South Carolina Lunatic Asylum Admissions    Newberry County, South Carolina Robert Mills, a renowned architect, was chosen to design the new South Carolina Lunatic Asylum. In 1822 the cornerstone was laid for the Mills Building. It took six years to complete. The building's many innovations included fire-proof ceilings, a central heating system, and one of the country's first roof gardens. South Carolina's asylum was one of the first in the nation built expressly for the mentally ill and funded by a state government. Citizens were wary of sending their loved ones to the asylum.  It was not until December 12, 1828, that the first patient was admitted, a young woman from Barnwell County.  She was accompanied by her mother who worked as a matron while her daughter was a patient at the hospital.  Below you will find some residences from Newberry County who were admitted to this hospital (source: South Carolina Archives, microfilm ST0835) 1828-1876 1876-1885 1881-1887 1887-1889 1889-1898 1898-1902 1902-1909 1909-1915 1915-1919 1920-1926   Patient Name Admit Date Patient # Age Race Comments Additional notes Bobb, Nancy C. 4 Jul 1884 4281 38 white X X Bonner, George 5 Apr 1881 3474 27 [sic 21] colored eloped 1 Jun 1881 returned 27 Jul 1881, eloped 3 May 1882 age 22, returned 24 Jul 1883 age 24, eloped 19 May 1884 age 24 Boyd, Thomas 24 Sept 1875 2392 13 colored d. 2 Mar 1876 exhaustion from ? Brown, Wm. 3 Nov 1877 2932 62 white d. 11 Dec 1877 X Caldwell, Marcus 11 Jun 1881 3528 23 colored recovered, discharged 5 Nov 1881 X Cook, John J. 29 Apr 1879 3151 50 white X X Cook, J. J. 20 Jan 1885 4427 27 white X X Cooper, Tom 18 Jun 1883 4006 45 colored released on trial 15 May 1884 returned 24 Jun 1884 Coppock, Emanuel S. 24 Feb 1881 3454 49 white released on trial 11 Mar 1881 Cromer, Lavinia 4 Sept 1880 3379 21 colored d. 25 Aug 1883 age 23 X Crooks, W. D. 16 Jul 1884 6098 20 white released on trial 15 Aug 1884 age 20 Epting, Tillis C. 2 Mar 1881 3460 27 white X X Fant, Lewis 5 Nov 1879 3244 20 colored d. 15 Jun 1880 X Gailman, Winson 28 Sept 1876 2756 32 colored d. 11 Dec 1881 X Goggans, Tabby 27 May 1875 2343 55 X d. 10 Jun of consumption Grey, James 7 Jul 1884 6085 12 colored X X Grey, Wilson 17 May 1884 6034 61 colored X X Harp, Rachel 23 Jun 1875 2365 50 colored unimproved discharged 17 May 1876 Harrington, Matilda 23 Jun 1875 2366 25 colored X X Hawkins, Rosa 7 Dec 1881 3637 24 colored d. 11 Dec 1881 X Henderson, James A. 4 Dec 1883 5015 65 colored X X Holloway, W. R. 27 May 1884 6042 25 white X X Jaeger, Carl. G. 6 Mar 1883 3925 58 white X X Kane, Charles 16 Nov 1881 3621 18 colored X X Kinard, Pamelia L. E. 27 Nov 1877 2941 21 white d. 24 Feb 1882 age 32 X Krowz, Charles 23 Jul 1878 3041 41 white recovered discharged 4 Sept 1878 Maybin, Mamie 22 Dec 1884 4419 24 white d. 23 Dec 1884 X Mitchell , Eliza 17 May 1884 4233 33 colored d. 27 Jul 1884 age 33 X Peterson, Mack 30 Nov 1876 2774 22 white discharged 23 Jul 1878 removed on trial Peterson, Mark 25 May 1875 2341 21 improved discharged 11 May 1876 Peterson, Mark 2 Jul 1880 2341 X X on a visit to his mother X Pitts, Taxana 2 May 1883 3971 32 white released on trial 13 Nov 1884 age 33 Priester, Frank 26 Nov 1884 4401 33 colored discharged 21 Feb 1885 Randall, John B. 2 May 1875 (discharged) 58 colored epilepsy died Reeder, Henry 12 Apr 1876 2708 23 colored recovered discharged 30 Dec 1876 Rice, Wade 5 Jul 1883 4022 24 colored released on trial 21 Aug 1883 Rikard, Drayton 10 Nov 1875 2660 18 X d. 27 May 1876 consumption Ruff, Hagar 19 May 1879 3 159 30 colored X X Schumpert, A. 11 Dec 1877 2945 60 colored recovered discharged 9 Apr 1878 Schumpert, Arthur 23 Jul 1877 2875 54 colored recovered discharged 19 Sept 1877 Simpkins, Mack 10 Nov 1875 2661 19 X recovered, discharged 10 May 1876 Sims, Lomas 25 Oct 1877 2927 19 colored d. 30 Nov 1877 X Spearman, Albert G. 16 Jun 1880 3350 30 white recovered discharged 8 Nov 1880 Stafford, Lila 31 Jul 1879 3188 20 colored d. 23 Mar 1884 age 26 X Stafford, Pauline 6 Feb 1878 296? 22 colored X X Tarrant, Homer P. 4 Jan 1881 3429 55 [35?] white re-admitted 11 Apr 1881 Thomas, Mary 5 May 1879 3153 22 white recovered discharged 9 Apr 1879 Towns, Hawkins 23 Jul 1878 (discharged) 2870 36 X removed on trial Valentine, Eliza 23 Jun 1875 2367 45 colored unimproved discharged 17 May 1876 Wadlington, Hiram 23 Jun 1875 2364 45 or 50 colored d. 5 Jul 1876 from epilepsy and consumption Wallar, Ellen 18 Sept 1882 3823 about 30 colored X X Webb, Thos. J. 7 Apr 1881 (discharged) 3468 X white out on trial when admitted listed as Richland Co. Welch, Eliz 28 Mar 1881 3473 45 colored released on trial 2 Dec 1881 returned 3 Mar 1882 age 46 Werts, Reuben 5 Oct 1880 3395 38 colored recovered discharged 8 Nov 1880 Wheeler, Geo. A. 9 Dec 1879 3260 60 white discharged 17 Feb 1880 Wheeler, Dennis 5 Jul 1878 3031 22 colored recovered discharged 7 Sept 1878 Wheeler, Dennis 1 Jun 1882 3176 27 colored returned, eloped 14 Oct 1882 Willingham, R. W. 10 Jan 1884 5041 30 colored released on trial discharged 24 Apr 1884 Young, Gabriel 28 Sept 1878 3062 X colored d. 12 Oct 1878 X