Near Petersburg in Dinwiddie County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Central State Hospital

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 21, 2021

1. Central State Hospital Marker

Inscription. Central State Hospital traces its origins to a mental health hospital for African Americans established ca. 1866 by the Freedmen's Bureau at Howard's Grove, near Richmond. The Commonwealth of Virginia assumed control of the facility in 1870. In 1882 the City of Petersburg purchased the Mayfield plantation here for $15,000 and transferred the property to the hospital's board of directors. The hospital relocated in 1885 on completion of the new physical plant, which continued to expand during the 20th century. The facility provided mental health care to nonwhite Virginians until it was desegregated in the mid-1960s.

Erected 2016 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number I-6.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1866.

Location. 37° 12.95′ N, 77° 27.016′ W. Marker is near Petersburg, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County. It is at the intersection of West Washington Street (U.S. 1) and 7th Avenue,

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on the left when traveling west on West Washington Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 26317 W Washington St, Petersburg VA 23803, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont,

in Southside Virginia,

and specifically in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Mayfield (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Edge Hill (approx. ¼ mile away); Southside Virginia Training Center (approx. 0.4 miles away); Confederate Fort Whitworth (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Battle of Fort Whitworth (approx. 0.9 miles away); Central State Hospital Cemetery (approx. one mile away); Mattoax (approx.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 21, 2021

2. Central State Hospital Marker

1.2 miles away); AKA Delta Omega (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Petersburg.

Other markers no longer nearby. Central State Hospital (has been replaced with this marker); Petersburg State Colony for the Negro Insane (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Old Marker At This Location also titled "Central State Hospital".

Additional keywords. mental healthcare

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 769 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 22, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.