The South Carolina State Hospital: Stories from Bull Street

William Buchheit

Jul 2020 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Adam Lofbomm

About this audiobook

Nearly two decades after it closed, the South Carolina State Hospital continues to hold a palpable mystique in Columbia and throughout the state. Founded in 1821 as the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum, it housed, fed, and treated thousands of patients incapable of surviving on their own. The patient population in 1961 eclipsed 6,600, well above its listed capacity of 4,823, despite an operating budget that ranked forty-fifth out of the forty-eight states with such large public hospitals. By the mid-1990s, the patient population had fallen under 700, and the hospital had become a symbol of captivity, horror, and chaos. Author William Buchheit details this history through the words and interviews of those who worked on the iconic campus.

About the author

For nearly two decades now, William Buchheit has worked as a journalist in Upstate South Carolina. He has won dozens of South Carolina Press Association Awards and was named 2011 "Reporter of the Year" by South Carolina's chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). He lives in Greer, South Carolina.

Adam Lofbomm's passion for language inspired him to read broadly, write extensively, speak publicly, and perform on-stage and on-camera. In 2006, when he stepped into the vocal booth for his first narration job, all those many pieces clicked into place. He realized that voice acting was what he was made to do.