Central State Hospital Museum

Since its founding in 1842, the Central State Hospital Campus (originally known as the Georgia State Lunatic, Idiot, and Epileptic Asylum) has been one of Milledgeville’s most well known and intriguing sites. The site gained national recognition during the 1960s as the worlds’ largest mental institution with over 12,000 patients, 6,000 employees, and more than 8,000 acres of land. Today, Central State Hospital serves over 200 existing patients and has downsized to roughly 2,000 acres of land. Take a free self-guided driving tour that highlights the historic buildings of the campus and mentions important people from CSH's past as well as the significance of certain periods in the Hospital's history. Brochures are available at the Milledgeville Visitor's Center and outside Just Imagine Cottage. For those interested in exploring more of the history of the former Central State Hospital campus, a guided trolley tour is offered monthly.