Difference between revisions of "Kehrer Tuberculosis Hospital"
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Latest revision as of 20:21, 11 February 2025
| Kehrer Tuberculosis Hospital | |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1924 |
| Closed | 1947 |
| Current Status | Demolished |
| Building Style | Cottage Plan |
| Location | Anderson, IN |
| Alternate Names |
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History[edit]
Named the Ella B. Kehrer Tuberculosis Hospital for the local woman who was the driving force behind its establishment, the hospital provided comfort and rest for tubercular patients of Madison County. The hospital was dedicated in 1924 to the memory of the soldiers and sailors from Madison County who lost their lives through tuberculosis while serving in World War I. Thirteen acres in a beautiful forest of trees contained three cottages built to house 22 adults and 25 children. When it opened, the hospital was equipped with almost every convenience for the proper treatment of patients. The large screened sleeping porches which surrounded each cottage made it possible for patients to sleep protected in the fresh air which was considered essential to their treatment.
The largest of the three cottages, a two-story structure, measured 36-by-42 feet, and the other two were one-story structures measuring 28-by-35 feet. The largest cottage contained a dining hall and kitchen on the first floor; the second floor was used for sleeping quarters. The other two cottages were devoted entirely to sleeping quarters.
An important feature of the hospital was called the Children’s Preventorium. It was a summer health camp for sick children. For two months each summer children could receive good food, medical /dental care and education in good health habits. Ability to pay did not affect treatment at the hospital. County residents were charged $5 a week, but those who were poor received free treatment. Out-of-county residents paid $15 a week.
Changing Indiana hospital standards and other options available to Indiana’s tuberculosis patients brought the closing of the hospital in 1947. Afterwards, thought was given to making a nursing home on the property, but in time the buildings deteriorated. The property which is now called Tanglewood is owned by the Anderson Community Schools. It is estimated that 3,000 patients were given care at the hospital, and thousands of others benefited through clinics conducted at the hospital during its twenty-three years of operation. Today, nothing remains of the institution that was located at the east end of Tenth Street on the bluffs 100 feet above White River.
