Jemison Center is a former black mental health facility that was built in 1872 during a time when racial segregation prevented patients from receiving equal treatment. The hospital, which was located across the street from the original hospital, began operations not long after it was completed. Poor living conditions, overcrowding of patients, and mistreatment of the patients would eventually bring the hospital's over six decades of existence to an end.

Accepting African Americans

In the 1830s, the Jemison family settled near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and quickly became one of the state's wealthiest and most influential families. Robert Jemison Jr. was a Confederate senator, entrepreneur, and businessman. His empire expanded to include toll roads and bridges, a grist mill, a sawmill, livery stables, a hotel, and six plantations. Jemison was a founding member of the Alabama State Hospital for the Insane, later renamed Bryce Hospital, which opened in 1861.

Jemison died in 1871, and his largest plantation, Cherokee Place, was transferred to the State of Alabama Board of Mental Health. During the Segregation Era, a separate facility was established for African-American patients. The Jemison Center was built a short distance from the main campus in Northport on what was once Cherokee Place and was named after Jemison's generosity. Before the Jemison Center, African-American patients were housed in the barn lofts at Bryce Hospital.

Closure of Jemison Centre

As a form of mental therapy, the hospital had a system in place where patients worked and labored. This was beneficial because hospital funding was insufficient, and as a self-sustainability effort, it was used to increase the efficiency of running the hospital. While this system worked well, many believed that the hospital began to exploit it by intentionally retaining patients for labor. A few years later, a journalist who visited the hospital reported that it was in poor condition and that the patients were living in deplorable conditions. The hospital was later closed down after losing a three-decade-long lawsuit.

What remains of the Edifice?

The large hospital was permanently shuttered, and patients were relocated to other working facilities throughout the state. The structure has been vandalized for years after it was abandoned. Despite the fact that it is still intact, the edifice appears to be haunted, with waste and furniture strewn over the floor. Graffiti artists have not been forgotten, as their work can be found all over the walls. The roads leading to the real site have been overgrown with tall trees and grass, rendering them partially impassable. It's difficult to say how, but nearly all of the windows and doors have been removed or destroyed, leaving various passageways all around the building. The former hospital is off-limits to locals due to its deteriorating status.