East End in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Central Lunatic Asylum
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 21, 2021
1. Central Lunatic Asylum Marker
Inscription.
Central Lunatic Asylum. . Howard's Grove was a 19th-century recreational retreat near Richmond before becoming a Confederate hospital in 1862. After the Civil War, the Freedmen's Bureau operated a hospital here for African Americans suffering from mental disorders, ill health, or homelessness. In Dec. 1869 the federal government transferred the facility to the state as an asylum exclusively for the "colored insane," making it the nation's first stand-alone mental hospital for black patients. Organized as a state institution in 1870, the Central Lunatic Asylum moved to Dinwiddie County in 1885, was renamed Central State Hospital in 1894, and was desegregated in 1967.
Howard's Grove was a 19th-century recreational retreat near Richmond before becoming a Confederate hospital in 1862. After the Civil War, the Freedmen's Bureau operated a hospital here for African Americans suffering from mental disorders, ill health, or homelessness. In Dec. 1869 the federal government transferred the facility to the state as an asylum exclusively for the "colored insane," making it the nation's first stand-alone mental hospital for black patients. Organized as a state institution in 1870, the Central Lunatic Asylum moved to Dinwiddie County in 1885, was renamed Central State Hospital in 1894, and was desegregated in 1967.
Erected 2020 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number SA-123.)
Location. 37° 32.577′ N, 77° 24.903′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in East End. Marker is at the intersection of North 20th Street and Fairmount Avenue (Virginia Route 33), on the right when
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traveling north on North 20th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2001 Fairmount Ave, Richmond VA 23223, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 21, 2021
2. Central Lunatic Asylum Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 545 times since then and 104 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on August 23, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
