The destruction of Kelley Sanitorium by fire in November 1938 may have played a role in Dr. Allen Johnson's decision to build a hospital in Hemingway. At that time, Dr. Johnson was practicing in Marion, but in 1939. he began construction of a 152-foot by 33-foot hospital between South Main and Lafayette streets in Hemingway.
The new hospital opened in the Spring of 1940. It was named Johnson Memorial Hospital in memory of Allen Johnson's father, Dr. Liston B. Johnson, who began his medical practice in Kingstree before eventually settling in the Rome Crossroads area of Williamsburg County, where he practiced medicine for close to 30 years.
George Creighton was architect for the $60,000 facility which had 42 beds for white patients, two operating rooms, an emergency room, X-ray department, laboratories and a nursery. A 40-foot by 40-foot building on Lafayette Street served as a Negro hospital. It held 24 patient beds. Worth Powell was contractor for the construction of the hospital.
This facility served the Hemingway area from the Spring of 1940 until the late 1970s or early 1980s. In early July 1981, the Wilson-Huggins Agency ran an ad in The Columbia Record offering the hospital for sale. Today, the Hemingway Food Lion occupies the site of the old hospital.
About a year before Kelley Sanitorium burned, it had converted from a private sanitorium to a non-profit hospital with a board of directors. W.E. Jenkinson was president of the board, with the Rev. E.W. Cantwell as vice-president. Dr. E.T. Kelley was secretary/treasurer of the board. Other board members included Tom Rowell, Thomas McCutchen and David S. Epps. The non-profit hospital's mission was to "relieve human suffering and to supply adequate hospitalization for all classes without respect to persons..."
When Kelley Memorial Hospital was built in 1940, following the fire, the board remained in place at the new hospital.
The first floor of the new hospital contained a lobby, receptionist area, filing secretary's office, X-ray department and exam rooms. The second floor was devoted to patient rooms, delivery room, operating room and doctors' lounge. The third floor contained apartments for the hospital superintendent and assistant superintendent. The heating unit, laundry chute, refrigeration plant and cold storage were housed in the basement. The east wing of the hospital held a solarium on the third floor and provided a nursery with 12 bassinets.
The one-story annex west of the main building was added in 1953, and an open front porch was enclosed in the late 1950s or early 1960s. A building which provided housing for nurses was built to the north of the hospital in 1956 and has since been torn down.
Shortly after the hospital opened, the country was plunged into World War II. The Rev. Mr. Cantwell, who was by then chairman of the hospital board, resigned his pastorate in Kingstree to serve overseas. Dr. Kelley also resigned as chief surgeon in 1942 to join the medical corps. He, however, ended up remaining in Kingstree as the recruiting board found that his service to the area was essential.
It's unclear what happened in the years following World War II, but there was much upheaval at Kelley Memorial during that time. It appears that Dr. Kelley, who had been the sole authority at the hospital since its inception in 1919, struggled to adapt to working with a board of directors. This resulted in disputes with the board, the staff, and former board member E.W. Cantwell, who was by that time State Senator. The situation came to a head in February 1947, resulting in Dr. Kelley's being charged with assault and battery with intent to kill after a physical altercation with Senator Cantwell on February 24. Dr. Kelley posted a $1,000 bond, and the charges were withdrawn before the case was taken to the Grand Jury.
The board, however, barred Dr. Kelley from entering the hospital he had founded 28 years before. He protested his banishment, insisting that he had acted in self-defense. Dr. Kelley had strong support from the community, a group of whom tried to find a way to smooth things over. However, the group was unsuccessful in getting Dr. Kelley and the board together for discussion of the issues.
Oddly enough, the Rev. Mr. Cantwell, who was involved in the physical altercation with Dr. Kelley, later served as legal counsel for the group lobbying for Kelley's reinstatement. Cantwell had his own issues with the board of directors, which may have played a role in this turn of events.
Dr. Kelley was not reinstated and eventually set up a practice in Georgetown. Many Williamsburg County residents continued to use Dr. Kelley as their physician after his move.
However, on March 29, 1948, The Benevolent Societies Hospital opened its doors to Kingstree's African-American residents, and Dr. E.T. Kelley was to play a role in the beginnings of this hospital, as well.
The Benevolent Societies organization was formed by representatives from eight African-American organizations in Williamsburg County. The group began a subscription drive to develop a hospital for African-Americans to which both black and white residents contributed.
For $41,000 they acquired and remodeled the home of Mr. and Mrs. H.T. McGill on East Main Street into a hospital by adding a second story to include three three-bed wards, one four-bed ward, one semi-private room and one private room. Flora Nesmith was named hospital superintendent, Dr. E.T. Kelley was director of surgery, and Dr. J.A. Mason was medical director. The hospital also included a dining room, kitchen, operating room and a three-room suite for Dr. Kelley.
Officers of the Benevolent Societies at that time were E.W. Lawrence, president; W.W. Smalls, vice president; I.E. Lawerence, secretary; and Samuel Pressley, treasurer.
As it had done for Kelley Sanitorium when it opened, the community came together to help outfit the Benevolent Societies Hospital, as well. Morris Schrieberg, Harry Marcus, Jack Lybrand, and F. P. Seignious donated flood lights for the operating room. Kitty Marcus provided chandeliers for the hall, dining room, lobby and bathroom, while Isadore Goldstein presented the hospital with a library table.
The hospital served Williamsburg County's black residents for over 20 years. It underwent considerable remodeling in 1965, with further additions in 1970-71. It closed in the mid-to-late 1970s. The building later was used as a funeral home by Dimery & Rogers.
The building still stands, although it needs considerable attention. A historical marker was unveiled at the site on October 9, 2021.
Next time we'll look at Williamsburg Memorial Hospital's founding.
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