State of Ohio Asylum for the Insane Cemetery — Oddities & Curiosities in Columbus

Entry No. 22 — the Columbus file — filed under: haunted

State of Ohio Asylum for the Insane Cemetery

Tucked away behind the City of Columbus Police Aviation complex, this deeply somber, forgotten cemetery is the burial ground for unclaimed patients of the former Columbus State Hospital. While a few headstones bear names, the vast majority of the graves are marked only with small, brick-sized stones displaying a patient number and an 'M' or 'F' (for male or female), alongside two chilling markers engraved simply with the word 'SPECIMENS.'

The move: Walk the quiet, overgrown paths during daylight to find the two infamous, deeply unsettling 'SPECIMENS' headstones, reflecting on the tragic, anonymous history of early psychiatric care.

Where: Behind 2130 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43223

Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.

#cemetery #haunted #asylum #morbid-history

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Further reading: news.wosu.org · visualohio.com · thedaintysquid.com

last checked: 2026-07-21