In 1870, Western State Hospital was called WESTERN STATE ASYLUM.  It was located in the Hamby Precinct of the town of Hopkinsville in Christian County.  On the 1870 Census, the Asylum was listed as Dwelling 236.  All of the patients are listed as residents of Dwelling 236.  Employees of the Asylum, and their families, are listed residing in Dwellings 236, 237, 238, 239 and 240.  Under the Census form field titled Occupation, all the patients had the word “Asylum” listed by their names.  Unlike the 1860 Census, there was no further information provided as to the reason a patient was a resident of the Asylum.

On the 1870 Census there were a total of 326 patients listed as residents of the Asylum.  There were 199 male patients and 127 female patients.  Except for one Black man (who had no surname), all of the patients were white.  Most of the patients show Kentucky as their birthplace, but 47 were born in foreign countries.  The youngest patient was a 13 year old girl and the oldest was an 80 year old woman.

Patient breakdown by age is as follows:

14 under age 20
98   age 20 to 29
104 age 30 to 39
65   age 40 to 49
29   age 50 to 59
8     age 60 to 69
7     age 70 to 79
1     age 80 or above

 
There are 45 employees listed as residing on the grounds of the Asylum.  Seven of those have family members living with them.  There are 2 Physicians and 16 Attendants listed.  The patient/caregiver ratio is 1 attendant for approximately every 20 patients, a slight improvement over the 1860 Census.  Other employees are: 11 domestics, 3 washer-women, 3 farm laborers, 2 engineers, 2 carpenters, 3 cooks, 1 baker, 1 seamstress and 1 gardener.