USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Somerville, past and present : an illustrated historical souvenir commemorative of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the city government of Somerville, Massachusetts > Part 19
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At the annual parish meeting in April, 1883, the standing committee reported an offer from an interested member to give " a lot of land, sixty feet square, on Highland avenue, a short distance beyond the new school- house, on the corner of the avenue and a new street called West street." The desire became strong in the parish to possess an eligible church site, and many lots were considered. So intense was the interest in the young parish, that it held four meetings in May, 1883, and at the last one voted to buy the land on the corner of Elm and Morrison streets. Time has proved this to be the best church location in West Somerville. A year later, further agitation and consideration resulted in a vote to build a chapel. Mr. Hosea B. Dennison, a faithful member of the parish, was selected as architect and superintendent. In September, 1884, the work of building commenced, and on the last day of the year the Third Universalist Church was dedicated, Rev. A. A. Miner, D.D., preaching the sermon. September 1, 1889, Rev. Mr. Skinner finished his labors with the society, after nearly six years of faithful and successful work. Shortly after internal dissensions lessened the strength of the parish and caused the departure of some of its most generous supporters. In April, 1890, Rev. Charles Macomber Smith, D.D., who had been for nearly twenty years a Baptist clergyman in Somerville, was chosen pastor, and under his experienced care and Christian guidance the church gained in strength and influence in the community. After three and a half years of faithful labor, Dr. Smith resigned, and was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Edward Potterton, who was called to the pastorate No- vember 1, 1893. The parish has steadily gained in strength, numerically and financially, and in spiritual estate, the true test of Christian success. The present needs demand an increased seating capacity, and in all proba- bility the church will be enlarged at no distant day.
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SOMERVILLE, PAST AND PRESENT.
WINTER HILL UNIVERSALIST CHURCH.
BY REV. ISAAC P. CODDINGTON.
The Winter Hill Universalist Parish was first organized at a meeting held in the Methodist chapel on the corner of Marshall street and Broad- way on the evening of June 23, 1879. The officers elected at that meeting were : Eli Smith, clerk ; J. L. Norcross, treasurer, who with G. T. Burnham, Edward Glines and Samuel E. Currier constituted the parish committee. Services were first held in the Methodist chapel, and later in Temple Hall, Broadway, and the pulpit was at first supplied by such ministers as were available.
In October, 1879, Rev. William A. Start, secretary of the State Con- vention, took charge of the parish until June, 1880, when the Rev. R. Perry Bush of Everett was secured as acting pastor, continuing as such until Jan- uary, 1888, when, a church having been built on the corner of Thurston street and Evergreen avenue, the time of service was changed from after- noon to forenoon, which necessitated the severance of Mr. Bush's connec- tion with the parish.
The first regular resident pastor was settled in 1888. At a meeting of the parish, held June 21, 1888, a unanimous call was extended to the Rev. Isaac Philip Coddington, then of the Grove Hall Church, Boston. The call was accepted, and the pastorate began the first Sunday of September of that year, and it continues at the present time. In May, 1889, the name was changed, on petition to the legislature, to that of Winter Hill Universalist Church. The very best of good feeling and a large degree of prosperity attend this church in all its many departments of Christian work.
The present officers are: Isaac Philip Coddington, pastor ; Parker Ridler, president ; George Russ, clerk; Herman Barker, treasurer, who to- gether with Erastus Woodward and Charles S. Robertson constitute the board of trustees ; I. B. Mayhew, superintendent of Sunday-school; Mrs. C. E. Moore, president Ladies' Circle ; Albert Roscoe, president Y. P. C. U. Ethel Moore, president Golden Rule Society ; Gladys Coddington, presi- dent of the Busy Bees ; Isabella Porter, president of the Flower and Benevo- lent Mission.
SOMERVILLE EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION CHURCH.
BY REV. WILLIAM E. FREDERICKS.
This church was organized December 19, 1892. Rev. Edward Freeman was its pastor the first two years, until March, 1895, when W. E. Frede- ricks, of Pennsylvania, was appointed pastor. This church is purely Wes- leyan in doctrine. While it gives due attention to all the doctrines taught in the Word of God, it emphasizes the doctrines of thorough evangelical re- pentance, justification by faith, regeneration or the new birth, and entire sanctification as necessary to obtain salvation. It emphasizes the privi- lege and necessity of living a holy life in this world. It is democratic in its church polity. The pastor is appointed annually at the annual conference
WINTER HILL UNIVERSALIST CHURCH, Thurston Street and Evergreen Avenue.
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SOMERVILLE, PAST AND PRESENT.
of the conference district by the presiding bishop with the concurrence of the presiding elders of the conference district. All the expenses of the church are met by free-will offerings. The present membership is 34. Its meetings are held in Brazillian Hall, 271 Broadway.
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UNION SQUARE BAPTIST CHURCH. PROSPECT HILL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. FLINT STREET M. E. CHURCH. PERKINS STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. W. SOMERVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH. ST. THOMAS' EPISCOPAL CHURCH. SOMERVILLE CHURCHES.
In addition to the foregoing there are a number of other churches in Somerville, several of which have large congregations that are doing valu- able Christian work in the community.
They are named and located as follows : WEST SOMERVILLE BAPTIST, on Elm street, corner of Winslow avenue, organized in June, 1874; ST. JOSEPH'S (Catholic), on Washington street, corner of Webster avenue, ded- icated in June, 1881; BROADWAY METHODIST EPISCOPAL, on Broadway, corner of Grant street; FLINT STREET METHODIST, on Flint, opposite Rush street, organized in April, 1868, by Rev. Garrett Beekman, who was its first pastor ; the SECOND ADVENT, on Putnam, near Summer street, organized October 6, 1887 ; the SECOND UNITARIAN, on Elm street, near Davis square ; and the CHURCH OF CHRIST, on Broadway, North Somerville.
SOMERVILLE HOSPITAL.
HORACE C. WHITE, M. D.
CHARITABLE AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS.
CHAPTER XXIV.
SOMERVILLE HOSPITAL.
BY HORACE C. WHITE, M. D.
IN its issue of November 24, 1890, the " Somerville Journal " published an article setting forth the need and the advantages of such an institution for our city. This article attracted the attention of a benevolent lady, Miss Martha R. Hunt, who immediately sent to the mayor, Hon. Charles G. Pope, an offer to contribute the generous sum of $10,000 on condition that a like sum be raised from other sources. The Somerville Medical Society appointed a committee to raise funds, and several ladies assisted in the work of soliciting and collecting subscriptions. In April, 1891, the hospital was duly incorporated. The names of the charter members are as follows : Charles G. Pope, John F. Cole, Thomas M. Durell, Horace C. White, A. H. Carvill, J. F. Wellington, Q. E. Dickerman, M. W. Carr, William Tay- lor, A. T. Nickerson, S. H. Holland, G. W. Perkins, G. M. Starbird, L. W. Farmer, R. E. Nickerson, Samuel Cutler, Joseph O. Hayden, J. F. Hatha- way, L. E. Merry, J. J. Lyons, F. M. Kilmer, J. H. Flitner, H. F. Spencer, John F. Couch, Lewis Lombard, L. V. Niles, L. P. Hollander, and F. W. Downer.
On March 8, 1891, at a meeting of contributors, a report was presented by Mayor Pope announcing that between $12,000 and $13,000 had been sub- scribed, and thus the gift of $10,000 had been made available. On May 11, 1891, was held the first meeting of the corporation, and committees were appointed as follows : - Executive committee : Hon. C. G. Pope, ex officio, H. C. White, A. H. Carvill, H. F. Spencer, M. W. Carr, J. F. Wellington, T. M. Durell, ex officio. Finance committee : R. E. Nickerson, J. F. Couch, F. M. Kilmer, F. W. Downer, J. H. Flitner. Auditing committee : J. O. Hayden, G. W. Perkins.
The building was erected under the direction of the building committee, consisting of the executive committee and A. T. Nickerson. On October 27, 1891, the contract for the construction of the building was awarded to the lowest bidder, G. M. Starbird, for the sum of $22,990. The building was practically completed February 17, 1893. Prior to this a gift of $5,000 was bequeathed to the hospital by the will of Rufus B. Stickney, who by this act of noble charity erected to his memory a monument more enduring than granite or marble.
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SOMMERVILLE, PAST AND PRESENT.
The location is an ideal one, situated as it is on Spring Hill, and sur- rounded by streets on three sides, the abrupt descent of the hill on the fourth side precluding the possibility of obstruction by other buildings. The grounds are ample enough to permit the erection of additional build- ings sufficient to double its present capacity. The plan of construction is such as to furnish a good supply of light and air. The building is so ar- ranged that bath-rooms, water-closets, etc., are separated from the patients' rooms by cut-off corridors, but are not at an inconvenient distance. The building for the sick is separated from the executive department by a corri- dor which allows free circulation of air between them; the dining-room, kitchen and laundry are separated in like manner from the rest of the building. The whole arrangement of the rooms is such as to give sufficient isolation of patients, and at the same time there is everywhere a cheerful and homelike appearance.
The corporation consists of contributors and others who render valuable aid in the maintenance of the hospital. The trustees are chosen from the members of the corporation, one-third of them being chosen yearly for a term of three years. The first president of the board of trustees was Hon. Charles G. Pope, who died just before it was dedicated ; the second, Hon. William H. Hodgkins, who resigned the office in June, 1896.
In accordance with the by-laws the board of trustees consists of twenty-four members besides the president, vice-president, clerk and treas- urer, two members being selected from each ward by the corporation annu- ally, said members being chosen for a term of three years. The medical board consists of four physicians, of whom two shall be Fellows of the Mass- achusetts Medical Society, and two members of the Massachusetts Homœo- pathic Medical Society, appointed by the executive committee for terms of two years.
It is the duty of this board to provide for the medical and surgical ser- vice of the hospital, and to recommend to the executive committee candidates for appointment on the medical staff. Physicians and surgeons who assist in the charitable work of the hospital receive no pecuniary compensation therefor. The management is such as to leave freedom of choice of physi- cians, a member of the above societies being on duty all the time. The same spirit of liberality is shown in regard to choice of spiritual advisers.
The matron reported four hundred and fifty patients treated in 1895, of whom one hundred and nine underwent surgical operations ; this was an increase in the whole number of one hundred and twenty-five over the pre- ceding year. By the matron's report in May, 1896, it appears there were six hundred and forty-five patients treated during the year, of whom three hun- dred and forty-six were out-patients.
The total expenditures from May, 1895, to May, 1896, were $12, 115.21, and $1,473.11 was expended for repairs of an extraordinary nature. The largest number of patients was thirty-seven, on December 12, and the small- est, fifteen, on July 14. Those paying numbered one hundred and eighty- two, and non-paying, one hundred and nineteen.
THOMAS M. DURELL, M. D.
REUBEN WILLIS, M. D.
337
SOMERVILLE, PAST AND PRESENT.
The training school for nurses contained fifteen pupils aside from those who were graduated. Their earnings outside of regular hospital work were $1,520.18, which is $912.94 in excess of the amount received from this source the previous year. The average cost per patient was $9.32 per week, while for the year 1895 it was $9.59.
The expenses compared with those of other hospitals are less than many and do not exceed any of them. The interest manifested from the first by the Ladies' Aid and other societies continues unabated, and many of our large-hearted and liberal-minded citizens have made generous donations for the continued support of the grand work which the hospital is performing for the people of Somerville. Many who share the benefits of the institu- tion have in reality no home where they can be cared for by loving hands, and often those who have all the comforts that a competency affords prefer in case of sickness to enter the hospital, where all the advantages of the best medical attendance and the most skilful and experienced nursing and care may be had at all times. While those who are able are expected to pay for services rendered, none who are without means are excluded from its doors.
In order to provide suitable furnishings for the various rooms and wards, many of our citizens and generous ladies made liberal donations.
The physician's offices were furnished by Mrs. A. A. Sanborn ; the trus- tees' room by the Sons and Daughters of Maine; the matron's office by L. W. Farmer ; the woman's ward by the Somerville Union of King's Sons and Daughters. Private rooms for patients were furnished complete by Mr. and Mrs. Henry F. Spencer, Ivaloo Lodge Daughters of Rebekah, Erminie Lodge Daughters of Rebekah, Francis C. Perkins, Humphrey P. Webster (who gave $500, the interest to keep the room supplied), S. Adams Clark, Our Class Association and primary department First Unitarian Sunday- school, R. H. Sturtevant, Prospect Hill school and others furnished the children's ward, and Mrs. G. M. Scott, the children's playroom ; and valu- able contributions of furnishings were donated by S. Newton Cutler, Harri- son Beard & Co., Mr. H. M. Beals, Ladies' Hospital Aid Association, Sun- day-school of Franklin Street (First) Congregational Church, St. Mary's Circle King's Daughters, Misses Ethel Cobb, Maud Shaw, Ruby White, Grace Plummer, Milton Harvey, Albert E. Hughes, C. F. Goldthwaite & Co., I. H. Brown, Miss Earl's Sunday-school class, George Gammon, Mrs. Col. King, employees of Derby, Kilmer & Pond Desk Co., Mrs. James F. Davlin, Mr. and Mrs. G. P. Strong, Rebecca Dart, Little Helpers, King's Daughters, Gertrude Jones, Davis school, Prospect Hill school, St. Mary's Circle K. D., Ever Ready Ten K. D., Willa Johnson, Bertha Hopkins, Edna Robbins, Lottie Draper, Charles G. Pope and Mrs. Pope, Dr. Anna B. Tay- lor, Miss L. A. Waters, A. S. Willard, Mrs. E. A. Curtis, Mrs. Ingalls, Whatsoever Circle K. D., Broadway Congregational Church, E. H. Marsh, Henry W. Tarbell, Grace, Bessie and Alice Fuller.
Among those who contributed through the Ladies' Aid Association may be mentioned Sarah S. Tufts, $100, the Presbyterian Church, West Somerville Congregational Church, Shepard & Norwell, R. E. Pickthall,
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SOMERVILLE, PAST AND PRESENT.
West Somerville Baptist Church, West Somerville Universalist Church, St. Agnes Circle King's Daughters, Mrs. J. B. Bolton, Grace L. Hodgkins, R. H. Riddell, J. F. Hathaway, Mrs. S. D. Salmon's Circle K. D., E. A. South- worth, John K. Whiting, Mrs. Ivory Pope and others. The contributors of sums of #100 or more are the American Tube Works, Charles E. Clark, A. H. Carvill, S. Cutler and wife, D. E. Chase & Co., Derby & Kilmer Desk Co., F. W. Downer, Abbie S. David, employees S. Water Works, George P. Edney, M. P. Elliott, J. H. Flitner, Friend, Charles H. Guild, Do. trustee, A. B. Gookin, Miss Martha R. Hunt, Silas H. Holland, J. O. Hayden, L. P. Hollander, J. F. Hathaway, Mrs. Sarah Hall, George W. Ireland and wife, O. S. Knapp, C. W. Lyman & Co., Louis L. Lombard, Ladies' Aid Association, A. E. Mann, Rev. C. T. McGrath, L. E. Merry, Middlesex Bleachery, John Abbot Lodge, North Packing Company, R. E. Nickerson, L. V. Niles, John F. Nickerson and wife, Our Class Association, Elm Coun- cil R. A., F. H. Raymond, Ezra B. Robinson, Wilbur P. Rice, John P. Squire, Somerville Fire Department, Jonathan Stone, R. H. Sturtevant, Somerville Police Force, Union Hall Co., Lucy M. Stone, G. W. Simpson, H. F. Spencer, R. B. Stickney, Mrs. George M. Starbird, estate of, Francis Tufts, Martha Tufts, Chas. Williams, Jr., A. H. Weld, A. A. Perry, ex- ecutor of will of Christiana D. Webber, and Willard C. Kinsley Post G. A. R. All the churches have made contributions from time to time. No other in- stitution of Somerville appeals to every resident of whatever party or sect as does this, and the donations have come from nearly every social organiza- tion and from hundreds of residents, although the majority of the gifts have been in moderate sums.
The treasurer's report, May 30, 1896, shows the following facts and figures : -
ASSETS.
Land and buildings
¥42,146.22
Furnishings .
2,684.37
Surgical instruments
390.81
Starbird fund .
500.00
Webster fund .
500.00
Edney fund
400.00
Cash on hand
1,166.77
$47,788.17
LIABILITIES.
Cambridgeport Savings Bank
$10,000.00
Somerville National Bank
1,000.00
Excess over liabilities
36,788.17
$47,788.17
This does not include a large number of contributions of furnishings and supplies which were given directly to the hospital and did not go through the treasurer's hands, which amount to probably several thousand dollars.
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ALPHONSO H. CARVILL, M. D.
HENRY F. CURTIS, M. D.
341
SOMERVILLE, PAST AND PRESENT.
The dedication of the building was an occasion of great interest. A writer in describing it said: "Early in the afternoon the institution was thrown open to visitors, and the corridors were thronged with women and children and a fair sprinkling of men. It is not too much to say that they were rather astonished at the completeness of the arrangements, the beauty of the furnishings, and, best of all, at the immaculate neatness and cleanli- ness of the whole establishment. . . . It was easy to see that the public felt it was their hospital. It represented even to the children some act of self- denial, some gift of money to make the enterprise a success." In the even- ing the dedicatory exercises were in charge of Mayor Hodgkins as presiding officer, who paid a touching tribute to the late Charles G. Pope, and closed an eloquent address by saying that his heart had been stirred by the sight of the crowds in attendance, and that the immense gathering of the friends of the institution meant that the people intended to support it.
The Hon. S. Z. Bowman, city solicitor of Somerville, said : " This hos- pital is one of the crowning features of our city. Our educational institu- tions have grown upon our hills, and now we have reached a fitting climax in the erection of this hospital. The parable of the Good Samaritan has come down through the ages as the highest type of Christianity. This im- mense gathering shows that this establishment has a warm place in the hearts of the people."
Dr. H. O. Marcy, of Boston, in the course of his remarks, expressed the opinion that there should be more small hospitals, not only in Cambridge and Somerville, but in Boston. He declared it better than to have hun- dreds of patients gathered under one roof and treated in gross, and said that in such institutions a few patients could enjoy the comforts of home and the care of trained nurses. Rev. J. F. Lovering stated that there had been nothing in the city which had so "drawn the people together in the spirit of the golden rule as this hospital." Another speaker said one pecu- liarity of the institution was the uniting of both schools of medicine on its board of trustees, declaring that there should be no sect in medicine, and that in the presence of man's greatest need there should be but one thought, how to cure disease. The policy of its management from the first has been so liberal that it has been possible for every creed, nationality, sect and race, to join equally in wishing it Godspeed, and to unite in carrying on its great work of charity and mercy.
The benefits derived by the community from such an institution are not confined to its high mission in ministering to the sick; it serves as a com- mon bond of union between the different sections of the city, and the vari- ous elements of which it is composed.
A feeling of responsibility for its care and maintenance is shared by all our people, and by responding to its calls for aid they have learned by happy experience the truth of the passage of Scripture which says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
To put in successful operation an institution of this kind is no easy task, and the care of raising the needed funds should in the main devolve
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SOMMERVILLE, PAST AND PRESENT.
upon others rather than those who are responsible for details of manage- ment, which must of necessity be a matter of daily effort and constant labor. The success of the management in securing revenue from paying patients, and the advantages derived from the training school for nurses in furnish- ing increased income, may well be a source of gratification to our citizens. The hospital is one of the many institutions of the city in which every citi- zen is justified in feeling an honest pride.
The officers for 1896 are as follows: president, Martin W. Carr : vice-president, Selwyn Z. Bowman; treasurer, John F. Cole; clerk, Fred- erick W. Stone.
Trustees. - Ward I : Horace C. White, William Taylor, George M. Starbird, Charles Williams, Jr., John F. Nickerson, George W. Perkins. Ward Il : Alphonso H. Carvill, J. Frank Wellington, Quincy A. Vinal, Louville V. Niles, John F. Couch, Thomas M. Durell. Ward III : Henry F. Spencer, Alvano T. Nickerson, Luke N. Farmer, B. Frank Wild, Frederick M. Kilmer, Quincy E. Dickerman. Ward IV : J. Henry Flitner, George O. Proctor, James F. Hathaway, Louis E. Merry, Joseph O. Hayden, Edmund S. Sparrow.
Medical Board. - Horace C. White, M. D .; Thomas M. Durell, M. D .; A. H. Carvill, M. D .; Frank L. Newton, M. D.
Members of Mass. Medical Society. - Hospital staff : Thomas Durell, M. D .; Horace C. White, M. D .; William A. Bell, M. D .; Horace P. Makechine, M. D .; John F. Couch, M. D .; Reuben Willis, M. D. As- sistants : Giles W. Bryant, M. D .; Henry F. Curtis, M. D .; Edwin H. Codding, M. D .; George A. Miles, M. D .; John B. Curtis, M. D .; G. W. W. Whiting, M. D.
Members of Mass. Homeopathic Medical Society. - Hospital staff : A. H. Carvill, M. D. ; Robert L. Lane, M. D .; Gilbert E. Hetherington, M. D .; H. Ashton Downs, M. D .; Forrest Leavitt, M. D .; Frank L. New- ton, M. D. Assistants : Emma J. Peasley, M. D. ; Anna B. Taylor-Cole, M. D .; Eugenie M. Phillips, M. D .; Mary B. Currier, M. D. Matron : Emma J. Gordon.
GEORGE W. W. WHITING, M. D.
Residence of DR. G. W. W. WHITING, 280 Broadway.
FRANK L. NEWTON, M. D.
EMMA J. GORDON.
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SOMMERVILLE, PAST AND PRESENT.
HOSPITAL LADIES' AID ASSOCIATION.
BY EMMA J. PEASLEY, M.D.
After the completion and opening of the Somerville Hospital, it was deemed wise by those familiar with its needs that there should be some organized systematic method of securing the necessary funds for carrying on the work. Accordingly several ladies and gentlemen met at the home of Mr. Rufus R. Wade, talked the matter over, and decided that an association which would enlist the sympathies and interest of the ladies of the city would be a sure means of obtaining the desired assistance.
A meeting was appointed at the Broadway Congregational Church on Sycamore street, on May 18, 1892. Invitations were sent to the pastors of all churches, which were read from the pulpit, inviting the ladies of the church and congregation to be present. About one hundred responded, and the organization of the Somerville Hospital Ladies' Aid Association was effected with the election of the following officers : president, Dr. Emma J. Peasley; vice-presidents representing the four wards of the city, Mrs. Harrison Aldrich, Mrs. William Hartshorn, Mrs. J. F. Lovering, Mrs. Henry Berins ; directors representing the different religious denominations in the · city, Mrs. William H. Brine, Mrs. Arthur T. Kidder, Mrs. S. D. Salmon, Mrs. A. C. Winning, Mrs. Horace C. White, Mrs. Albert Hughes, Mrs. F. M. Howes, Mrs. C. S. Dewing, Mrs. H. M. Burgess-these with the vice- presidents constituting a board of directors for the ensuing year ; record- ing secretary, Mrs. Jason P. Routh; corresponding secretary, Miss Emma S. Keyes ; treasurer, Mrs. Albert S. Pillsbury.
The society became incorporated in February of the following year, and the charter adorns the walls of the trustees' room at the hospital.
Most of the ladies present at the organization signed as members of the association, and the membership increased with unparalleled rapidity compared to other organizations in the city, until between nine hundred and a thousand ladies and gentlemen had agreed to give one dollar annually to- ward the support of the hospital, and six persons joined as life members by the payment of twenty dollars.
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