McKendree Hospital

Nurses at McKendree Hospital

NPS

 

By the 1880's, coal mining was becoming a booming industry and it was only getting bigger. The New River Gorge was growing fast with the start of the coal industry. Local farmers, freed slaves from the South, and immigrants were flocking to the area. Towns formed all over thanks to the railroads, the coal industry, and the logging industry.

The Need for a Hospital

With this growth came needs including medical needs. Thousands of people were working dangerous jobs that caused injuries and illness. But there were no places for the treatment and recovery of injured workers in New River Gorge. In February of 1899, West Virginia legislature created three hospitals for state miners. Miner's Hospital No.1 would be in the Flat Top coal region near Pocahontas County. Miner's Hospital No. 3 would be in the Fairmont region of Marion County. Miners Hospital No. 2 would become McKendree Hospital.

McKendree was a small community with a population of 44 residents in the 1880. It was almost completely isolated from all the other communities in the New River Gorge. This sleepy community drew the notice of the influential coal operator, Joseph Beury. Beury wanted the hospital in that location. Of the sites proposed, McKendree was the closest site to Quinnimont, the location of his mine. Beury offered both the land and a free five year supply of coal to help heat the facility. In 1901, Miners Hospital No. 2, or McKendree Hospital, opened its doors for business. They built the hospital near the train tracks that connected all the New River coal towns.

 

McKendree Hospital

NPS

Serving the Community

In the first year of operation there were 171 patients. The main purpose of the hospital was to treat miners that were victims of mining accidents. The hospital also treated local farmers, laborers, carpenters, and other nearby residents. In its first year of operation, the hospital treated 30 people with gunshot wounds. As the New River Gorge coal mining area expanded, so did the need for the expansion of McKendree Hospital.

It was hard to find qualified nurses who would work in such an isolated community for low wages. As a result, McKendree Hospital suffered severe staffing problems. McKendree Hospital established a nurse's training facility on March 1st, 1910. Instead of looking for nurses to move to the area, locals could receive training and work at the hospital. These local recruits initially received $10 a month as well as food and housing. In return, they gave a two year commitment and trained by working at the hospital. By 1915, the program was so successful that McKendree Hospital had to expand. By October 1917, the facility had a nurses' home building, containing 17 rooms and a fenced in tennis court.

The hospital itself was 3 stories high. The first floor of the building served as general hospital wards. Segregation was a reality in New River Gorge and hospitals were no exception. White wards were on the east side of the build and the west side had colored wards. The hospital's second floor consisted of offices and residences for nurses and surgeons. The third floor served as the operating room with a sterilization room. Several small rooms were also used by white female patients.

 

Remnants of McKendree Hospital

NPS / Dave Bieri

Decline and Closure

McKendree Hospital served the people of New River Gorge for 40 years. Near the end of its years of service, the hospital began to decline for several reasons. The staff of McKendree tried to have a water well installed on the facility, but they did not succeed. The water pump from the New River was not enough for the hospital's needs causing water shortages. During the 1930's, the American people fell in love with cars. As roads became more common in the area, so did hospitals in easier to access locations. Finally, as the coal camps and towns closed, there was no longer a need for McKendree Hospital.

In 1941, the state of West Virginia came to the conclusion to close the hospital. McKendree Hospital, or Miners Hospital No. 2, was open from December 1, 1901 to September 13, 1941. The hospital became the West Virginia Home for Aged and Infirm Colored Men and Women, in October 1941. In 1954, the Supreme Court Case "Brown versus Board of Education" made segregation illegal in state run facilities. The home closed its doors in 1955 and the building would never open again.

McKendree Hospital Today

Today, the buildings that were McKendree Hospital no longer exist. Local residents stripped the building of materials. By 1969, the building was completely gone. Homes throughout Fayette County have bricks from the buildings. Only the foundation and steps remain surrounded by the forests of New River Gorge.

 

More New River Gorge History

• 

  Mining and Industrial Disasters

  Learn about the coal mining disasters at Layland, Red Ash, and Rush Run in New River Gorge

• 

  Joseph Beury

  Learn about the first coal operator at New River Gorge

• 

  Quinnimont

  Learn about the first town to ship coal from the New River coalfields