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Inventory of the Beth-el Hospital Women's Board, Records, 1903-1942Pikes Peak Library District, Special Collections in the 1905 Carnegie LibraryEmail: http://library.ppld.org/SpecialCollections/SpecialCollectionsContact.aspURL: http://library.ppld.org/SpecialCollections/default.asp ©2005 Pikes Peak Library District
HistoryIn 1904, in response to an overwhelming need in the community, the women of the Methodist Church opened the Colorado Conference Deaconess Hospital and Nurses Training School on Institute Street in Colorado Springs. The staff consisted of one superintendent nurse and one student nurse. The hospital could hold thirty beds, but only had eight to start. A local women’s board of managers was formed that included: Mrs. William Lennox, president; Mrs. A.D. Craigue, first vice-president; Mrs. J.A. Reed, second vice-president; Mrs. Ollie J. Smith, secretary; Mrs. Harriet Draper, secretary; and Mrs. S.N. Proudfoot, auditor. In 1907, General William Palmer, founder of Colorado Springs, donated land for a new, larger hospital at 1400 East Boulder Street. Construction was completed in 1911. Many of the women listed above were imperative in raising the donations for the new building. The new hospital was given the name Beth-el, which in Hebrew means “house of God.” The official name was the Beth-el Hospital and Training School. In 1912, a Crippled Children’s Ward and Pavilion, jointly staffed by Beth-el Hospital and the Visiting Nurses Association, opened for children with special needs. In 1918, an observation hospital, staffed by Beth-el, opened to treat contagious diseases. This part of the hospital opened in time to help patients suffering from the 1918 flu epidemic. In 1922, the governing board decided to transfer ownership of the Beth-el to the national Board of Hospitals, Homes, and Deaconess Work of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Beth-el Hospital opened the four-story National Methodist Sanitarium for tuberculosis patients in 1925. The facility was located on 29-acres, which is now the United States Olympic Training Center. In 1943, after the national board stopped managing hospitals, the Colorado Springs City Council voted 5-3 to buy Beth-el Hospital for $76,500. At that time the hospital consisted of 125 beds. The hospital was renamed Memorial Hospital, in honor of World War II casualties. The nursing school kept the name Beth-el. In 1949, the city started running both operations. The hospital has remained under the management of the city. In 1997, the Beth-el Nursing school became part of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. ArrangementThe materials are arranged in their original order. RestrictionsAccess RestrictionsThe collection is open for research. Copy RestrictionsThe researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection. Preferred CitationBeth-el Hospital Women's Board, Records, Special Collections in the 1905 Carnegie Library, Pikes Peak Library District. Processing InformationThis collection was processed, and a finding aid written, by Rosemary Graham in June 2004. Separated MaterialThere are no separated materials. Related Archival MaterialThere are no related materials. Subject HeadingsBeth-el Hospital Beth-el Nursing School Colorado Conference Deaconess Hospital and Nurses Training School Crippled Children’s Ward and Pavilion Memorial Hospital National Methodist Sanitarium Box and Folder List
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