NC MHDDSAS: Dorothea Dix Hospital Cemetery

Central Regional Hospital (CRH) - Raleigh Campus Cemetery

Central Regional Hospital (CRH) - Raleigh Campus Cemetery is located on approximately three acres and contains over 900 graves. The cemetery was established soon after the founding of the hospital and was in constant use until the early 1970's. This cemetery served as the final resting place for the many impoverished patients who were laid to rest on the grounds of the facility which treated them.

Marble posts with a chain along the line of graves were erected. A tag contained the name of each person over his or her grave with the date of death. In 1859 the first body was laid to rest and in 1970 the last patient was buried here. The hospital carpenter made the coffins until the late 1945. Afterwards they were purchased locally. A hospital business manager, purchased coffins for $50.00 each, averaging 50 per year. Aluminum plaques were also purchased to mark the graves.

Times were difficult during the Depression and the families could not afford a burial. During this period these unclaimed bodies were referred to the three local funeral homes for embalming services. Since the hospital had the only refrigerated morgue in Raleigh, all the bodies were kept there until claimed. If unclaimed they were buried in the cemetery with a brief funeral service by area ministers. Often the undertaker would supervise the funeral services. In 1951 the hospital chaplain assumed this responsibility. Prior to 1943, the North Carolina Anatomy Board performed autopsies on the unclaimed bodies. After that date the legislature empowered the Hospital Superintendent to authorize autopsies on the "insane and feeble-minded" with written consent of the nearest relative. They were performed in the laboratory of an incorporated medical school. The purpose was to increase medical knowledge.

The cemetery had declined due to erosion, vandalism and the elements of time. Garbage trucks drove over the cemetery edges to reach the next door landfill. The landfill closed in 1972. At this time the hospital physical plant manager, Dave Davis, noticed that erosion had exposed part of wood he felt sure was caskets. Markers had slid away from depressions in the ground that suggested graves. There were no trees except for a few pines. Employees used kitchen forks to poke the ground locating caskets that had drifted. Staff covered the exposed coffins with soil and seeded the area. A chain link fence was installed along the boundaries. However, due to financial restraints the cemetery was neglected. Many of the graves were unmarked. With the passage of time, many graves had deteriorated significantly so that the graves had collapsed leaving depressions in the soil. Boundaries were difficult to identify. Until 1991 the only grave sites with tombstones were those of people whose families had the means and desire to have a marker built.

In 1991 a group of volunteers under the leadership of Dave Davis of Physical Plant and Faye McArthur of Community Relations Department began the task of restoring the cemetery. Volunteers researched the State Archives and the Medical Records Department to identify the graves. Over 700 of the 950 graves were identified. New markers were installed with the name of the patient and the date of death. The handful of older stones will be refurbished into a memorial wall. A wall of unknowns will be erected to honor the men and women who lived and died anonymous lives.

Through foundation funding, a granite memorial now stands at the entrance of the cemetery.

A grant was provided by the United States Small Business Administration to plant a border of trees around the cemetery. This tree border will obscure the view that has been left by an abandoned landfill. For nearly a century, only a cross and a stamped number marked most graves. Thus, hiding the family name from the shame of their sickness. In an effort to treat those resting in the cemetery with the respect and dignity they deserve, the hospital is creating a dignified final resting place for those who have died poor, unwanted and forgotten.

TheCentral Regional Hospital (CRH) - Raleigh Campus Cemetery is frozen in time. Several times a year the hospital receives written requests or personal visits from individuals across the country seeking their roots. Click on the Central Regional Hospital (CRH) - Raleigh Campus Cemetery images below to see full-sized.

Updated October 21, 2008

Announcements

Communication Bulletins

Implementation Updates

North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services

About the Division \| Local Contacts \| State Facilities \| MHDDSAS Commission \| Councils \| Services Locator \| Site Map \| Home
North Carolina Residents State and Local Government Providers of MH/DD/SA Services Statistics and Publications	Central Regional Hospital (CRH) - Raleigh Campus Cemetery Central Regional Hospital (CRH) - Raleigh Campus Cemetery is located on approximately three acres and contains over 900 graves. The cemetery was established soon after the founding of the hospital and was in constant use until the early 1970's. This cemetery served as the final resting place for the many impoverished patients who were laid to rest on the grounds of the facility which treated them. Marble posts with a chain along the line of graves were erected. A tag contained the name of each person over his or her grave with the date of death. In 1859 the first body was laid to rest and in 1970 the last patient was buried here. The hospital carpenter made the coffins until the late 1945. Afterwards they were purchased locally. A hospital business manager, purchased coffins for $50.00 each, averaging 50 per year. Aluminum plaques were also purchased to mark the graves. Times were difficult during the Depression and the families could not afford a burial. During this period these unclaimed bodies were referred to the three local funeral homes for embalming services. Since the hospital had the only refrigerated morgue in Raleigh, all the bodies were kept there until claimed. If unclaimed they were buried in the cemetery with a brief funeral service by area ministers. Often the undertaker would supervise the funeral services. In 1951 the hospital chaplain assumed this responsibility. Prior to 1943, the North Carolina Anatomy Board performed autopsies on the unclaimed bodies. After that date the legislature empowered the Hospital Superintendent to authorize autopsies on the "insane and feeble-minded" with written consent of the nearest relative. They were performed in the laboratory of an incorporated medical school. The purpose was to increase medical knowledge. The cemetery had declined due to erosion, vandalism and the elements of time. Garbage trucks drove over the cemetery edges to reach the next door landfill. The landfill closed in 1972. At this time the hospital physical plant manager, Dave Davis, noticed that erosion had exposed part of wood he felt sure was caskets. Markers had slid away from depressions in the ground that suggested graves. There were no trees except for a few pines. Employees used kitchen forks to poke the ground locating caskets that had drifted. Staff covered the exposed coffins with soil and seeded the area. A chain link fence was installed along the boundaries. However, due to financial restraints the cemetery was neglected. Many of the graves were unmarked. With the passage of time, many graves had deteriorated significantly so that the graves had collapsed leaving depressions in the soil. Boundaries were difficult to identify. Until 1991 the only grave sites with tombstones were those of people whose families had the means and desire to have a marker built. In 1991 a group of volunteers under the leadership of Dave Davis of Physical Plant and Faye McArthur of Community Relations Department began the task of restoring the cemetery. Volunteers researched the State Archives and the Medical Records Department to identify the graves. Over 700 of the 950 graves were identified. New markers were installed with the name of the patient and the date of death. The handful of older stones will be refurbished into a memorial wall. A wall of unknowns will be erected to honor the men and women who lived and died anonymous lives. Through foundation funding, a granite memorial now stands at the entrance of the cemetery. A grant was provided by the United States Small Business Administration to plant a border of trees around the cemetery. This tree border will obscure the view that has been left by an abandoned landfill. For nearly a century, only a cross and a stamped number marked most graves. Thus, hiding the family name from the shame of their sickness. In an effort to treat those resting in the cemetery with the respect and dignity they deserve, the hospital is creating a dignified final resting place for those who have died poor, unwanted and forgotten. TheCentral Regional Hospital (CRH) - Raleigh Campus Cemetery is frozen in time. Several times a year the hospital receives written requests or personal visits from individuals across the country seeking their roots. Click on the Central Regional Hospital (CRH) - Raleigh Campus Cemetery images below to see full-sized. Updated October 21, 2008	Announcements Communication Bulletins Implementation Updates
	Disclaimer \| Contact Us \| Get the Acrobat Reader \| DHHS Press Releases