Milledgeville in Baldwin County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Cornerstone/Auditorium Building

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 7, 2022

1. Cornerstone/Auditorium Building Marker

Inscription. The Georgia Lunatic Asylum (now Central State Hospital) “was the fifth oldest institution exclusively for the insane in the South and the fourteenth in the nation” (Dr. Peter G. Cranford). It took care of the afflicted paupers in Georgia as well as others from Georgia and elsewhere who could pay $100/year to cover clothing, room-and-board and medical care. The female convalescent building was erected in 1883. The building once mirrored the Walker Building, the building directly across the Pecan Grove from this building. The back portion of the building was torn down and a modern auditorium erected in 1949. The front portion was saved because it has a cornerstone with the hospital's original name of the Georgia Lunatic Asylum. The auditorium is still used for dances, meetings, nursing school graduations, and staff training and can also be rented for community events.

Examples of why you would be committed to the hospital: • 22-year-old white female; a pay patient who had been mentally ill for 8 years; indecent and immodest; ulcerated legs and other somewhat minor complaints; some improvement
• 23-year-old female; “lunatic

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and epíleptic” whose epileptic convulsions seemed to follow disappointment in love; violent; hostile; auditory and visual hallucinations

[Caption] Female convalescent building, 1908

Erected by Central State Hospital Redevelopment Authority.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.

Location. 33° 3.116′ N, 83° 13.385′ W. Marker is in Milledgeville, Georgia, in Baldwin County. It is at the intersection of Jones Drive and Broad Street, on the left when traveling north on Jones Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Milledgeville GA 31062, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Antebellum Trail

and in the Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep 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

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 7, 2022

2. Cornerstone/Auditorium Building Marker

of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Milledgeville State Hospital (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Powell Building (about 400 feet away); The Walker Building (about 600 feet away); The Green Building (about 700 feet away); Summer Home (of) Governor Herschel V. Johnson (approx. 0.6 miles away); Fort Wilkinson (approx. 0.8 miles away); Cedar Lane Cemetery (approx. 0.8 miles away); Old Fort Wilkinson (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milledgeville.

Regarding Cornerstone/Auditorium Building. It is among some 200 buildings on the former hospital campus. The Central State Hospital Redevelopment Authority was created to revitalize and re-purpose the 2,000-acre site, which has been re-branded as Renaissance Park for business purposes.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 13, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 640 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 13, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.