Forgotten Landmark-Western Mental Health Institute, Bolivar, TN

West Tennessee Hospital for the Insane (now Western Mental Health Institute) in Bolivar opened with the transfer of 156 patients from Nashville in 1889.  By 1939, the institute occupied a tract of 640 acres and had accommodations for 1,850 patients.  In 1932, a building similar in design and accommodation to the main building was built for African-Americans. 

Main Building, Western Mental Health Institute, Bolivar, TN

3 thoughts on “Forgotten Landmark-Western Mental Health Institute, Bolivar, TN

  1. Dr Calvin Jones donated the land with the stipulation that it reverted to the Jones Family if Tennessee wuit using it for a mental institution.

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