While Texas was a frontier state and psychiatry a pioneer venture, the Texas Legislature in 1856 created this hospital for the mentally ill; in 1925, named Austin State Hospital.

Oldest Texas mental hospital.

Construction began in 1857. The institution, then housed in the administration building, was opened May 11, 1861, with about a dozen patients and has continued to be dedicated to mental health programs.

Courtesy hmdb.org

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