Near Petersburg in Dinwiddie County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Central State Hospital Cemetery
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 21, 2021
1. Central State Hospital Cemetery Marker
Inscription.
Central State Hospital Cemetery. . This cemetery is the final resting place for thousands of patients treated at the nation's first stand-alone psychiatric hospital for African Americans, originally known as the Central Lunatic Asylum and later renamed Central State Hospital. The asylum, which became a state institution in 1870, moved here from a location near Richmond in 1885. Deceased patients were interred in this burial ground from the mid-1880s until a new cemetery opened a short distance southeast of here in 1939. In some years during this period, more than 10 percent of the hospital's patients died. Graves were originally marked with small stones that deteriorated over time.
This cemetery is the final resting place for thousands of patients treated at the nation's first stand-alone psychiatric hospital for African Americans, originally known as the Central Lunatic Asylum and later renamed Central State Hospital. The asylum, which became a state institution in 1870, moved here from a location near Richmond in 1885. Deceased patients were interred in this burial ground from the mid-1880s until a new cemetery opened a short distance southeast of here in 1939. In some years during this period, more than 10 percent of the hospital's patients died. Graves were originally marked with small stones that deteriorated over time.
Erected 2020 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number S-98.)
Location. 37° 12.096′ N, 77° 27.281′ W. Marker is near Petersburg, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County. Marker is on 7th Avenue, 0.1 miles south of Accomac Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6 7th Ave, Petersburg VA 23803, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Additional keywords. mental healthcare; segregation; Jim Crow era
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 21, 2021
2. Central State Hospital Cemetery Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 22, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 453 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on August 22, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
