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Photos taken by Mitch Oates.

Mitch Oates sent me the following information about this old, abandoned mental hospital:

The South Carolina Lunatic Asylum was built in the late 1850's, and its design was cutting-edge for its time. The photographs are of the Babcock Building, the second oldest building, but the most impressive on the campus. The 140 acre campus itself is a nearly deserted city within the middle of Columbia, South Carolina, but the grounds are patrolled by state police. There are old wooden houses used by the doctors, an old church (Ironically named Chapel of Hope), a canteen, a library, and an auditorium...all abandoned. The state is eager to sell the property to developers hungry for real estate within the city, but historic preservation groups are attempting to block development. The grounds may also hold some archeological artifacts. During the Civil War, the hill behind the Babcock Building was used as a prisoner of war camp for Union soldiers. There is also a story of a serial killer on the grounds of the Asylum during the 1800's, who turned out to be a painter on the groundkeeping staff. I cannot vouch for the validity of that story.

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