Dix Park, formerly known as Dorothea Dix Hospital, is located in Raleigh, North Carolina. It opened in 1856 and closed for good in 2012. It was named after Dorothea Dix, a leading mental health advocate during the 19th century.
When it opened, Dorothea Dix Hospital was cutting edge and tried to make the lives of those in the mental hospitals better. They aimed to make patients’ lives better by eliminating shackles and straightjackets. However, that didn’t last, as poor funding and what is now outdated research led to the reintroduction of straightjackets and shackles as well as the introduction of electroshock therapy, insulin shock therapy and other outdated practices.
The hospital had wings for men, women, children and the clinically insane. During the 18th and 19th centuries, women would often be sent to mental hospitals if they were first in line for a family member’s will or their husband wanted a divorce. Whoever wanted them gone would claim that they were crazy, and they would simply be locked up.
Towards the late 20th and early 21st century, the hospital’s outdated techniques really started showing as the hospital’s buildings and quality of care deteriorated.
Despite the original intention to provide quality care, Dorothea Dix Hospital became a nightmare for hundreds of people.
After its closure in 2012 due to its poor conditions, the city of Raleigh decided to turn it into a park, now known as Dix Park. Sunflowers first began to bloom in the fall of 2018, one of the first attempts to make the park a beautiful, happy spot full of people.
More art installations have since been placed and some removed. More plants have been added, hammocks have appeared in the woods and some playground equipment has popped up around the park.
In June 2025, the Gipson Play Plaza, a large playground featuring five slides, a climbing structure, a large sand area, several swings, a sensory maze and a water play area opened.
Five large wooden troll sculptures by artist Thomas Dambo also made their appearance in 2025. These trolls are scattered throughout the park and can be found either by online map or by solving a riddle left near one of the trolls.
These art installations and play equipment convey a promise to today’s children, as well as children in future generations to never let this cruelty happen again.
However this promise doesn’t seem to apply to current teenagers and adults who have to suffer at Holly Hill. Holly Hill has had numerous safety violations including instances of assault, medication errors and unsanitary conditions.
If we want the promise given to us by Dix park to be kept–the promise to create a better world for future generations and not let them suffer–we need to work on how present generations are currently treated in order to save this oath from simply becoming a meaningless gesture, or worse, trying to permanently cover up the dark history of how the most vulnerable members of society are treated.
