In 2015, Kathy Nichols wrote the booklet for Heritage Days entitled 'Macomb's Healthcare Tradition.' For this booklet she did extensive research into the history of medicine and medical practice in Macomb.
Much of my writings here are borrowed from that booklet with her permission.
While the five part series recently published in the Community News Brief on St. Francis Hospital (1903-1967) might lead one to think it was Macomb's first hospital, that was not the case.
Two, actually three, hospitals existed prior to and during St. Francis's reign. The hospitals were the Lying-In Hospital, Holmes Hospital and Phelps Hospital (Phelps to be covered in an upcoming article).
The Holmes Hospital came into existence after the purchase of another Macomb medical center in 1912, the Macomb Lying-In Hospital.
In 1908, Mary Johnson bought a house from the John Cook estate at the southeast corner of the intersection of Jackson and Madison streets for $4500. That lot is now the location of the McDonough County Health Department.
Mary was a local woman and in 1908 she was 31 and had graduated from the prestigious Illinois Training School for Nurses in Chicago in 1903.
Mary Johnson began renovating the house at the corner of Jackson and Madison streets. In the spring of 1909 she opened her Lying-In hospital, which at its time was a modern facility for mothers awaiting giving birth. At this time, most babies were still born at home.
In 1908, Dr. William P. Standard was the first baby to be born at St. Francis Hospital. St. Francis, at the time, did not even have a nursery for babies so the infant was kept in a clothes basket in a quiet back hall.
An early advertisement for Mary Johnson's new hospital went as follows: 'For the purpose of giving to the women of this vicinity the opportunity of having the benefit of scientific aid at the time of confinement and of two weeks after care, also that the babies may have the advantage of two weeks care in establishing regular habits of feeding and of rest upon which means so much to the future health of the child, I have opened the Macomb Lying-In Hospital.' Mary added that as a nurse she had seven years of experience.
Mary operated the Lying-In Hospital until November 19, 1912. She sold the property to Dr. Holmes for $7500. During her hospital's years of services, it had handled the births of 130 babies with an unquestioned impeccable reputation.
Dr. Joseph B. Holmes was the son of Macomb businessman and historian Alex Holmes. Born in 1871, Joseph graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Chicago and established his practice in Macomb during the mid 1890's.
After Dr. Holmes purchased the Macomb Lying-In Hospital, he operated it as an annex to Phelps Hospital, with which he was affiliated. It became the obstetrical department, supervised by Miss Attie Spear.
In 1915, Dr. Holmes broke off his ties to Phelps Hospital and began to operate the facility at the corner of Jackson and Madison as the Holmes Hospital.
The hospital was first staffed by just two people, Dr. Holmes and Attie Spear, who served as superintendent, nurse, cook, laundress and janitor. But with Dr. Holmes’ fine reputation as a surgeon, soon the hospital began to fill up, and before long was filled to capacity.
Commonly, there were two patients in each room, eight patients in an annex at the building's rear, and even more on a waiting list.
The physicians on staff were Dr. E.R. Miner, Dr. O.S. Adams, Dr. J.H. Davis, Dr. S.S. Allen, Dr. S.F. Russell, Dr. W.M. Hartman, and Dr. Holmes.
Like both St. Francis and Phelps, Holmes Hospital had a school of nursing, which as an example graduated 12 young women in 1912.
In the summer of 1915, Dr. Holmes built an addition to the east of the original hospital, expanding its capacity to 40 beds, from the previously 16. The new addition was considered to be quite modern-an opening announcement for the new addition stated that the rooms were all large, well lighted and well ventilated. Each room had a closet and several rooms even had private baths. An elevator served both the new and old parts, and a second surgical operating room was added on the first floor.
Holmes Hospital continued to rise in popularity and eventually averaged 70 patients on any given day. Dr. Holmes, realizing they needed to expand again, drew up plans for another addition.
He then had a change of heart, and in 1922 he approached the sisters of St. Francis about the idea of them purchasing Holmes Hospital. The sisters agreed and paid $50,000.
Everything remained the same and the hospital name was not changed-it remained 'Holmes Hospital'. Both St. Francis and Holmes kept their separate identities, but were operated in cooperation with each other by Sister Xavier, the administrator of St. Francis.
Dr. Holmes was now able to devote himself entirely to the practice of surgery.
As time went by, the sisters of St. Francis found it difficult to keep up with the operation of two successful hospitals, especially since they wanted to focus on their teaching program. In addition to that, St. Paul School had opened in 1912.
In December of 1927, the Macomb Journal announced plans by the sisters to close Holmes Hospital. Its staff, equipment and patients were to be merged with St. Francis Hospital.
*Credits: Kathy Nichols, 'Macomb's Healthcare Tradition', John E. Hallwas, Macomb: A Pictorial History and Western Illinois University Archives.
