Posted by: Naaman
This building sits on what was originally known as the Cherokee Plantation. The plantation was owned by a wealthy southern industrialist, Robert Jemison. The first Alabama Insane Hospital was built in 1861. The name was changed in 1900 after its first superintendent to Bryce Hospital. With the end of the Civil War and the pressures of segregation looming, the number of African American patients increased dramatically at Bryce Hospital. In the 1920s, Bryce Hospital became segregated and this building, the Jemison Mental Institution, was built to house the increasing numbers of African-American mentally insane.
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Credits: Exothermic
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Credits: Exothermic
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I recently used this in a novel I'm writing and spent a lot of time researching its background and name changes, etc. This is the first time I'm seeing actual photographs of the inside as it stands now. Interesting, and thank you....
ReplyDeletecould you help me out with some places that are ghost places that are in alabama . im trying to run a flickr for "abandoned alabama"
ReplyDeletedo u do all ur photography in alabama
ReplyDeleteCan I get the address or location please?
ReplyDeleteDid you get any pictures of the children's ward? (At least that's what I was told it was) It's to the side of the main building. I'm not sure if its connected. When I went there seven years ago we could see a mural through the tall grass and the windows but did not go in. From what we could tell it seemed less damaged than the main areas. People are so disrespectful. My great great grandmother trained as a nurse at old Bryce and I'd like to go back and visit it but I know I'd be upset by how more wrecked it's gotten after 7 years.
ReplyDeleteAlso how do you know if the floors will hold you are not? We didn't go above the main floor for that reason.
Everything I saw is in my Flickr set. Just click one of the pics on the post and it will take you. Looking at this now, I was a fairly bad photographer back then. :)
DeleteForgive the typos. I'm commenting by phone.
ReplyDeleteIs it easy to get in?
ReplyDeleteHey there. I have been a few times with my paranormal group. It is very easy to enter, you literally just walk through the main entrance. If you go, though, be aware that you could be caught by the police.
DeleteOn google maps it looks like there's a lot of construction around. Do you know if the security is better as a result?
DeleteThere is no security. I've been 20 times in the last year and I have never seen a police officer/security or heard of anyone else running into them within the last few years. There are a couple of businesses on either side of the Jemison Center but they aren't very close at all.
DeleteI would love to see your work at the Department of Youth Services Chalkville Campus. I know a few people have been able to get close enough to get photos but more recent photos would be interesting. I worked there for 25 years, retired in 2006, and they closed after the tornado in 2012. It's a huge facility just rotting.....with so many stories left inside
ReplyDeleteCorrection: I just found your photos of Chalkville Campus. Wow! You have some great shots, though I'm shaking my head at the total waste of this place. Excellent work...I think one of those (#24) was my office. It had two doors, one to a waiting area and one to a narrow hall, with two glazed-type windows on the hall side. (((chills)))
ReplyDelete