The Bushnell Elms Grove tuberculosis sanatorium, also found in print spelled Elmsgrove and Elm Grove, was located on the northwest edge of Bushnell for 51 years. This writer will use Elms Grove.
Tuberculosis, which still exists today, is a contagious, infectious disease, caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT). MT has very ancient origins, it has survived over 700,000 years.
It currently infects nearly 2 billion people worldwide, with around 10.4 million new cases of TB each year.
Almost one-third of the world’s population are carriers of the TB bacillus and are at risk of developing the disease.
Pulmonary tuberculosis destroys lung tissue, creating cavities and inflammation.
The patient would have a bad cough, chest pain and coughing up blood or sputum. Widespread body reactions would be high fever, drenching night sweats, profound fatigue, loss of appetite and severe weight loss. Tuberculosis outside of the lungs could affect lymph nodes, and the brain and spine (Meningitis/ Pott’s disease). In 1899, the odds of surviving an active, symptomatic tuberculosis infection were very low, with historical estimates showing a mortality rate of roughly 50-80 percent.
On May 30, 1930, The Bushnell Record, in an attempt to encourage voters to approve additional taxation for the new sanatorium, published the following information about tuberculosis and Elms Grove facility (keep in mind while reading this the infancy of tuberculosis sanatoriums and the somewhat flowery style of writing): “The Record has no statistics on the subject but it believes that it is a safe assertion that fully seventy- five per cent of the residents of the county would not be able to finance for any period of time, an illness of tuberculosis. The county sanatorium gives this service free. At the same time it is not a charitable institution because it is maintained by taxation, and every person living in the county, rich or poor, can enter and remain in the hospital as long as they have tuberculosis and not pay a solitary cent.
Tuberculosis is a disease that is present all the time and no one knows when it will strike their own home and while it has already been determined that climate and geographical location has very little to do with the disease, there has always been a desire to send the sick person to some distant place to be treated. Only a very few can afford this, and even when they can, the patient is more likely to die of homesickness than the disease.
One of the factors in recovery is believed to be peace of mind, so a homesick person cannot expect to get well as quickly as one who is in the environment of the home community, where friends and relatives can call.
It is not the purpose of The Record to write a lot of sob stuff, show the open grave and the narrow house, but it would like to impress on the voters the vast importance the tuberculosis sanatorium is to the community, and the necessity of its maintenance.
While the residents of the county enter and are cared for free, patients from other counties pay for their maintenance and this aid has materially reduced the running expense to the county.
The Record has said and still believes that the future for a health center at Elms Grove is excellent.
The adjoining counties look with favor on Elms Grove and knowing the expense of building an institution of that size it is not a farfetched idea that someday in the near future adjoining counties will cooperate with McDonough in making the hospital here a very large institution. There is a legal provision for it in the statutes, and a three or four county institution, with increased facilities, could be operated with a very little added expense, as it would compare with several institutions if operated separately.
Keep in mind that no one is immune from tuberculosis, remember that it may come at any time and also remember that if it does come and we have a sanatorium, that treatment is free if you live in this county.
The question of levying one and one-half mill tax is to be voted upon next Monday at the same time of this judicial election. Also keep this in mind, that the election will be on Monday, not Tuesday as is the day from time immemorable on all other elections.”
Opening dates for the Bushnell Elmgrove Sanatorium vary, but Stepanie Jones’ article Historical Business - Spotlight of the Week (appears to be McDonough Democrat), states that it was built in 1921 for about $100,000 (due to lack of money for equipment its opening was delayed by years). It was built smack dab in the center of the Big 25 Cent Fairground racetrack.
The Big 25 Cent Fair was organized and launched in 1879 by Ed Chandler and a ‘corporation’ and boasted the best one-half mile track in the military district.
Well-known were horse races competed in by Walter Palmer of Princeton, George Osgood of Quincy, Enock Hall, Mr. Ivy of Roseville, Dan Zook, Abe Sperling, Ike Hanks and Pratt Dimmitt.
Bushnell jockeys who rode into honorable mention were Willie Sutherland and Louis Silberer.
Stalls of horses and mules, pens of sheep and hogs, coops of chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks and rabbits, the Women’s building filled with needlework, flowers, culinary products, canned fruits and vegetables all were common attractions at the Big 25 Cent Fairground.
Also at the fairgrounds to delight its visitors was a merry-go-round, pink lemonade and Charlie Cole’s famous cream candy and popcorn bricks. Entertainment such as the One-Baby Down, the Robbing of the U.S. Mail and Wild West Show put on by Jasper Foster, Sam Wallick, Henry Tainter, Pratt Dimmitt, Tom Malloy and Clarence Bell, all of this excitement reportedly made one day too short to see them all. The Big 25 Cent Fair was touted to be family entertainment.
According to Jones’ article, a contest was held before the opening to find a name for the sanatorium.
Virginia Oblander won with her submission of the name “Elmsgrove” after the elm trees surrounding the area.
The sanatorium was open and ready for occupancy Jan. 14, 1926 after a tax levy was voted on to supply the sanatorium with equipment (once again, the building was finished in 1921, but there was no funding for equipment). Dr. C.H.Cable was the first superintendent of “The Elms” (not to be confused with the name given to the McDonough County farm named The Elms, by contest also, around 1948). A dedication ceremony was held and the patients began to arrive.
While county residents received free treatment, any person living outside the county started at $25 per week, which was later reduced to $15. The capacity of the Elms Grove was 35 patients.
During their stay the patients could take advantage of the large flower gardens along the driveway, which incidentally the drive was a part of the old Big 25 Cent Fairground racetrack.
They could play croquet and visit the vegetable garden which largely supplied the vegetables for their meals.
The sanatorium was staffed around the clock by 12 persons, including nurses both day and night.
It was believed that clean country or mountain air and abundant sunlight, along with excellent nutrition were the best remedies for lung diseases. Patients spent hours lying on open-air porches, even in freezing weather, being wrapped in heavy blankets.
As tuberculosis was highly contagious, infected patients were kept away from the general public. The buildings were designed with large balconies, tall windows and wide verandas to maximize exposure to the elements. The Bushnell Elms Grove had in the center of the building twostory administrative offices, with wings to the left and right for patients. Daily life followed rigid schedules of monitored rest, controlled exercise and nutritious, high-calorie meals.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s antibiotics such as streptomycin were introduced, eliminating the need for sanatoriums, as patients fortunately could be treated at home. The Bushnell Elms Grove Sanitorium was closed and sat empty for several years.
Finally, in the early 1950s, McDonough County moved The Elms nursing home from Scotland Township southeast of Macomb into the old sanatorium building in Bushnell, officially renaming it “The Elms”. It officially became the county nursing home on October 14, 1958. At that time the cost for patients was raised to $115 a month.
The old sanatorium building, being 37 years old, was beginning to show its age, just like the old county farm home had. The old county farm home had been in use for roughly 65 years, and to be an approved nursing home facility was in need of massive updates and repairs. The county farm home, converted the The Elms nursing home, was moved to the Bushnell sanatorium building in the early 1950s, which would turn out to be a 27 year temporary solution.
The Prairie Citizen reported the following on Feb. 20, 1975, concerning the construction of a new, permanent county nursing home: “At a meeting February 13, the McDonough County Board gave its go-ahead for a county nursing home to replace The Elms at Bushnell. The Board’s Elms Nursing Home Committee and the Building Commission were empowered to authorize financing and construction of the 100 bed facility. It is expected to cost $40 per square foot, or a total of $1,945,950.
The home will be financed by the sale of bonds to be repaid by fees charged to occupants. The board expects to charge patients $600 per month, compared to the $325 charged at the Elms at present. Ausbury said public aid pays a large part of the fees.
Mrs. Vivian Herron, administrator of the Elms, told the board she doubted the Elms license would be renewed in June unless construction was authorized. The new nursing home will be near McDonough District Hospital. It will be built around a series of interior courtyards, and it is designed to blend with the residential neighborhood.”
In 2027, The Elms nursing home in Macomb will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. The Community News Brief will cover this celebration with an in depth story.
What a fascinating series this story has been for this writer to research. Most county residents probably do not realize the long and winding path that led to The Elms of today.
Credits: Bushnell Historical Society McDonough County Genealogical Society, Alan Nemec information and photos History of McDonough County The Prairie Citizen McDonough Democrat, Stephanie Jones Western Illinois University Archives and Special Collections The Bushnell Record
