For a print edition, please contact the editor of our Special Publications, Jennifer Mertz.
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STORY INDEX Service still most important product at Ligonier Telephone Co. A black and white sensation: Tiny Screens a big attraction in early years of television A man works from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done Indiana Extension Homemakers better the lives of families Small towns once supported their own movie theaters William Jennings Bryan among among orators at Rome City's Western Chautauqua Dr. David Rogers - Man of mystery, and benevolence DNR restoration programs working: Once abundant wildlife returning to area Rise of girls athletics have changed face of school sports Decades of intramurals: Ruth was greatest player ever: Frick Frick's predictions for 2000 not far off Small Wolf Lake big winner in 1942 basketball regional Four in a row: Finally with a gym of their own, KHS cagers went to 'Sweet 16' four straight years Ink to flow into 21st century at county's newspapers Broadcast media: Manahan was pioneer in Noble County broadcasting WAWK's history dates back to 1959 Health trends: Changes through the century occurred in medicine, health care Scarlet fever, polio were early health scares From sanitarium to partnership: A century of Noble County's medical care Funeral directors ran ambulance service in county prior to '74 'EMS arrives in time for '74 tornado LaGrange County doctors once made house calls by horseback Country doctor delivered babies in his home and drove a Thunderbird Service to mankind condensed to footnotes of history Who are the people of the Amish faith? Two controversial religious sects from the 1970's have impact on Noble County Churches with rich heritages served parishioners in LaOtto, Ege
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From sanitarium to partnership A century of Noble County's medical care
The precursor to an actual hospital in Kendallville came in
1893 with the Dowling Sanitarium. Located at the corner of Sheridan
and East Mitchell Streets, the sanitarium was began by Dr. L.H.
Dowling. Dowling was known as among the first of doctors who resorted
to electrical machines for effecting cures. He later moved to
Fort Wayne. Fairview Hospital, Kendallville, was established in 1912.
The hospital began in the old Joseph Becker home on the corner
of Minor and Sherman streets. The original hospital was a nine-room house with a kitchen,
dining room, waiting room, two two-bed wards, two three-bed wards
and two private rooms. A total of 12 beds existed. At this hospital, rooms had multiple purposes. The bathroom
substituted as a nursery. A bathing facility consisted of a wash
bowl, pitcher and screen for privacy. Lump coal burning inside
a potbellied stove sufficed as a heating system. Premature infants were usually kept it in the office for nurses
to keep a closer watch over. Another hospital was attempted during these years. Dr. Wells
and Dr. Phillips arrived at Kendallville from Toledo, Ohio. They
opened a private hospital at 208 S. Morton St. They later moved
the hospital to 202 W. Mitchell St. After three years, however,
it closed. Doctors and nurses at Fairview Hospital continued making due
with the materials they had. Medical care then differed greatly
from today's. Surgical patients were given pre-operation medication
and walked upstairs before their drowsiness set in. Without an
elevator, many ambulance patients were carried in on a chair
or with a sheet tied around the neck and shoulders of the ambulance
drivers. Transfusing blood was a slow process. Blood transfusions were
given directly from donor to patient. Two doctors would use two
20cc syringes. One syringe drew blood from the donor, while the
other syringe gave blood to the patient. Eventually Fairview Hospital became too small. The 10-physician
staff began proceedings to obtain the means for a new hospital.
Kendallville industrialist E.E. McCray promised to match public
donations with an equal contribution for the hospital. Public contributions of $50,000, added to an equal amount
from McCray, allowed plans to begin. A cornerstone was laid by
July of 1927. The new Lakeside Hospital, located on the west
shore of Bixler Lake, opened its doors on May 6, 1908. Lakeside Hospital was equipped with some badly-needed features:
a pharmacy, an office, a solarium furnished in wicker, and room
to care for 12 more patients. The hospital struggled to make ends meet during the Great
Depression. Decreased salaries and no-pay and shortened vacations
for the nurses came with the bad economic times. Concerned citizens donated fruit to the hospital's kitchen.
Nurses canned peaches and pears during the evenings. Dedicated
employees with a teamwork philosophy, continued Lakeside Hospital
during these tough years. In 1943, the McCray family gave the hospital $45,000, and
the name changed to McCray Memorial Hospital. On Oct. 28, 1961,
a new expansion program broke ground. The expansion transformed
the hospital into a 72-bed operation. On Sept. 13, 1962, the
cornerstone was laid. Expansion and remodeling re-occurred in 1983. This McCray
Memorial expansion program cost about $6.4 million and was funded
through a community fund drive and a revenue bond issue. Today's talks regarding McCray Memorial Hospital center around
the sale of the hospital to the Community Hospital of Noble County
Inc. The hospital will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parkview
Health System (PHS), based in Fort Wayne. Partnering embraces two goals: maintaining an acute care facility
in Noble County and increasing McCray's market share from the
current 32 percent figure. The merger between McCray and Parkview will create a new hospital for Noble County by 2005 if plans go accordingly. The Community Hospital of Noble County will replace the current hospital overlooking Bixler Lake. PHS plans to commit $20 million - $30 million for the new hospital. |
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