Central Lunatic Asylum

The origin of the Central State Hospital for Colored Insane dates back to the close of the Civil War, when, in April 1865, Congress created the Freedmen's Bureau to establish hospitals, schools, and other facilities for the African American population. In 1870, the General Assembly passed an act incorporating the Central Lunatic Asylum as an organized state institution, becoming the first psychiatric institution in the United States exclusively for African Americans.

In 1882, the need for expansion was evident due to the rapid growth of the patient population at the Central Lunatic Asylum, and in 1885, a permanent home was built near Petersburg, Va. The hospital remained a segregated institution until the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when it began to admit patients of all races.

To learn more about Central State Hospital, click here.