Lakin State Hospital

Last updated
Lakin State Hospital
State Hospital for the Colored Insane
Lakin State Hospital
Former namesLakin State Hospital for the Colored Insane
General information
StatusRepurposed
Partially Demolished
TypeInstitutional
Location Lakin, West Virginia
CountryUnited States
Construction started1919
Opened1926
Closed1979
Owner State of West Virginia
Technical details
MaterialFoundation-Stone, Exterior-Brick, Roof-Slate
Known forThe only state hospital with an all black staff, including the superintendent

Lakin State Hospital, originally known as the Lakin State Hospital for the Colored Insane, was a publicly-funded psychiatric hospital located along West Virginia Route 62 in Lakin, Mason County, West Virginia near Point Pleasant which operated from 1926 until 1979. During segregation and Jim Crow, the asylum was designated by the State of West Virginia to care for the "colored insane". [1] It would become one of only two known psychiatric institutions that was entirely run by people of color serving an all black population. [2] [3]

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References

  1. "Lakin Hospital". gallipolis.uber.matchbin.net. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  2. Stine, Alison. "No Marker, No Memorial: The Lakin State Hospital for the Colored Insane". The Attic. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  3. "Gone but not forgotten - The Point Pleasant Register". www.mydailyregister.com. 2017-02-17. Retrieved 2020-09-04.