Forgotten Lives Forgotten Burials
Acknowledging the Past, Restoring Dignity
Dedicated to the thousands of patients who passed away & were
been buried quietly & anonymously in virtually unmarked state
hospital cemeteries and graves.
SC Committee to Preserve and Restore Historic Cemeteries
Purpose
We mark graves to help us remember. To be forgotten in life and
then relegated to an unmarked grave is a disgraceful end, a sign of
disdain and disrespect. Some where, some time, these people mattered
to somebody and they should not remain forgotten.
Across the country tens of thousands of patients were buried with
virtually no recognition of their existence. Over the years these
forgotten and neglected graves of persons who died in state psychiatric
hospitals conveys a message of devaluing the people who struggled
with mental illness, contributes to the burden of stigma that people still
face today and perpetuates the negative image of mental illness.
The purpose of this presentation is to acknowledge that history, to help
erase that stigma and to honor the lives of those who bravely fought
mental illness, and died in the system.
Format
To enhance the viewer’s understanding of how thousands of people
were simply forgotten, this presentation is divided into four parts:
1.
History
2.
Dealing with Death at the SC Hospital – Early Practices
3.
Forgotten Lives - Forgotten Burials
4.
Committee Creation & Achievements
Part One
History
Early Theory &Treatment
The Greeks coined terms for
melancholy, hysteria and phobia
and developed the humorism
theory.
Psychiatric theories and
treatments developed in Persia,
Arabia and the Muslim Empire,
particularly in the Medieval
Islamic world from the 8th
century, where the first
psychiatric hospitals were built.
Complex of Mansur Qalaun site of
one of the earliest hospitals.
Early Theory &Treatment
Although mental illnesses
were increasingly seen as
an organic physical
occurrence with no
connection to the soul or
moral responsibility by the
end of the eighteenth
century, asylum care was
often harsh and treated
people like wild animals.
Early Theory &Treatment
At the turn of the nineteenth
century a new concept called
Moral Therapy was taking hold. It
was based on the ideas of mutual
respect, that care should be kind
and personal, with an emphasis on
occupational therapy, religious
exercises, amusements and games,
and that the use of intimidation,
physical violence and restraints
should be avoided.
It was on these ideas that the
SC Asylum would be founded.
Founding of the Asylum
Historically, “what to do” with a mentally ill person depended
upon the individual’s status, domestic situation, location, and medical
condition. Insanity was viewed as a private matter and family
responsibility, and it was expected that family would render care or
pay someone else to do it.
In 1694, the Lords Proprietors of South Carolina established that the
mentally ill should be cared for at public expense by local (parish
a.k.a. county) governments.
This form of aid fell under the concept of “Outdoor Relief” based on
Elizabethan Poor Laws. It meant that if people were poor and sick
and/or disabled that “poor law officers” took them in or boarded them
at public expense.
Founding of the Asylum
Mental health received little
attention at the state level until
1810 when, Colonel Samuel Farrow
and Major William Crafts
began to petition the South
Carolina Legislature to fund a
permanent lunatic asylum.
According to legend, Farrow had
been moved at the sight of a
mentally ill woman wandering the
roads in his Upcountry district.
On December 20, 1821, the South
Carolina State Legislature passed a
statute-at-large approving $30,000 to
build the S.C. Lunatic Asylum.
Major William Crafts
Col. Samuel Farrow
Founding of the Asylum
This legislation made South
Carolina the third state in
the nation to provide state
funding for the care and
treatment of people with mental
illnesses. It was also the second
hospital solely dedicated to
mental health.
The belief was that if an asylum
existed to provide care families
would send their relatives to the
hospital for treatment.
The Robert Mills Building corner stone was laid in 1822
Founding of the Asylum
In reality, many families preferred to
care for mentally ill relatives at
home.
If home care was not possible
families would allow their relative to
live in the county jail or the work
house in order to keep them
nearby.
Consequently, the asylum did not
reach its full capacity of 192 until
1860 – more than 30 years after
opening its doors.
Robert Mills Building
Founding of the Asylum
It is important to note that:
 When the legislature provided funding to build the asylum it was
with the understanding that the hospital would be self supporting –
counties were required to pay for the transportation of the patient to
the hospital and pay a annual maintenance fee for that person.



The maintenance fee was never sufficient to cover costs
Counties often failed to pay the fee
A diagnosis of mental illness was not required to be admitted to the
hospital. Person’s whose families were unable, unwilling or didn’t
exist, who had dementia type illnesses, substance abuse problems,
cognitive and developmental disorders/delays, had epilepsy or
other seizure disorders, were deaf and/or blind or just troublesome
were often admitted. The hospital was frequently used, as one
person put it, “as a very convenient place for very inconvenient
people”.
Part Two
Dealing with Death at the SC
Hospital – Early Practices
Asylum Opens
When the Robert Mills building opened it was situated on the edge
of the city, a single building, on four acres of land.
The building that could house 192 patients also had recreation
rooms, dining rooms, offices, storage space etc. It wasn’t until 1860
that the hospital reached maximum capacity.
There were no plans to locate a cemetery intended for the burial of
deceased patients on the grounds.
Early Burial 1828 - 1860
The low census at the time equaled a low death rate and the Asylum
relied on the kindness of family, friends or on one of six local
graveyards to deal with those that had died.
If family or friends requested or a patient’s religious preference was
known a specific religious service and burial might be arranged to be
performed in one of five church run graveyards, otherwise the Publick
Graveyard was used.
(note: Publick did not mean not pauper; many citizens rich and poor, black and
white were buried in these cemeteries)
Early Burial 1828 - 1860
The six grave yards were the:
 Catholic Church Yard – near today's St. Peters Church

Baptist Church Yard – today’s First Baptist Church at Hampton &
Sumter Streets

Methodist Church Yard – today’s Washington Street United
Methodist Church at Marion & Washington Streets

Episcopal Church Yard – today’s Trinity Episcopal Church at
Sumter & Gervais Streets

Presbyterian Church Yard – today’s First Presbyterian Church at
Lady & Marion Streets

The 2nd “Publick” Burying Grounds - bounded by Senate, Wayne,
Pendleton and Pulaski Streets
Changes on the Horizon
After the Civil War ended in 1865, new buildings were constructed to
separate both the genders and the races. Person’s of color who had
been denied admittance since the mid- 1850’s were once again being
accepted as patients at an alarming rate. Institutionalization was
sometimes used as “legal” way to disenfranchise people based on race,
ideology or both.
Initially the fiscal responsibility for “ patient upkeep” was a County or
Parrish duty but in the 1870’s, the State assumed the financial
responsibility for the care of persons at the Asylum.
The result was a population explosion, continuous overcrowding,
unsanitary conditions and shortages of food, clothing and other staples.
The Death Toll Rises
The increased population dramatically amplified patient deaths from
tuberculosis, dysenteric conditions, and exhaustion in addition to the
more “traditional” causes; cardiac problems, syphilis, epilepsy and
kidney infections. But, by far the leading cause of death was due to
Pellagra.
Pellagra is caused by a diet that is insufficient in niacin. It was
commonly known as the “disease of the four D’s—dermatitis, diarrhea,
dementia, and death“. Some estimate the death rate to be as high as
40%. By the 1900’s it had reached epidemic proportions in the
American South.
It is still one of the most common diseases in developing countries of
the world or in places where there is poverty and poor nutrition.
Closing of the Public Cemetery
In the mid-1800’s there was a growing national movement to close and
remove cemeteries from cities. In 1857, Columbia formally abandoned
the “2nd Publick Cemetery” and the property was sold to the railroad to
expand their freight yard. No one could recall if the bodies were relocated but reports from the time indicate that head and foot stones
disappeared.
Research indicates that most likely the graves and any remains laid to
rest at the Publick Cemetery were destroyed after years of reuse. The
freight yard gave way to railroad track relocation, followed by a HUD
housing development, Vista Commons.
Part Three
Forgotten Lives
Forgotten Burials
The Cemeteries
Patients in the hospital were separated by gender and race. Deceased
patients whose remains were not claimed by family were buried in
separate cemeteries according to race . There were two classifications of
race: “white” and “colored”.
After the closing of the “Public Cemetery” in 1857, patient remains that
were not sent home for burial, were buried at one of the following
cemeteries; Elmwood, Potters field (a.k.a. Lower Cemetery), Geiger
Street, Slighs Ave., Pisgah Church Road, and the Memorial Gardens at
Morris Village.
Persons buried in these cemeteries had their final resting place marked
only by a numbered stone. These “cemeteries” were never intended to
have visitors, nor to have the dead memorialized or mourned.
They were intended to be invisible. And for years they were…
Elmwood Cemetery
With the “Publick Cemetery,” closing the Asylum had to look at other
options for burying deceased patients. A committee looking into the
matter was ordered to cost out the purchase of property large enough
for the burial of 200 souls or about 2 acres of land.
Opened in 1854, Elmwood was considered the replacement cemetery
for most Columbians. The Asylum eventually purchased two plots of
land at the cemetery around 1856.
The Asylum struck an agreement with Elmwood that “allowed land
use on a per-patient basis”. The charge was $10.00 for a pay patient and
$5.00 for a charity patient.
Elmwood Section 41
Section 41 is located very near the
entrance of the cemetery. It is
believed that this section was
used from approximately 1856 to
1907 for the burial of white
patients only, although the actual
location of the graves and identity of
the individuals buried there isn’t
known.
The section is still owned by the
Department of Mental Health and
is the planned site for a memorial
commemoration of the lives of
former patients.
Section 41
Elmwood Gardens was established in
1854 and is the final resting place for some
of SC’s most famous citizens.
Elmwood Section 41
There are virtually no grave markers and the land is eroded in section 41, yet
all around are the markers, monuments, and statues of people buried next to
them.
Site for Memorial
Elmwood Section 80
Very little is known about section 80
Property Border
except that it sat on the western edge of
with Elmwood
the Elmwood property. Purchased prior to
section 41, it was abandoned because it
was deemed to be “too far away” from
the entrance for easy use.
It remained in use for the burial of black
patients until the land was sold to
Randolph Cemetery in 1899. Patient burials
continued in this section and in Potters
Field a.k.a. the Lower Cemetery until 1908
when property on the Hospital grounds,
later to become known as Slighs Ave.,
was used.
Randolph, an African American
cemetery, was established in 1871 and
expanded in 1899.
Randolph was named in memory of B.F. Randolph, an African
American who served as a senator in the South Carolina
Legislature during Reconstruction.
Lower Cemetery/Potters Field
The “Lower Cemetery” was used by Columbia for over a
century. During that time, an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 burials took
place. In addition to mental health patients, both rich and poor, blacks
and whites were buried here.
The cemetery, neglected for years, has come back into focus recently.
Steps to have it placed on the National Register have begun – in part to
keep the land from being commercially developed into town homes.
The dips in the soil
are indicators of
sunken graves
Locations Sec. 41, 80, & Potters Field
North
Sec. 80
Potters field
Sec. 41
Slighs Avenue
By 1909-1910 “colored” patients
were no longer being buried in
either Randolph or the Lower
Cemetery but in what would
come to be called Slighs Ave. - the
first cemetery to exist on the
grounds of the Bull Street
property. It was used until 1922
and as many as 2,300 patients
could have been buried there.
It is owned by the City of Columbia
and was developed into a golf
driving range.
Net erected by the city to keep
golf balls off the grave sites
Marker placed
by City of
Columbia
Geiger Street
Around 1915, white patients were
buried in a section of property that
would become to be known as the
Geiger Street or Cotton Town Cemetery .
This would be the second and last
cemetery on the Bull Street property.
Marker
placed
by DMH
Approximately1000 former patients
were buried here until the cemetery
closed in 1954 and burials for white
patients began at the Pisgah Church
Road site.
It is unique that there is a confederate
soldiers cemetery within the larger
plot (for more info follow link).
http://www.palmettoroots.org/ConfederateCem.html
Confederate
Graveyard
within
Geiger
Pisgah Church Road
The cemetery known as Pisgah
Church Road opened 1954 and
closed in 1965.
It is actually located just off
Pisgah Church on Powell Road
and is situated behind the Pisgah
United Methodist Church
Cemetery.
It is believed that approximately
150 people were buried there.
Funeral shed where “services” where conducted
at Pisgah
The Memorial Gardens at
Morris Village
Morris Village Cemetery has been in
continuous use since 1922, and until
1966 received only non-white
patients. It is located directly beside
the Farrow Road facility, has the
most "organization" in that almost all
stones are visible, and intact.
The grounds are fenced in, with an
entrance and monument. Alongside
this cemetery is a smaller fenced-in
cemetery believed to be the resting
place of Department of Disabilities
and Special Needs people. Of the
2159 people buried there before
1986, 2,097 have been identified.
Entrance to the Cemetery
The Memorial Gardens at
Morris Village
Markers at the Entrance of the Cemetery
The Memorial Gardens at
Morris Village
The stones are level with the ground giving the appearance of large
empty field but approximately 2500 people are buried here.
Part Four
Committee Creation
&
Achievements
Committee to Preserve and Restore
Historic Cemeteries
In June of 2000, the Committee to Preserve & Protect Historic
Cemeteries was established. It was one of a dozen or so nation-wide
projects. The committees mission and goals have evolved over time.
Mission - To support the SCDMH Recovery Initiative by locating the
burial grounds of former patients, identifying those persons and
recognizing that to do this acknowledges and honors them and
becomes a valuable symbol promoting hope, healing and recovery to
persons served in public mental health systems of care today as well as
to the thousands that came before us and the thousands yet to come.
Committee to Preserve and Restore
Historic Cemeteries
Goals:
1.
Restore and preserve artifacts, records, monuments, headstones, and
grave markers of those buried in historically-significant cemeteries.
2.
Preserve, and provide access to, informational resources related to
historically-significant cemeteries that facilitate the location of the
deceased by families and clients.
3.
Develop brochures that inform and educate the public about the history
of mental illness and the memorialization of the deceased.
4.
Publish historical information regarding patient deaths and burials for
use by genealogists and historians.
5.
Establish a monument to recognize those unnamed citizens of the State of
South Carolina who were buried in these cemeteries.
6.
Establish procedures for family members to honor the deaths of loved
ones with the placement of a grave marker.
Achievements – Database
In the summer of 2010, a database honoring former patients buried by the State
Hospital was completed. Names, numbers and locations were matched going
back to 1893, the earliest date for which burial records could be found.
Inclusion in the database erred on the side of caution. Unless the disposition of
the deceased was clearly indicated in the records as buried by family or some
other organization the name was included.
It contains the names of some 9,500+ individuals who died while a patient at the
SC State Hospital and/or individuals in the custody of other agencies, for
example the Tubercular Hospital at State Park or residents of the Confederate
Veterans Home.
A copy of the data base has been turned over to the Department Of Archives
and History and was converted into a searchable program for public use. The
data base is available through the Richland County SC Public Library
Achievements – Grave marker procedure
A policy has been developed,
and is awaiting final approval
for the procedure to place a
formal marker with a name
and/or replace a numbered
marker.
Numbered Markers at Pisgah
Early slate markers at Geiger
Achievements Clean-Up
The Pisgah Church Road Cemetery was in disgraceful condition when
it was located. The property, no longer owned by the Department of
Mental Health, was being used as a garbage dump.
It was difficult to drive into or view the funeral shed as the property
was so over grown.
SC DMH clients and staff worked together to clear away the garbage,
remove overgrown shrubs, bushes and weeds. Grave markers were
located and exposed, stepping stones and a small fence and gateway
were added leading to the graves.
Pisgah Before Clean up
Pisgah Church Cemetery was completely overgrown.
It sat off the road and in no way identified itself as a cemetery.
Pisgah After Clean-Up
Same view after clean up
Pisgah Before Clean Up
Building where the funeral services were held
Pisgah Before After Up
Same view after clean-up
Pisgah Before
Some of the committee members look for any sign of markers
that would identify persons who were buried in the cemetery.
Pisgah After
Pisgah
The wooden frame was used to
outline the sized of grave to ensure
the coffin would fit.
It is now possible to drive
into the cemetery.
Memorial Plan
Elmwood Cemetery
One goal is to
restore
& preserve
artifacts,
records,
monuments,
headstones.
Site for Memorial
One of five marked graves in the
cemetery, the name, Johanna
Harden, is barley visible.
Memorial Plan
Elmwood Cemetery
DEDICATED IN LOVING MEMORY TO THE
THOUSANDS OF PATIENTS
WHO LIVED AND DIED ANONYMOUSLY
AT THE SOUTH CAOLINA STATE HOSPITAL
1828-1985.
The stigma of mental illness has been so great that there was a time
when thousands of people who passed away while a patient at the
State Hospital were buried quietly and anonymously in virtually
unmarked cemeteries and graves.
Materials List:
Marker & Plaque
2 Curved Benches
Ground Cover
Coping
Headstone Restoration
Since opening its doors in 1828 until 1985, a person’s final resting
place was marked only by a number in one of six cemeteries:
Elmwood
Potter Field
Geiger Street
Slighs Avenue
Pisgah Church Road
Morris Village.
Memorial Plan
Elmwood Cemetery
Tree
Tree
Elmwood Cemetery
Memorial Plans
Tree
Tree
Tree
Tree
Bench
Oak Tree
Where
Memorial
is to be
centered
Tree
Tree
Bench
Tree
Plaque
References
Dealing with Death: The Use and Loss of Cemeteries by the SC State Hospital in
Columbia, SC, Chicora Research Contribution 316, January 17, 2001
Randolph Cemetery, South Carolina Department of Archives and History
http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/richland/S10817740105 /index.htm
Columbia’s Scandal Lower Cemetery SC, Chicora Research Contribution 521,
December 2009 Lower Cemetery (Potter's Field #3) Richland County, SC
http://www.palmettoroots.org/LowerCem.html
A Small Sample of Burials at Randolph Cemetery: What their Stories Tell Us About
The Cemeteries and African American Life in Columbia, Chicora Research
Contribution 461, February 5, 2007
The Penitentiary Cemetery, Columbia, South Carolina, Chicora Research Contribution
509, February 2009
Caring for Patients’ Graves Helps Hospitals Reconcile With Living, Kate Mulligan,
Psychiatric News August 3, 2001 Volume 36 Number 15 Page 10
References
History of the South Carolina Department of Mental Health
http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/history.htm
South Carolina Department of Mental Health Celebrates 175th Anniversary
http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/dmhhist.htm
Comparing the Mental Health of the Past to the Mental Health of the Present
http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/then_now.htm
The Georgia Story: How to Successfully Restore a State Hospital Cemetery, A
technical assistance manual funded by the federal Center for Mental Health Services
December 1999
It's About Time: Discovering, Recovering and Celebrating Psychiatric
Consumer/Survivor History. Larry Fricks for the Georgia Consumer Council January
2004
THANK YOU
To locate the burial site of a family member, please
contact Katherine Roberts with SCDMH Office of
Client Affairs at (803) 898-8304.
To make a donation toward the cemetery preservation
effort, please contact Anita Baker, Committee Chair at the
Mental Health Association in South Carolina at (803) 779-5363.
Committee to Preserve and Restore Historic Cemeteries