Historical Reflections: The Medical Heritage Center Blog

City Hospital was originally named the Mitchell-Thomas Hospital. It was Springfield’s first city hospital and opened on December 1, 1887. The hospital was located in a building and on a lot donated by Ross Mitchell, a local businessman engaged in the manufacture of agricultural products, linseed oil processing, and real estate. Another prominent businessman, John H. Thomas, donated money for an additional building, which was connected to the Mitchell building by an arcade. The hospital opened with a capacity of twelve beds, later increased to thirty-one.  

By the turn of the twentieth century, the limited capacity of the hospital combined with the noise and confusion of a location so close to the railroad made a new site desirable. The location chosen for the new Springfield Free City Hospital had been the Sharp family homestead, bounded by East Street, York Street and old Clifton Road. It was on the crest of a hill, known as “hospital hill” for many years after, and was said to be an old American Indian burial mound. The cornerstone of the Springfield Free City Hospital was laid on June 27, 1903 and the new 135-bed hospital opened on December 19, 1904.  

By the late 1920s, the city had again outgrown its hospital and the search began for a third location. The southeast corner of High Street and Burnett Road was chosen and the hospital opened its doors on September 25, 1932 with 260 beds. In 1965 the hospital was reorganized as a community non-profit association and became Community Hospital of Springfield and Clark County. By 2003, additions had increased the capacity to over 300.  

The Community Hospital School of Nursing, later known as Springfield Regional School of Nursing, was an affiliate of the City Hospital and offered a Diploma in Registered Nursing (RN). The school began in 1904 and it received the National League for Nursing Accreditation in 1953. Students began receiving college credits from a regionally accredited cooperating university in 1970 and in 2000, Urbana University offered general education courses on the School of Nursing’s campus. The School of Nursing closed on June 30, 2012, and the RN program was moved to Clark State Community College. 

In 1890, a sewing circle, members of the King’s Daughters of St. Paul Episcopal Church, making sheets and blankets for the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital wanted Columbus to have its own children’s hospital. This facility would take care of all sick children regardless of their race, creed or ability to pay. Therefore, on May 8, 1890 this group held a tea at the home of Mrs. James Kilbourne, 604 E. Town St., and raised $125. This money was the beginning of the fund to build a children’s hospital in Columbus.

On January 23, 1891 a founding group of men and women met to plan a hospital. A constitution and by-laws were drawn up, and Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Ohio Secretary of State on February 27, 1892.

The original nine-bed hospital was completed on December 30, 1893 at the corner of Miller and Fair Avenues on Columbus’ east side. The prevailing color scheme was blue and white, carried out in staff uniforms, chinaware, linens, bedding, etc. Under the original regulations, the hospital was open to patients between the ages of one and sixteen; no patient could stay longer than three months without a physician’s request and board review; and, no cases of infectious disease were accepted.

The first patient, Lucile Metzel, age 6, was admitted February 3, 1894, with a diagnosis of hip-joint disease and a family history of tuberculosis.

In 1900, an Elks wing was added that increased the number of beds in the hospital by 25. Throughout the first decades, the non-contagion rule proved almost impossible to enforce. One room had been designated a contagion room with one assigned nurse, should a case develop, but on several occasions so many cases of an interloping infection occurred that the hospital had to be closed to all other patients.

In 1916, the Women’s Board, which operated the hospital, had a budget of $10,000. Since this amount was not sufficient to meet the increasing expenses, Mrs. Truitt B. “Daisy” Sellers, President of the Women’s Board, met with a group of 42 women to form a fund raising auxiliary. On April 4, 1916, the Children’s Hospital Twig (Twig is an acronym that stands for Together With Important Goals) auxiliary was formed with 15 individual groups. Mrs. Sellers and Mrs. Kilbourne were both charter members of Twig 2. Raising money was not the only goal of the Twigs. Since the hospital needed supplies, each group as it was formed agreed to provide a specific item. Twig 26 supplied Dixie cups; Twig 32 soap; Twig 33 dental supplies; Twig 44 sugar; Twig 57 crib blankets; Twig 58 brown sugar; and Twig 62 baby bottle nipples. Some groups made surgical gowns, towels, sheets and diapers. One Twig did the grounds maintenance, a forerunner of all the Twigs’ flower and mulch sales.

Also in 1916 Children’s became affiliated with The Ohio State University.

From 1917 to 1943, the Women’s Board published a small monthly magazine, “The Bambino”, with articles about child care, the hospital and most importantly, “Twig Gossip”. This magazine was also a fund raising project with businesses purchasing ads and each copy costing 10 cents, or $1.00 per year.

Eventually, the hospital outgrew its original building and moved to new facilities in 1924 at 561 South Seventeenth Street, fronting Livingston Park. This facility had a capacity of one hundred twenty-five beds and accepted all types of cases except those of a contagious nature, the age limit being fifteen years. There was a free daily dispensary for general medical and surgical cases and a free daily dental clinic for hospital and dispensary cases. An eye, ear, nose and throat dispensary was open bi-weekly and crippled children had access to a free dispensary one day each week.

The hospital still exists although as a much larger facility and is now known as Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Additionally, it is home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

The archival collection of the hospital has recently been processed and the finding aid is available here.

St. Francis Hospital and Starling Medical College

Built in 1847 at 311 East State Street (present site of Grant Medical Center), this Norman Gothic structure was the first to combine patient care and clinical teaching in the same facility in the United States. St. Francis Hospital comprised two-thirds of the building with Starling Medical College housed in the remainder.

Starling Medical College (one of six predecessor schools to the OSU College of Medicine) was in operation from 1847 to 1907 and named in honor of Mr. Lyne Starling, who donated the land and $35,000 for the new building. During its tenure, the College had 2,600 graduates.

Initially lacking funding to complete the hospital part of the building, Dr. Richard L. Howard, a Starling Medical College trustee, provided money to open the “Howard Infirmary.” Managing this facility proved to be overwhelming and the Infirmary closed in the 1850s. Because of the lack of medical facilities in Columbus at this time, local physicians organized a move to bring a group of nuns to the Columbus community to serve as health care workers in 1861. In 1865, a 99-year lease was granted to the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis to operate the hospital. In 1929, the Sisters organized a School of Nursing which moved to St. Anthony’s Hospital in 1955 when St. Francis Hospital closed. St. Francis Hospital was razed in 1957.

*Part seven of a seven part series highlighting the history of Columbus medical centers.

Starling-Loving University Hospital

In 1917, The Ohio State University Board of Trustees announced that the abandoned homeopathy building would be incorporated into a new hospital for the medical school. A modified English Tudor addition to the homeopathic building made the hospital operational in 1924. The building was renamed Starling-Loving University Hospital in honor of Mr. Lyne Starling, a community leader and benefactor of Starling Medical College, and Dr. Starling Loving, dean of Starling Medical College (1880-1905).

By 1926, with the addition of three wings, the hospital housed 296 beds, an operating amphitheater, laboratories, a maternity department and an outpatient clinic. The main purpose was clinical teaching.

When The Ohio State University Hospital was built in the 1950′s, all hospital practices moved there. Starling-Loving University Hospital was renamed Starling-Loving Hall in 1961. It no longer serves as a hospital facility but houses offices and classrooms.

*Part six of a seven part series highlighting the history of Columbus medical centers.

Mount Carmel Medical Center

Hawkes Hospital of Mt. Carmel was founded by Dr. W. B. Hawkes (1812-1883). He donated land and gave $10,000 in United States Government bonds. Before the building was completed, Dr. Hawkes died and Dr. John W. Hamilton (1823-1898) completed the work. Dr. Hamilton secured the services of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, and formally opened the hospital in 1886. The hospital was located on West Street and Davis Avenue.

The first addition to the hospital was made in 1891. In 1906 a second building adjoining the old one was started. It contained a chapel and 120 additional private rooms for patients. Another building, consisting of 120 rooms with recreation halls, library, and three classrooms was erected and opened in 1921. This was the home for the student nurses. In 1934, on a lot to the west of the hospital, and connected with the hospital, a building for convenience of the Sisters was erected. It was a gift of Mrs. Neill Darrow.

From 1876 to1892, the hospital was operated in connection with the Columbus Medical College.

The Training School for Nurses was opened in 1903. The first graduates received their diplomas in 1906. Eight Sisters were included in the class. The school still exists today and is now the Mount Carmel College of Nursing.

Today this location is known as Mount Carmel West and is one of the four facilities that comprise the Mount Carmel Health System.

*Part five of a seven part series highlighting the history of Columbus medical centers.

Children’s Hospital

Hospitals for children began to appear in the United States in the late 1800s. Members of the King’s Daughters of St. Paul Episcopal Church initiated the movement to secure a children’s hospital in Columbus in 1891.

The first Children’s Hospital building opened in 1891. The prevailing color scheme was blue and white, carried out in staff uniforms, chinaware, linens and bedding. Originally Children’s Hospital had four beds. Six more were added almost immediately. The hospital was open to patients between the ages of one and sixteen; no patient could stay longer than three months; and, no cases of infectious disease were accepted.

Eventually, the hospital outgrew its original building and moved to new facilities in 1924 at 17th and Stone Streets, fronting Livingston Park. The hospital is now known as Nationwide Children’s Hospital. It is home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

*Part four of a seven part series highlighting the history of Columbus medical centers.

St. Anthony’s Hospital

St. Anthony’s Hospital opened in 1890 under the direction of the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis. The Hospital was located at Hawthorne Street and Taylor Avenue (site of present day University Hospital East). There were accommodations for over 200 long-term critically-ill patients, with no inside rooms. In 1904 an additional floor was added, and in 1939 a 3-story wing increased bed capacity to 270. The Sisters also operated St. Francis – St. Anthony Hospital School of Nursing from 1955 to 1970.

*Part three of a seven part series highlighting the history of Columbus medical centers.

Protestant/White Cross/Riverside Methodist Hospitals

After outgrowing its original location on Dennison Avenue, Protestant Hospital moved to a new facility at 700 North Park Street in 1898. The site consisted of a large five-story building and was incorporated March 18, 1891 by the Methodist Episcopal Church. Because the Ohio Medical University (1892-1907) financially supported the hospital after its relocation, the University was given a perpetual lease for clinical privileges.

Protestant Hospital was renamed White Cross Hospital in 1922. Eventually modernization caught up with the physical aspects of the hospital and this site was abandoned in 1961 as its successor, Riverside Methodist Hospital, opened on Olentangy River Road. The Protestant/White Cross Hospital building was demolished in 1970.

*Part two of a seven part series highlighting the history of Columbus medical centers.