Central State Hospital Cemeteries
Also known as: State Lunatic Asylum Cemetery; Georgia State Sanitarium; Milledegeville State Hospital Cemeteries
Why it's listed
Three historic cemeteries on the grounds of Central State Hospital, southeast of Milledgeville, hold the graves of thousands of patients of Georgia's state mental hospital. The oldest, the Asylum Cemetery, dates from 1854 and occupies rolling, terraced land north of Camp Creek, with an allée of cedars and roughly 7,500 to 8,500 graves. South Camp Creek Cemetery holds trench graves dug about 1938-1939, where remains from the New Colored Cemetery were moved when a tuberculosis hospital was built. The New Colored Cemetery was laid out for African-American patients. Most graves carry only cast-metal markers showing a number, made at the hospital and keyed to ledger books now at the Georgia Archives. The cemeteries were closed to new burials in 1960. They are significant for what they show about institutional care of the dead, segregation in medicine and burial, and a planned landscape influenced by the rural cemetery movement.
Significance in brief: The cemeteries are argued to be significant at the state level as burial grounds for patients of Georgia's only state-run mental health facility. They illustrate institutional burial practice, with numbered graves keyed to ledgers and cast-metal markers made on site. Their terraced landscape reflects the rural cemetery movement, and one cemetery reflects segregated burial of African-American patients.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 05000694, listed July 12, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3 mi. SE of Milledgeville, centered on Cedar Lm, at Central State Hospital, bet. US 441 and GA 112, Hardwick |
|---|---|
| County | Baldwin County |
| Listed | July 12, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000694 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1854-1960 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Black, Health/Medicine, Landscape Architecture, Politics/Government, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed to new burials in 1960; the oldest cemetery has been partly restored, with modern gates, benches and a statue added. |
| Acreage | 20.7 |
| Coordinates | 33.03981, -83.21933 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 05000694.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q117445147
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.