Indiana Central State Hospital
The grounds of this former Indiana asylum complex may be haunted by phantoms of old patients
Paranormal Reports at
Central State Hospital
- A woman’s screams are heard from around the old power house
- Shadowy figures can sometimes be seen lingering the grounds where the hospital once was
- Old machinery around the power house has reportedly been flipped on and off by unseen forces
- Cries and screams can also be heard around the area of the old worker dormitories
- Disembodied voices and ghostly moans have been heard in the Pathology Building
A Midwest Asylum:
History of Central State Hospital
To most people in America, the era of sprawling insane asylum seems like a lost chapter of history. And many times, that is true, with most of the biggest asylums in the United States demolished decades ago.
But a few old asylum complexes still have a few remaining signs of their historic lives. One such campus is Central State Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana.
It has lost its largest buildings, but a few preserved structures from the old hospital still remain. One, the Pathology Building, is now a medical history museum. And the museum, along with a few other areas of the former grounds, may be preserving hauntings as well.
Yes, though the asylum itself is long gone, ghosts from its heyday may still roam the complex. Perhaps still seeking a cure for whatever ails them in the afterlife.
Timeline of Indiana Central State Hospital's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Indiana Central State Hospital through the years
1848
Opened in 1848 as the Indiana Hospital for the Insane, the asylum promised treatments for countless mentally ill people in the state. The facility’s focal point was the main treatment building. It was a Kirkbride-style asylum with two long, staggered wings. While mental health care was in its infancy, the hospital staff did what they could to treat illnesses.
Some things treated in the hospital’s early years included addiction, dementia, depression, and schizophrenia. Oftentimes, the hospital treated illnesses that didn’t even have names yet.
1896
In the 1800s world of mental health, many asylum trips ended up being permanent. As such, the population of the Indiana asylum quickly swelled. The already expansive campus had to make several expansions by the century’s end. One important add-on to the complex was the Pathology Building, constructed in 1896.
The building opened up new possibilities for treatment at the facility. It focused on education about mental ailments as well as legitimate medical treatment of mental illness.
1950
Throughout the early 1900s, the hospital’s population continued to grow. More buildings were added-on, and by 1950 the population of the hospital, now renamed to Central State Hospital, totaled 2,500. This would prove to be the high point of the hospital’s use. Actual cures from the Pathology Department made stays at the asylum more temporary than permanent.
Other treatment methods avoided asylum stays altogether. Quickly, a facility the size of Central State was becoming unnecessary.
1994
Areas around Central State shuttered piece-by-piece. The Pathology Building became a museum in 1969, while others were sold off until the hospital finally closed in 1994. Since then, most of the treatment buildings have been demolished or reused. The Pathology Building though, remains preserved in its old appearance. It still operates as a museum. And as visitors come and go, there are reports of spectral figures and odd encounters.
Could paranormal patients still be lingering around Central State Hospital?
Is Central State Hospital Haunted?
Though much of Central State Hospital has been lost to wrecking balls, the ghosts that linger don’t seem to mind. Much of the reported activity spans across the old hospital campus, even in areas where buildings no longer exist.
One of the more common areas of ghostly sightings is the flat parcel of land where the main hospital building once stood. At all times of day, you might spot a shadowy figure walking through the area and then disappearing. Perhaps a phantom of a physician out on a walk?
The Paranormal Power House
Another supposed haunted hotspot around Central State Hospital is the old power house. Being completely un-renovated, the power house is closed off to the public today. But that hasn’t stopped the ghost stories within from growing.
One regular report at the power house is the sound of a distant woman screaming. The ghostly calls seem like they’re coming from inside the massive, empty power house. However, no one can ever figure out from where.
Other claims of ghostly happenings at the power house stem from its active eras, when more people could come and go from the building.
In those times, machinery acting strangely or turning on and off by itself was common. And no causes for the malfunctions were ever identified. Some now think it was the work of the hospital’s ghosts causing a little mischief for the power plant staff.
Spiritual Screams From the Asylum
The old power plant isn’t the only place around Central State where you might hear ghostly screaming. The area of the property once home to worker dormitories has also become known for unknown, and possible paranormal howls in the night.
And just like around the power house, the screams are said to be that of a woman, somewhere off in the dark distance. And once again, no one has ever found the source of these haunting screams. But this does beg the question, just what are all of these asylum apparitions screaming about?
Ghostly Mysteries at the Museum
At the old Pathology Building, the only hospital structure fully open to the public, strange things also go bump in the night. Visitors taking tours of the museum have reportedly heard disembodied voices. Along with voices, other kinds of unexplained noises are sometimes heard. These include the sound of someone moaning or groaning from another room.
Other unexplained voices are also reported through the old campus, including some that sound like children. Interested ghost hunters who walk the campus with recorders sometimes claim to capture EVP recordings of some of these ghostly voices. Might the shadowy figures around the asylum have stories to tell us?
Paranormal Preserved at
Central State Hospital
Central State Hospital and museum leadership today don’t often lend any credence to the idea that the former hospital is haunted. As such, you won’t find many ghost-related tours offered, either of the museum or any other areas of the grounds.
But, you can still take a tour of the Old Pathology Building and learn a thing or two about the history of mental health in America.
Who knows, you might even hear one of those reported disembodied voices on your tour. Or maybe you’ll spot a shadow figure strolling around the grounds as you pass through.
So though only a small portion of Central State Hospital still stands, it seems all the hospital’s ghosts are sticking close to where they once called home.
