"Gone to Milledgeville": northeast Georgia women and the Georgia State Sanitarium, 1886-1936

This study examined the lives of rural women of northeast Georgia through the prism of the Georgia State Sanitarium. Based on the need to fill a gap in the literature on women from Georgia, this qualitative dissertation examined ninety patient records of women from northeast Georgia who were committed to the Georgia State Sanitarium in Milledgeville and died there between 1886 and 1936. By analyzing these records, the researcher isolated three themes: the prevalence of control and confinement both on the way to and at the Sanitarium, the pervasiveness of poverty among the women and the common losses they endured. In addition to thematic analysis, the author used case studies to form a more textured glimpse of four women who were patients at the Sanitarium. Findings indicated the vulnerability of women during this period in history, the ambiguity of interactions with the Sanitarium, and the disconnect between female patients and their male physicians. Recommendations for the preservation of fragile hospital records are highlighted. This dissertation seeks to fill a gap in the literature by honoring the experiences of the many ordinary women who lived and died at Milledgeville.