The Mecklenburg Sanitorium was opened in 1926 and featured 120 beds to treat tuberculosis patients. It had operating rooms used for surgeries, especially after Dr. Hillis Seay became the Sanitorium's head. In the spring of 1961, county commissioners voted to convert the property into a chronic disease hospital. The building, which was at Hwy 115 and Verhoeff Dr, was torn down in 2009.