April 21, 1873 that authorized the establishment of two additional mental asylums. With this came the renaming of both Eastern and Western asylums to the first and second lunatic asylums, while the institution for feeble-minded children in Frankfurt, Kentucky, so our grand old capital, and the House of Reform would be converted into the third and fourth. Later that same month, Governor Preston H. Leslie appointed noted psychologist, Dr. Chastine Codwell Forbes, as the first superintendent of the fourth asylum. And the fourth asylum just FYI is the one that we are discussing, so Central State. And R.K. White as president of the Board of Commissioners. And an organizational meeting was held the evening of May 1st at the Reform Home, to which the appointments of secretary, treasurer, and matron officers took place. Under Dr. Chastine Codwell and the Board of Commissioners, direction for renovations were to be started. The main building patient wards were constructed and new medical facilities were established. On August eighth, eighteen seventy-three, the asylum unofficially opened. Dr. Thomas W. Gardiner assisted in welcoming the first 21 patients that were relocated from the second asylum, even though there was only one ward completed to house them. On September 1st, 20 female patients from the first asylum, and October 1st, another 20 female patients were relocated from the second asylum. On October 15, 1873, when Governor Leslie formally dedicated the building, the patient population quickly increased to 157 as more transfers were welcomed from Kentucky's three other asylums. Later legislation appropriated$33,000 for the construction of separate accommodations for African American patient population. As we are well aware, segregation was something that took place during these times, so there was a supposed need for separation. In a legislative act in the winter of 1873, it renamed the first, second, and fourth state asylums. They became the Eastern, Western, and Central Kentucky Lunatic Asylums. The third asylum once again became known as the home for the feeble-minded. An effort soon had to be made to accommodate the steady increase of patient admissions, so more land had to be purchased and new wards constructed. As extensions and additions were made to the building, each ward was set further back from the previous. Along with building expansions, additional acreage of the asylum meant that the garden and dairy farm established during the reform home era could be expanded as well. There was also the establishment of an orchard. With increased production, that meant the asylum could be more self-sufficient and surplus could be sold for extra funds for the asylum. As we can probably all guess, these expansions, with these expansions, comes the need for more help. Not unusual, the more quote-unquote reasonable patients could be used for free labor. The doctor resigned in September of 1879. Later that month, his successor, Dr. Robert Gale, continued to watch the institution grow as patient population grew to 462 in-house residents his first year. So patient population is growing fairly quickly. It was as early as 1882 that reports of patient neglect and abuse began to arise. There were numerous reports of attendance, quote unquote, ducking, which means apparently nearly drowning patients. An incident of ducking that resulted in the drowning death of a patient named Janssen led to the Board of Commissioners convening a formal inquiry to review such incidents. In 1884, Dr. Gale was due to resign. However, he sadly passed the same day of his recognition, his resignation was to take effect. Later that year, Governor J. Proctor Knott appointed Dr. Henry Pusey to the office. During his two non-consecutive terms, he was well known for high standards in which he ran the asylum. In 1893, the asylum was once again renamed to Central Kentucky Asylum for the Insane, because by this time the term lunatic had become considered derogatory to patients and had fallen out of use for proper as a proper medical term. So we now have a little history when that became effective. In 1895, it was reported that the asylum population had risen to 1,083 patients by October, causing overcrowded conditions. And in 1896, Dr. Pusey resigned from his position and retired to Louisville due to failing health and inevitable and inevitably passing in September of that year. The dawn of the 20th century brought vast growth. The east main building received new industrial and amusement structure. The amusement hall contained sewing, a sewing area, a billard room, a dance hall, and chapel for patient use. So if you're familiar with wards nowadays, you know these definitely aren't available to patients today. I mean, maybe in some of the nicer ones, but definitely some of the ones that I've spent time in, those were not available to us. It makes me wonder how such things may actually help with some people and their mental health, because those places can be quite depressing. And I can see why some become even more depressed while being admitted. I know that they have to be careful considering circumstances of those entering, but you would think that you know something fun, something to lighten the mood like that may actually improve moods. But you know, what do I know? I'm not necessarily a doctor. Several cases of patient abuse began to rise again in 1903. In 1906, an act of legislation, the Board of Commissioners, was dissolved, and Central State was then put under auspices of four-person bipartisan Kentucky State Board of Charitable Institutions, along with other asylums in the state. During a 1808 session of general of the General Assembly,$25,000 was allotted for the improvement of heating and water systems, excuse me, and an additional$65,000 for the construction of a basin, laying pipe and pumps, and further thanks needed to bring the campus up to standards. Around this time, there was a rise in TB, which you know we've obviously discussed with Waverly Hills, so we already know about that. So an additional$15,000 was allotted for the construction of a tubercular cottage for patients. The cottage was one-story building with a front porch spanning the length of the front of the building. Eventually, a fire destroyed the building, but luckily all 29 patients quarantined there survived. Throughout 1911, things such as a library were established as extracurriculars for patients, and the library was said to consist of over 860 books. The institute was allotted$250 for continued purchase of new reading material, and the asylum was the only institute at the time to have reported a regular book fund. Hey, again, I have been in a modern in modern day institutes when I was a bit younger, but honestly, if I had even a library available to me, it definitely would have improved my mental health while being there. I mean, Joey knows how much I like to read. And even my daughter will tell you that mommy has too many books. Also, in that same year, motion pictures began showing in Oakwood. Beginning October 1911, a three-year nurse training school was established on site, which brought better, more trained staff, ward attendance, and medical care to patients. It was March of 1912, an act of Kentucky General Assembly proclaimed that from there on out the asylum would be known as Central State Hospital. So we're coming back to current day name, but again, you'll see how this changes soon after. By October of the same year, the total real estate had grown to 540 acres, most of which went to farmland and orchards. In 1913, it was noted in the annual report that patient population had grown once again to 1,252, pushing the hospital towards overcrowding again. It was also this year that the first eight nurses from the training school had graduated, and it wasn't until 1914 that the asylum officially had sufficient water supply as it was connected to the main from Louisville Water Company. The patient population continued to grow, spiking to 1,659 in 1915, and then again growing to 1,732 patients by 1917. Due to a lack of funding during the First World War, the asylum had to begin rationing. It was reported that the hospital was grossly overcrowded and undermanned. In the early 1920s, they began to adopt a more modern medical approach, such as hydrotherapy, hypnosis, as well as something noted as deep sleep therapy. In 1921, allegations of abuse became an issue once again. Now, going back to um deep sleep therapy, I've heard that this could have been a really bad thing. Like they were putting people to sleep by doing things like overdosing them on insulin and stuff like that. So not a great thing to do. Um definitely something that's outdated nowadays. By 1923, Central State had grown to encompass 562 acres of this acreage. 54 acres contained main buildings, parks, and grounds for the institution. The hospital at that time consisted of 24 separate buildings. These buildings consisted of an administration building, nine dormitories, the African American ward, the TB Shack, industrial shop, a garage, kitchen. Storerooms, laundry, the powerhouse, the amusement hall, greenhouse, and a building dedicated to Dr. Pusey, which now housed mostly ex-servicemen. The two hundred and forty acres were used as pastures, and the remaining acreage had been cultivated for crops which, like previously mentioned, had been used to support patients, which could be a good use. I mean, if they're careful about how they are laboring the patients. I mean, I understand giving them a reason to want to be excited to be there and do things that feel um rewarding to them, but uh I mean I highly doubt in those times it was really uh rational. The population at this time was 1,869. In 1927,$44,700 had been allotted by the state to erect another two stories to house the criminally insane. Up until this time, it is said they had been previously housed with general population, which honestly that is kind of scary. Even with new buildings seemingly continuously being constructed, overcrowding became an issue once again at the beginning of the 1930s. And in 1931, the annual annual report was said that there was over 2,200 patients scattered throughout buildings meant to accommodate no more than 1,800. Like most hospitals at this time, and I could even say recent times, Central State was continuously understaffed. Although I can say that in recent times it was nowhere near as bad as it was then. Ratios for doctors were reported to be one to every 676 patients. Nurse staffing was a little bit better with ratios coming to one in 19 patients. Central State tried to keep up with the latest treatments in psychiatric care, although some of these treatments would be seen as barbaric for the times. These therapies would include, again, insulin shock therapy, electroconvulsive or aka um electroshock therapy. However, I have heard in some hospitals, um, even in Kentucky, they still use some of these techniques today, like the electroshock. I I believe it was Eastern State where there was a room designated for that. Central state also adopted the use for the lobotomy and continued to practice this until 1960, the 1960s, when it was deemed harmful and even inhumane. In the nineteen forties, the condition continued to be reported as substandard. In nineteen forty-one, Kentucky State Grand Jury began conducting investigations where it was reported that several of the ward of the wards were in a state of deterioration. The operating and x-ray rooms were reported to be out of date, and then they even made a comment that the stench was awful. It was then that the state allotted more money to the hospital to begin renovations once again of the hospital's nearly 70-year-old buildings. Even with all the funds being allotted at this time, many of the renovations went unfinished due to the start of World War II, which began to limit funds again that were actually received. And in 1944, Dr. Addie M. Loines took over as Central State Superintendent. He found many cases of patients having been committed under false pretenses and misdiagnoses, which I mean we know about that too. Among some of these at the time was a 105-year-old African-American man who had been committed for spitting on a courthouse stove. He swore to make it his job to release such patients and modernize hospital practices. In a year's time spanning from September 1953 to September 1954, it was noted that there were reports of over 20 fires and murders that occurred within the hospital wards, as well as multiple escapes. One of the fires in December of 1953 had actually destroyed the hospital's laundry building. In July 1956, the hospital's first patient government assembly was organized, and later that year, Central State opened a new ward for children. This was possible due to a grant from Louisville Crusade for Children. It was also during this same year that the hospital became fully racially integrated under the Hill Burton Act. This act was passed ten years prior and which was meant to modernize health care infrastructure after the Depression and World War II. This act provided federal grants and loans to build and renovate public and nonprofit hospitals. In exchange, facilities agreed to provide without discrimination a reasonable amount of free or reduced cost care to individuals unable to pay. In 1957, the hospital's first Boy Scout troop had been organized, and in June of 1958, the state auctioned off 337 acres of formal farm, former farmland, and six homes on the property. The intentions were to start a subdivision and ended up bringing in$389,100. In 1960, in 1960, plans began to further construct to further the construction and renovations of the hospital. After a budget meeting, it was recommended to an increase of$3,397 for the Department of Mental Health, and this would raise the average daily expenditure per patient from$3.63 to$4.43. I mean, could you imagine surviving off a daily budget like that nowadays? This also included the plan for construction of a new 204-bed admission and treatment building and 66-bed minimum security unit, and as well as a 50-bed children's unit and a new storage and refrigeration building. Throughout 1962, further construction began as funding for the hospital came in. This construction included more administration buildings, dormitories, occupational therapy buildings, corrective psychology center, a power plant, and a gymnasium. By mid-1963, these buildings were neither fully completed or adequate to be occupied. And it would take another three years until seven of the buildings would even be able to be utilized. Okay. From 1974 to 1977, Central State Hospital became privatized and was even renamed for a short time, once again. Obtained by River Regional Mental Health Board as a part of a venture between them and the state to merge inpatient and community-based care while increasing the flow of federal dollars as part of the deal. The state would continue offering psychiatric services at the hospital as well as finance the Children's Center. River Region would was able to do some renovations to some of the deteriorating structures within the first year. Much of the financial problems stemmed from delayed reimbursement from federal medical sources such as Medicaid. And in July of 1977, the hospital resumed under the state con under state control and was again renamed to Central State. So I mean, if you understand how Medicaid and stuff like that works, a lot of like privatized care is not covered under state insurance like that. So I mean obviously things could have been different in those times as uh things were coming together, but I know more recent times privatized care is not necessarily covered under state insurances like that. Um, they're usually pretty strict as to keeping with specific doctors and things like that, unless it is absolutely necessary and you have to go through a lot to get that type of care. By 1979, the in-house patient population had decreased all the way down to 275 as the hospital began to utilize outpatient care and medicinal therapies. With the decreased population, it led the hospital to close many of its buildings and left them to be unused. In 1983, the highly controversial practice of electroshock had made its return. Some of the original buildings were now over a hundred years old, and even some of the newer buildings leaning towards 20 years old, the state realized that the facility was in desperate need of newer, more modern buildings for adequate care. In early 1986, many of the older buildings were demolished, and in August of the same year, Central State Hospital lost its U.S. certification and funding due to a lack of nursing staff. And because of this, it delayed the construction of newer buildings. The new main hospital building was ready in November of 1986. And following years of the in the following years of the 80s and well into the 1990s, the hospital was under fire due to multiple patient escapes and the release of a convicted child murderer, Tom Ice. So maybe, you know, another episode to consider. I mean, a hospital released him, and he apparently had a pretty messed up past. Any old buildings that remained fell into a state of neglect as they were mainly used for nothing but storage. It was estimated in 1993 that demolition and rehab to the remains of the older buildings would cost an average of$2.8 million. And in 1994, it was decided that the buildings were beyond saving due to the extravagant cost. This was also this would also have to include things like asbestos removal. However, what buildings did remain, such as old barns and the root cellar, were left for use by Sawyer State Park. I think it's important to note that psychiatric hospitals were not used back then the way they are now. Men could drop women off for women off there for being too opinionated. Elderly could be left when they were too much for the family to handle anymore. Children could be left for having outbursts. Um even, I mean, you think about things like autism and when it became, you know, a regular thing. I mean, it's not that autism hasn't been around, but these outbursts could have been unrecognized as autism back then. People that were struggling with poverty could be taken there. And it's sad to know that a lot of people during these times met their end with being the that being the one place they knew as home. With that being said, a lot of people that were left could have been labeled with simple anxiety or depression in recent times. It is also important to note that deaths that occurred between 1873 and 1936 were not always documented, so it's hard to really tell how many deaths were really there really were over the lifespan of the hospital. Central State Hospital created its own cemeteries for those whose lives were lost that didn't have family to bury them. These cemeteries are located on the grounds, and it is said that there have been about a thousand graves found, and a lot of them were not even marked with headstones or names. So those buried have not all been identified. It is said there were stories of pregnant women that had been taken to a cave on the land and come back without their babies. Some say that people would try to escape through the caves, but they couldn't handle the deep water, sharp rocks, and cold Kentucky winters, which, as being a native of Kentucky, our winters can be pretty brutal. Unfortunately, I could not find much on stories of the hauntings at the hospital, the way that I did for like Waverly Hills. There honestly has not been much investigation done there. The only team that I could really find that had even done investigations here were a local team from Louisville themselves. Sirius Paranormal is what they were called, has many photos that they have captured over the years of investigating there on their website, as well as links to their YouTube where you can find some of the encounters that they have had there. Honestly, I looked through their photos and some were pretty creepy with figures of children that can be spotted, many fairly large orbs in them, and the way the park has been vandalized, which has led them to close off many of the said active areas so that the public can't even really get in there and do any investigations. You have to have special access. Honestly, I have heard of many hospitals in Kentucky that have previously I have previously mentioned, such as Eastern State Hospital, is a fairly popular one as well. However, this particular one I had not heard much about, so I figured it would be fun to kind of challenge myself a bit this week. I am a little sad and disappointed that I could not find much more about like hauntings and stuff like that, because that's kind of what our podcast revolves around. But I'm glad I was able to take a deep dive into another part of our state's dark history. So I hope you guys enjoyed this little episode. More history than hauntings. I know, sad. Um, but it is definitely a dark past that our state and I'm sure many other states have gone through. Actually, I know many other states have had to go through. Um, but we're just at the break of things. We're, I mean, a new podcast, only what, 15 episodes in now? So we still have a lot to learn about other states. But otherwise, um, you guys let us know in the comments how we're doing. Uh, if you have any questions, uh let us know whether or not you enjoyed the themed month of February, as we're two weeks into March now. And uh make sure that you are following us on our socials for um updates. We have been slacking a bit in that as we've been going through a lot. Um, had some mourning and grieving to do for some things, some personal things in our lives, but we will definitely try to do better with our social media. Of course, it is Ghost and Gavel on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. And then we also don't forget we have our email, ghost and gavel, all one word at gmail.com, where you can submit your own personal stories and encounters. Have a great week, everyone. Bye.