these 200 buildings once made up one of the largest and most notorious state—run psychiatric hospitals in the world. based in milledgeville, a small town less than 100 miles from atlanta, the central state hospital's dark legacy is infamous with local residents. founded in the 19th century as the georgia state lunatic, idiot and epileptic asylum, a lack of funding and a primitive approach to mental health led to brutal treatments and, at times, deteriorating conditions. it's strange but when i was a little kid and i was misbehaving, my father would threaten me by saying "i'm gonna send you down to milledgeville" and i would shut up. but to be here voluntarily all these years later, it feels a little wrong. a small section of the hospital is still in operation. there are still patients here at central state hospital — over 300 of them — and it's important to remember that this is still an active hospital.