Dorothea Dix Hospital opened in Raleigh NC in 1856 and operated for over 150 years as one of the largest psychiatric care facilities in the entire Southeast. At its peak the hospital was housing thousands of patients at a time on a sprawling property that functioned almost like its own town, with farmland, staff housing, workshops, and operations running entirely on site. By modern standards the history of how mental health was treated during much of that period is complicated and difficult, but the facility also represented one of the earliest large-scale efforts in North Carolina to provide structured mental health care. In 2015 the city of Raleigh NC purchased the land for $52 million and the vision that emerged was extraordinary. Today that same land is being developed into one of the most ambitious urban parks in the Southeast, a green space that is set to become one of the most visited and beloved landmarks in all of Raleigh Durham. Follow for more on the hidden history and local...