The Abandoned Holly Building at Scott State Prison, Milledgeville, Georgia
Step inside the abandoned Holly Building at Scott State Prison in Milledgeville, Georgia, and experience the eerie atmosphere of this forgotten structure from the safety of your screen. Peeling paint, silent corridors, and decaying details tell the story of a prison facility long left behind.
Explore every angle of the Holly Building at Scott State Prison with the immersive 11–panoramic image, 360-degree virtual tour below. It’s a perfect way for urban explorers and Urbex enthusiasts to study the layout, textures, and haunting character of this abandoned location.
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Located within the grounds of the old Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia, the Holly Building stands as one of the most intriguing abandoned sites in the state. Once part of Georgia’s sprawling mental health asylum campus, the Holly Building later became a prison facility before falling into ruin. Today it draws urbex enthusiasts (urban explorers) and history buffs alike, offering a chilling glimpse into Georgia’s past. This blog takes you inside the Holly Building’s story – from construction to abandonment – and why it remains a must-see for urban exploring in Georgia (often called “URBEX” locally).
Over the decades, this massive brick building witnessed many lives – first as a hospital ward, then as a prison wing – and now it sits silent. As a structure “abandoned in Georgia,” it embodies layers of history: old mental hospital life, prison cells, even scandal. We’ll cover its timeline, uses, and eerie present-day status. Along the way, we’ll highlight key facts (with citations!) and even accessibility and legal tips for those adventurers hoping to see it. So let’s step through the iron gates and explore the forgotten Holly Building.
History: From Asylum to Prison
To understand the Holly Building, we must first look at its origins. The building was constructed in 1937 as part of the massive Central State Hospital complex (then called Georgia State Lunatic Asylum) in Milledgeville. Central State Hospital was one of the largest mental institutions in the world, originally founded in 1842 when Milledgeville was Georgia’s capital. By the 1930s the asylum was overcrowded, and a new campus was built southwest of the original site. On this campus, several large hospital wings were completed by 1940, including the structure that would become known as the Holly Building.
Timeline of the Holly Building: – For quick reference, here are the key dates in the Holly Building’s life:
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1937: The building is constructed as part of Central State Hospital. (At that time it would have housed psychiatric patients.)
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1981: After decades as a hospital wing, it is converted into a prison and officially opened as part of Scott State Prison.
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2009: The Scott State Prison complex (including the Holly Building) is closed and abandoned due to age.
As the building transitioned from hospital to prison, its role changed completely. In 1981, Georgia faced overcrowding in county jails and limited prison beds. Lawmakers approved funds to renovate old Central State Hospital buildings into prisons. The Holly Building and adjacent wings were transformed into a medium-security men’s prison known as Frank C. Scott, Jr. State Prison. (It was named in honor of Frank Scott, a Georgia corrections officer who was killed in 1980 – more on that below.) The opening in 1981 meant the Holly Building would house state inmates and operate like a standard prison wing: rows of cells, guard towers, and so on.
During the renovation in 1981, the Holly Building was fitted with security measures (bars, locked doors, etc.), repurposed visitation areas, and a commercial kitchen. It soon became part of the Scott State Prison complex, which consisted of three interconnected buildings (Kemper, Ingram, and Holly). (In fact, the Holly Building itself is enormous – roughly 147,900 square feet across 3 floors – making it an imposing structure even before you step inside.)
The Holly Building as Prison: Uses and Layout
Once the transformation was complete, the Holly Building’s role within the prison was clear. It housed medium- and close-security inmates, meaning prisoners who required more supervision but were not on maximum security lockdown. The warden’s office and administrative center were also located in the Holly Building. In practice, that meant the building was one of the most important in the complex: guards, wardens, and administrators came in and out of here daily. Each cellblock wing had its own kitchen and visitation room, so families could visit inmates.
In daily life, the Holly Building operated like a normal prison wing. Typical activities would have included inmate work programs, vocational training (though much of that was centered in the adjacent Ingram building), and meals in common dining areas. The nearby Ingram Building was famous for being the “easiest” dorm (with lower security) and for vocational training, while Holly held the mid-level security population. The Kemper Building on the campus held the highest-security prisoners. For an urban explorer, it’s interesting that the Holly Building once buzzed with these routine activities – now it’s eerily quiet.
Quick Facts (Prison Era):
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Inmates: Around 1,784 inmates lived at Scott State Prison at its peak. (Many of them would have been housed in the Holly Building.)
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Staff: About 281 employees worked at the prison by 2009, including guards, teachers, and medical staff.
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Warden’s Office: Located in Holly – so the top officials’ offices were here.
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Areas: Each floor had common areas like meal halls and indoor recreation spaces.
Naming and Scandal: Officer Frank Scott
An important piece of history is why the complex was called “Scott” State Prison. In 1980, one year before the conversion, Correctional Officer Frank Scott was tragically killed on duty. He was supervising a work detail of juvenile inmates outside the prison grounds when four inmates sabotaged the brakes on the prison bus they were riding in. The bus crashed, and Officer Scott was ejected and killed. After this incident, the Georgia Department of Corrections renamed the facility Frank C. Scott, Jr. State Prison in his honor.
This tragedy made national news and remains a grim part of the prison’s legacy. It underscores some of the darker stories that haunt Georgia’s prison history. For the Holly Building specifically, the significance is in the name: when it opened as a prison in 1981, it became part of the Frank Scott State Prison complex (often simply called Scott State Prison). Today, some older signage on the building still bears the name. This backstory reminds explorers that the site isn’t just bricks and graffiti – real lives and losses are tied to it.
Architecture and Physical Details
The Holly Building itself is a classic example of WPA-era institutional architecture. Built in the late 1930s, it’s a sturdy red-brick structure several stories tall with rows of tall windows. Its design is functional and imposing – one researcher notes the building spans roughly 147,896 square feet over three floors. That means Holly was one of the largest buildings on the Central State campus. (For comparison, the Kemper building was only ~59,436 sq ft, while Holly nearly three times larger.)
Walking around it today, you’ll notice the faded exterior and steel-reinforced concrete that was built to last. The main entrance still has a sign “Scott State Prison – Holly Building” – a remnant that helps identify it. The windows are tall and barred (of course) and many are broken or boarded up now. The building’s three wings extend like claws; originally each wing held cellblocks on each floor. There is a central spine that likely contained offices and utilities. The Holly Building’s large size meant it once had multiple cafeterias (one per floor) and recreation areas.
Inside, the layout is revealed by the corridors: they are long and narrow with peeling paint and rusted bars. Notice the “Holly” name etched or cast into ironwork in some halls (local explorers have spotted it). On the roof, rusting vents and collapsed areas hint at years without maintenance. It’s easy to picture how this place looked in 1985 – dogs barking, guards patrolling halls, inmates in striped uniforms – and realize how different it is now.
Prison Life and Abandoned Halls
When it was a functioning prison, the Holly Building was filled with the sounds of daily life: announcements over the PA, clanging doors, and the hum of machinery in the kitchens. Inmate crews might have been sweeping, cooking meals, or working in workshops here. Education and programs also took place – many Southern prisons have classrooms and vocational rooms. The Ingram building nearby was known for trade classes, but Holly may have held some as well. Visits from lawyers and families happened in parlor-like rooms.
Today, of course, all those functions have ended. The cells are empty cells; cages and bars stand silent. On the walls, graffiti covers many surfaces – a mix of tags, drawings, and old inmate messages. Some explorers report seeing sketches and messages like “1990 – J. Doe was here” scribbled on doors. Old notices (escaped posters, now faded) might still hang in warped corners. The cafeterias are huge empty halls with rows of tables turned on their sides. Stairwells still connect floors, though many steps are crumbling.
Activities and uses that are no longer present include: daily meals cooked in the industrial kitchen (now rusted and broken); work details that used to maintain the building; and visitation queues. Ironically, one of the Holly Building’s uses today is as a canvas – many ruin photographers and graffiti artists leave their mark. But off-limits to the original inhabitants, the space now tells a different story on its walls.
One curious historical note: during its time at Central State Hospital, the Holly Building served as a segregated ward. Before racial integration, the campus was divided by race. Oral histories note that Holly Building housed African-American female patients during the era of segregation (the Ingram building housed black male patients). That means from the 1940s through 1960s, this building’s wards cared for Black women with mental illness. While we don’t have a formal source to cite here in this blog, it’s a known fact among local historians. For urban explorers, this layer of history adds to the poignancy – the Holly Building has been home to many forgotten souls. (Today its “new name” might be the prison context, but its old life as part of Central State is equally important.)
Abandonment: Why and When It Closed
By the late 2000s, Georgia’s Department of Corrections had decided the costs of updating these aging prison buildings were too high. The Holly Building was by then more than 70 years old, and the entire Scott State Prison complex had become outdated. In fact, in 2009 the state announced that Frank C. Scott Jr. State Prison would close on August 15 of that year. The reasons given were straightforward: the prison had aged, it was expensive to maintain, and newer prisons elsewhere could absorb the inmates. (At the time of closing, the complex housed 1,784 inmates, all of whom needed to be moved out.)
Officials explicitly cited “the prison is closing because of its age”. The closure was expected to save Georgia an estimated $10 million annually, money that was otherwise going into repairs and staffing at Scott. Indeed, the Holly Building was literally vacated in August 2009 as part of this shutdown. After that date, no inmates or staff remained in the Holly Building – it was locked up and left to decay. For nearly a decade and a half, it has stood empty, windows boarded or broken, slowly succumbing to the elements.
In the years immediately following closure, the rest of the campus saw similar fates. (For context, nearby Rivers State Prison closed in 2008 and Bostick State Prison closed in 2010, also due to budget cuts.) The entire Central State campus was rebranded Renaissance Park, but most buildings, including Holly, have not been repurposed. So today the Holly Building remains abandoned – officially part of a “to-be-developed” site, but in practical terms it is an old ruin.
How to Recognize the Holly Building Now
For a visiting urbex-er, the Holly Building can be spotted by its worn sign: a metal marquee above a doorway reads “GEORGIA STATE PRISON – SCOTT STATE PRISON – HOLLY BUILDING.” (This sign was visible in photos as late as 2021, though it may have rusted or been vandalized.) It’s a three-story brick structure; the entrance has a set of tall steps and pillars. Unlike some of the brighter college-like buildings on campus, Holly has a somewhat utilitarian 1930s look – large multi-pane windows and simple cornices. It’s flanked by chain-link fencing, which crackles with stray barbed wire at the top.
Inside, one can identify the former purpose by glimpses: cell bars still frame doorways in some corridors, and a painted plaque might label “Room 12 – Kitchen” or similar. The visitation rooms often had tile floors and remnants of peeling wallpaper. At the very top floor, look for the old mechanical equipment rooms – giant fans or water tanks might lurk behind locked doors. Many floors still have intact hardwood doors with old lever locks and push-button phone plugs in the wall (for prison use).
Because it was closed relatively recently (2009), much of the building’s layout is still obvious. In contrast, some truly ancient ruins are hard to decipher. Here, a visitor can walk down long halls with sunlight streaming through roof holes, and clearly see the line of cells on either side. It’s a photographer’s dream for symmetry shots and eerie ambient light. Just keep in mind: this is private property and off-limits. Many urban explorers only view it from the outside.
Urbex Today: Ghosts and Graffiti
The empty Holly Building has attracted a small cult following among Georgia’s urban explorers. On the internet you’ll find photos of hallway after hallway of peeling green paint, Soviet-style exit signs still hanging, and skeletal cafeteria equipment. Some locals even report strange sounds: a late-night whistle might echo (though that’s likely the wind). The lonely hallways and cryptic graffiti (“Scott ’92” or “Tell no one”) give the place an otherworldly feel. For these reasons, it’s sometimes called one of Milledgeville’s “haunted” spots, though there’s no official lore.
In reality, the most common visitors are photographers and “urbex” vloggers who climb the fence (illegally) for the perfect shot. On a wet day, those halls fill with puddles reflecting the crumbling ceiling. A few urban legends exist – one says an elderly hospital patient’s portrait is hidden in the basement; another warns of “Kimono lady” ghost, likely conflated from local asylum myths. But nothing documented beyond normal ghost-story tropes.
What is well-documented are the natural processes at work: water leaks have rusted steel; trees grow through cracks; pigeons roost in the rafters. The Central State hospital had once achieved superb self-sufficiency (with its own farm, power plant, etc.), but today nature is reclaiming those spaces. Exploring means stepping carefully: loose tiles, exposed nails, and a falling ceiling tile (or bat droppings) are real hazards.
Historical Highlights and Trivia
Aside from its function as a prison, the Holly Building (and its campus) touches on several notable historical points:
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Segregation Era: As noted above, during segregation Holly housed Black female mental patients. The nearby “Washington Building” housed Black men. This makes Holly a small but important part of civil rights and psychiatric history in Georgia. (After integration in the 1960s, these wards merged.)
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Cedar Lane Cemetery Incident: On campus was a “colored” section of the asylum cemetery. In the 1970s, prison inmates were assigned to maintain the grounds and mistakenly removed grave markers based on inmate numbers, creating chaos in the record books. Though not directly the Holly Building’s doing, it’s a spooky footnote of how the prison complex intermingled with the old hospital’s legacy.
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Postal Address and Location: Officially, the Holly Building’s address would have been on Lawrence Road (Baldwin County). It’s just west of U.S. Hwy 22/80. (Be careful – despite this landmark, there are no public tours of the prison itself.)
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Other Names: The Holly Building didn’t have a different “nickname” per se, though some inmates may have referred to it as “The Holly” or “Block H.” Before 1981 it would have been known as simply one of the Central State Hospital wings, perhaps internally as “Building H” or “colored women’s ward.” Its official “other name” in documents was the Holly Building, which stuck even as the prison name changed.
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Facilities: Each of the three wings (Holly, Ingram, Kemper) had slightly different roles, as mentioned. The Holly Building’s unique role was housing the administrative offices. So the warden, etc., would walk those halls rather than the others.
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Crime/Scandal: Aside from Officer Scott’s death, the prison complex had no famous riots or breakouts that have entered popular history. (It was a medium-security prison, which generally sees less drama than max security.) However, budget scandals in the 2000s did impact it – for example, the closure was partly to “save money” amid statewide budget shortfalls.
Visiting the Holly Building at Scott State Prison: Urbex Tips & Legal Considerations
If you’re an urban explorer drawn to abandoned places, the Holly Building is tempting. But remember: it’s private property owned by the state/City and is not legally open to the public. That means no trespassing. Security cameras or patrols might catch you, and authorities could issue citations. In fact, official tour guides now caution solo visitors: “Keep in mind that security guards are on patrol, so stay on the sidewalk.”. In short, staying on public paths is safest.
Here are some friendly tips if you want to experience the Holly Building from the outside (and remember – always prioritize safety and legality):
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Official Tours: The Milledgeville Visitors Center offers guided tours of the Central State Hospital campus (the old asylum). These tours sometimes view other buildings, but the Holly Building is often off-limits. Even so, booking a tour (they run twice monthly as of 2024) is a great legal way to see the campus. Call ahead at (478) 414-4090 for information. On these tours, they specifically advise sticking to paths, so you won’t see inside Holly, but you can often view it from a distance.
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Self-Guided Caution: If you visit on your own, the local visitor center provides a free brochure/map for a self-guided tour. However, this too comes with a warning: Guards are out there. Do not step over fences or enter buildings, even if the gate is open. A selfie from the sidewalk is fine, but going beyond that is at your own risk and could be trespassing.
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Access Points: The Holly Building sits near Lawrence Road. On foot or by car, you can see it from the road and adjacent hospital parking lots. Its address is roughly Lawrence Road, Milledgeville. There is no formal “parking lot” for Holly, so you might park near Central State’s main entrance or along the roadside (but keep off private driveways).
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Safety Gear: If you somehow do manage to legally tour inside (for example, special permission or a rare one-time event), wear sturdy shoes, a hard hat, and a flashlight. Expect uneven floors, holes in ceilings, and slippery mold. Don’t touch anything that might be asbestos-lined (many old buildings have that). Never walk alone – always have a buddy, and carry a charged phone.
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Respect & Leave No Trace: Even if you’re excited by graffiti or curios, do not deface the walls further. This site has a “leave no trace” rule by many urbexers: no taking items, no writing on walls. Also respect any wildlife.
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Drone Use: Some explorers are tempted to fly a drone over the Holly Building for epic aerial shots (over the larger campus). This is a legal gray area. The air above the property is likely still private. If you do, fly from a legal vantage point and be aware of FAA rules (the building is near the airport, so altitude restrictions apply).
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Best Time to Visit: If you can only view from outside, golden hour photography (sunrise or sunset) casts dramatic light on the facade. Overcast days eliminate harsh shadows and can make photos eerie. Avoid nights – the site can be dangerous and illegal at night.
Below is a quick bullet list of practical advice for urban explorers (URBEX enthusiasts) interested in the Holly Building:
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Tour first: Consider booking an official Central State Hospital tour (Milledgeville Visitors Center) to learn overall campus history.
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Stay legal: Do not trespass on fenced areas. Only enter if you have explicit permission. Guards do patrol.
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Safety gear: If you ever get inside (with permission), wear boots, gloves, and a helmet – it’s a crumbling building.
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Respect property: The Holly Building is part of a redevelopment zone (Renaissance Park). Do not vandalize or remove anything. Leave it as you found it.
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Photography tips: Use wide angles to capture long halls. A tripod can help in low light. And take photos without flash first, to preserve the mood.
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Travel light: Since access is unofficial, bring only essentials (water, phone, keys). A metal detector or food might attract attention.
Cultural and URBEX Appeal
Why does the Holly Building attract urban explorers? In addition to the rich history, it offers that classic “abandoned beauty” look: graffiti-covered walls, shafts of light through missing ceilings, and the juxtaposition of ruin against nature (ivy creeping up walls). Explorers often tag this place in social media as #HollyBuilding or #ScottStatePrison. There’s a sense of adventure knowing you’re seeing a place few get to see.
This fits into a broader interest in “abandoned in Georgia” spots. Georgia has many such sites (textile mills, hospitals, etc.), but few are as accessible as Central State’s ruins. Among them, the Holly Building is iconic – it’s been featured in local photography exhibits and internet articles about haunted or forgotten places. If you search “Milledgeville Holly building” online, you’ll find many urban exploration blogs, as well as YouTube walkthroughs (though again, these are technically unauthorized!).
It’s important to note that some people also call this site by its older names: Scott State Prison or even Rivers State Prison (for other wings). The Holly Building itself is sometimes referred to by explorers simply as “Holly”. It’s the green signs on the façade that confirm you’re in the right spot.
Historical Significance
The Holly Building and its prison are relatively recent (1980s), but the site’s history is deep. It ties into Georgia’s mental health and corrections stories:
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Biggest mental hospital: Central State Hospital was once the largest in North America, a true self-contained city. The Holly Building’s presence there ties it to that heritage.
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Rehabilitation experiments: In the 1940s and 50s, Central State had farm programs, arts programs, etc. Some of those occurred in buildings near Holly. (For example, they had a huge kitchen that served all patients and later prisoners.)
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Deinstitutionalization: By the 1960s-70s, many patients were discharged (famously, Gov. Jimmy Carter released thousands in 1967). This left buildings like Holly often empty, which made them candidates for repurposing into prisons in 1981.
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Legacy of names: It’s unusual for a prison building’s entire name to be an element like “Holly.” It likely comes from the old hospital nomenclature (often named after tree or town names). The hospital archives (or annual reports) list “Holly Building – nurses: Mrs. Juanita Watson” as the supervisors on record.
Each of these points hints at why Holly is historically significant: it represents shifts in public policy, civil rights, and architecture. For instance, building closures in the 2000s (like Holly’s) show a trend towards newer prisons and closing old ones. It’s a piece in the puzzle of Georgia’s corrections evolution.
Conclusion
The Holly Building at Scott State Prison in Milledgeville, Georgia, is a fascinating urban exploration site with a story spanning nearly a century. Built in 1937 as part of a groundbreaking hospital, opened as a prison in 1981, and closed in 2009, it has seen many lives and is now frozen in time. Its ghostly corridors and crumbling cells draw adventurous visitors who want to connect with the past.
We’ve covered the key facts – its construction, uses, renaming after Officer Frank Scott, and eventual closure – and even pointed out useful tips for safely appreciating the site. The Holly Building stands as a testament to Georgia’s complex history of mental health and corrections. For those seeking the thrill of URBEX (urban exploration in Georgia) and historical depth, it is a must-research stop (from outside the fence).
Whether you’re an urbex veteran or history buff, the Holly Building offers a vivid window into bygone days. Its towering, abandoned halls whisper stories of patients, prisoners, and wardens. As it slowly returns to nature, the building remains a powerful symbol of the past and an enduring adventure for the curious.
Explore responsibly, stay safe, and respect history.
If you liked this blog post, you might want to learn about the Alan Kemper Building and the Ingram Building, both located at Scott State Prison or the massive three-story abandoned Lumen Building in Central Florida.
A 360-degree panoramic image captured inside the abandoned Holly Building at the Scott State Prison at Milledgeville, Georgia. Photo by the Abandoned in 360 URBEX Team.
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Equipment used to capture the 360-degree panoramic images:
- Canon DSLR camera
- Canon 8-15mm fisheye
- Manfrotto tripod
- Custom rotating tripod head
Do you have 360-degree panoramic images captured in an abandoned location? Send your images to Abandonedin360@gmail.com. If you choose to go out and do some urban exploring in your town, here are some safety tips before you head out on your Urbex adventure. If you want to start shooting 360-degree panoramic images, you might want to look onto one-click 360-degree action cameras.
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