March 13, 1973

The legislature approved Act 320, authorizing the closure of the Arkansas State Tuberculosis Sanatorium and the transfer of control of the structure from the Department of Health to the Board of Mental Retardation. The sanatorium officially closed in June, and the main gates were left unlocked for the first time in more than sixty years. Today, the facility operates as the Booneville Human Development Center and is classified as a historic site. By the time the facility closed, it had treated over 70,000 patients, and in time, its main hospital, the Nyberg Building, became known worldwide for its tuberculosis treatment.