Peoria State Hospital for the Incurable Insane

Peoria State Hospital, also known as Bartonville State Hospital or Illinois Hospital for the Incurable Insane, was a mental health hospital operated by the State of Illinois. It was abandoned in 1973. The hospital is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located in Bartonville, Illinois, near the city of Peoria in Peoria County.

Now a typical neighborhood in Bartonville, this patch of land was once property of the Peoria State Hospital, established in 1895 by Dr. George Zeller. It's first buildings were destroyed at the turn of the century due to shabby construction and ground conditions, and were never used. They were rebuilt in a much more modern style just a couple years later, and opened as one of the most notorious mental asylums in the country, and operated for many decades.

Much of the hospital's many facilities have since been destroyed, but several still remain, including the main building, nursing facilities, and power houses. Hidden behind many of the newer constructions in this area are several graveyards and other small reminders of the environment that once smothered this area. Many of the century old hospital structures that still remain here have been restored and converted into warehouses and other such facilities, and these are rather easy to spot among the newer, modern looking structures that now dominate the neighborhood.

For more information on the hospital, visit: history.alliancelibrarysystem.com/IllinoisAlive/files/z...