Bull Street Lunatic Asylum

After reading about the Bull Street Lunatic Asylum and the South Carolina history there, and that the land and buildings were sold and would soon be torn down, my friend and I just knew we had to go photograph the old buildings. We walked the complex for three hours before being stopped by a security guard who made us delete all our photos. Steph made a quick photo card exchange and deleted an empty card, while I deleted my entire photo card. Luckily, I had a friend who was able to retrieve all the lost photos. Warning: before going to photograph this place YOU MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION from

Public Information Coordinator

DMH Office of Public Affairs
2414 Bull Street, Suite 302
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: (803) 898-8581
FAX: (803) 898-8316).

We learned that the lunatic asylum (named so in the 1800s) was essentially a city within a city, even making its own electricity. During the Civil War it was used ask a prisoner camp. Many of the buildings are now falling apart, but this place is still worth a visit. The structures were built at different times and you can still see the vast architectural styles here.

We peeked in and photographed every building we could find with open windows and doors. Steph is photographing the basement of a building here.

We believe these buildings were where they housed the criminally insane but we aren't positive. We heard it was in two back buildings with bars on their windows. This building fits that description.

This is one side of the Babcock building. It's huge and we took many photos from it's different sides. We really wanted to get inside this building (we'd heard that many people sneak in) because we've read that all the files and furniture remains from when the hospital was used. We would have loved to roam the halls and read some of the files. There's a fence around the entire building and even though we found a way in, we decided the old place looked too decrepit and unsafe to dare try. Not only that, but we saw signs of the homeless living everywhere in these buildings. We felt our personal safety from that aspect could also come into play.

Another side of the Babcock building. We believe that this building was added on to for years, which is why it is so huge.

We are now wandering over to what we believe is where they manufactured and stored products made within their walls. We know there was a mattress factory here and they also grew their own food.

The shapes and lines of the rooftops on this part of the grounds are awesome.

This is another part of the Babcock building.

We felt an eerie sense of trepidation as we walked these grounds and photographed the buildings. We knew that people once lived here. Some had suffered abuse and shock treatments, other were warehoused here because of homelessness and truant behavior, while others truly received the help they needed. Even though the place is huge, it was always overcrowded, with people sleeping in hallways. It makes you wonder how so many could end up at this lunatic asylum. And if so many were here, then where are they today.

This is more of the Babcock building.

We peeked through every window, door and opening we could find. We took several photos too but decided against posting them.

There was a church on the property called THE CHAPEL OF HOPE!

There was even a small library on the grounds.

South Carolina was one of the first states to provide a place to care for its mentally ill and Robert Mills designed the asylum. As a result of the grand architecture of the Babcock building, he went on to design many of the buildings in Washington DC. Notice the columns here, in his own house located in Columbia SC and in some Washington DC buildings.

Just showing a little of the architecture.

The details are exquisite. At one time this place must have been magnificent.

Even the bars on the front of the Babcock building were decorative as if to say, "You're not really locked up in here."

More detail from the imposing front porch area. We would have loved to get inside to see the lobby.

More of the front of the building.

From either side of the front steps that led inside the Babcock building was a hallway underneath with two doorways. Inside the window, we could see two bathrooms and other rooms. We imagine that this is where they brought people in on stretchers in the middle of the night. Or perhaps we watch too many old movies.

Another view. You can see there is a small ramp that leads to the doors. Maybe the stretcher in the night theory isn't too far fetched after all.

More architecture from the front of the building.

One of the gates leading into the asylum. Even the architecture here is beautiful. Obviously, no expense was spared in building this place.

This is a large courtyard kind of in the middle of the large Babcock facility. This must have been where some of the patients went to stretch their legs.

It was in the giant courtyard that we saw this very old and creepy looking gurney that tells a story of a time past.

It was also in the giant courtyard that we saw a reminder that even children called this place home. This is merely a sampling of the 236 photos I took that day. Steph took about the same. These were taken on Wednesday, Jan 2, 2013. We plan to return on Wednesday, February 6, 2013, this time with passes in hand to look for anything we may have missed. But if you have not visited this place yet, we highly recommend you taking a drive through just to see it with your own eyes before all the buildings are torn down and a self-containing community with apartments and stores (another city within a city) is built in its place. One thing the security guard did say is that the Babcock building will be restored and kept on these grounds as a historic reminder of times past.