Salem Hospital, 1896 April 14 & 21, 2016 Episodes
Awhile back, Engineer Jim asked me what I knew about the old Deaconess Hospital, and I had to admit that I knew very little. When I found myself with some spare time in my schedule, I delved into researching how our local hospitals were established. I want to give a huge shout of thanks to the folks at Salem Health, especially Sherryll Hoar, who generously allowed me full access to their archives and photographs. I was having difficulty corroborating some of the stories I'd discovered, and they provided me so much information that we found it necessary to carry over into a second episode! We hope we didn't overwhelm you, our listeners, with so much information that your ears were ringing!
The photo posted above depicts our earliest hospital, Salem (City) Hospital, established in 1896 in the former blind school at 204 12th Street NE, near the Thomas Kay woolen mill in hopes of enticing Willamette University's School of Medicine back from Portland. It was managed by Mrs. J.J. Murphy, the wife of the clerk of the Supreme Court.
Awhile back, Engineer Jim asked me what I knew about the old Deaconess Hospital, and I had to admit that I knew very little. When I found myself with some spare time in my schedule, I delved into researching how our local hospitals were established. I want to give a huge shout of thanks to the folks at Salem Health, especially Sherryll Hoar, who generously allowed me full access to their archives and photographs. I was having difficulty corroborating some of the stories I'd discovered, and they provided me so much information that we found it necessary to carry over into a second episode! We hope we didn't overwhelm you, our listeners, with so much information that your ears were ringing!
The photo posted above depicts our earliest hospital, Salem (City) Hospital, established in 1896 in the former blind school at 204 12th Street NE, near the Thomas Kay woolen mill in hopes of enticing Willamette University's School of Medicine back from Portland. It was managed by Mrs. J.J. Murphy, the wife of the clerk of the Supreme Court.
 Salem City Hospital. 1899 |  Salem General Hospital, c1927 |
Salem City Hospital soon outgrew its space and looked for another site. The Children's Aid Society, a group of local Methodist women, offered their former orphanage building, Glen Oaks Orphans' Home, on property located in northeast Salem across the street from the Oregon Hospital for the Insane, on Asylum Row (now Center Street). The hospital would experience additional relocations in its future, as well as a name change in 1927 to Salem General Hospital, but would ultimately serve Salem at this site for more than 60 years.
 Deaconess Hospital & Home, 1916 |  Deaconess Hospital, 1920 |  Salem Deaconess Hospital, 1935 |
Franz Wedel & First Nurses In 1916, Kansas Mennonite missionary Franz Wedel arrived with four Nurse Sisters intent on opening a hospital and home for the elderly and orphaned youth. They purchased the Capital Hotel on Winter Street SE and opened their hospital. Area Mennonite congregations scavenged bricks from several dilapidated buildings to construct several additions, resulting in 100 beds, with 2 surgeries and an obstetrical ward.
The Mennonites relinquished control of Salem Deaconess Hospital to the city of Salem in 1947, and it was renamed Salem Memorial Hospital. Two new Federal programs, Medicare and Medicaid, were implemented in 1965 and caused major growth pangs for hospitals nationwide. In 1969, the leaders of our independent hospitals had the foresight to overlook their "turf" issues and merge into one hospital enterprise with two campuses for the benefit of those they served--adopting the original name Salem Hospital. This successful merger program became the model for other mergers throughout the nation.
 Salem Memorial Hospital, 1950 |  Salem Memorial Hospital, 1970 |
Today, the north and south campuses have been consolidated into the much larger Salem Health facility, still located on the early site of the Deaconess Hospital but encompassing the surrounding blocks as well. Looking to the future yet again, the leaders at Salem's hospital have joined with the Oregon Health Sciences University (with whom Willamette University's medical school merged in 1913) to continue to provide the best medical delivery system for those they serve. From 1896 to 1916, from 1927 to 1947, and again from 1969 to today--we've come full circle.
Just for fun, a few more photographs of hospitals that no longer exist, or in the same fashion:
 Mission Hospital, Mission Bottom, 1838 |
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 Oregon Hospital for the Insane, 1883 |  Oregon Tuberculosis Hospital, 1920-1967 |
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