So there is news, good and bad regard all things ESH. Demolition continues at a steady pace, the old female wards/CHR section is gone as of today. The college really is hell bent on erasing as much as possible. All that will be left when they are finished in January will be the Admin & laundry buildings. BCTC has promised to save some bricks for us to use at the cemetery though.
Other bad news, access to the cemetery is severely restricted until April, 2014. The state says they are concerned about people visiting the cemetery breaking into the buildings. The rules say we have to; 1)Give 72 hours notice, 2)No more then 10 people, 3)Sign waivers, 4)Has to be on a weekday, 5)Limit a visit to 2 hours, even for meetings. I told them this was not possible since we always meet on weekends and sometimes have more then 10 ppl. No exception will be made, even for Veteran’s Day. I sent an email to the representative I’ve been talking to from the state stating this was unacceptable & never heard another word. Your tax dollars at work!
Now the good news! The University of Kentucky & ESH are working to make access to records and helping relatives easier. I spoke with Vikki Franklin (PR) several times concerning the issue. For those looking for information on relatives can contact Brittanie Johnson @ 859-246-8081. She is the contact person in medical records for request of old records. They do ask that you have as much info as possible when asking, especially dates. If anyone needs more info or help with any of this, leave a comment.
Eastern State Hospital Cemetery Preservation Project 
What is wrong with the State of Kentucky Officials? Is the Kentucky State Historical Society interested in preserving the records of the inmates?
Kentucky is one of the several states that take a dim view on opening records, despite what has been going on around the country. The state archives is supposed to be taking over custody of the old records, but it has not been confirmed.