Western State Hospital (Kentucky)

The Western State Hospital is a publicly funded psychiatric hospital in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Western Lunatic Asylum
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Roadside view
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Nearest city	Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Coordinates	36°51′54″N 87°27′4″W
Built	1854
Architect	Kelly, N.B.; Salter & Orr
MPS	Christian County MRA
NRHP reference No.	79003612[1]
Added to NRHP	April 30, 1979

History

Construction began in 1848, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, on The Western Kentucky Lunatic Asylum, which began admitting patients in 1854. Later renamed Western State Hospital, the facility currently operates as an inpatient center for the treatment of mental illness. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. It had a patient population as high as 2,200 by 1950. Improved medications for treatment of mental disorders allowed de-institutionalization and a decrease in inpatient numbers. The inpatient population as of 2004 was 220, from 34 counties in Western Kentucky. Its three facilities employed 650 workers in 2004.

Unconfirmed stories of alleged paranormal activity at the facilty were featured in the book Hauntings of the Western Lunatic Asylum by author Steve E. Asher. ^[2]