My special guest tonight is author William Buchheit, here to uncover the chilling history of the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum, later known as the South Carolina State Hospital, founded in 1821.

For nearly two centuries, this massive institution loomed over Columbia, South Carolina, housing and treating thousands of patients—many trapped within its overcrowded and underfunded walls. At its peak in 1961, the asylum held more than 6,600 patients, far beyond its intended capacity, earning a reputation as a place of captivity, horror, and chaos. By the mid-1990s, the population dwindled to under 700, but the asylum’s dark legacy remained.

Buchheit brings this history to life through interviews, firsthand accounts, and archival research, exploring the lives of those who worked and lived inside its haunting campus. From the asylum’s origins as one of America’s earliest psychiatric hospitals to its downfall as a crumbling symbol of neglect and suffering, this story sheds light on a hidden chapter of Southern history.

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