Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital photograph album

Collection

Identifier: 2017-006

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital photograph album is comprised of photographs from a former resident of the hospital. The photographs date from 1926 to 1929, and depict patients, staff, and the grounds and buildings of the tuberculosis hospital. This collection documents the daily activities of the patients and provides a look at many of the buildings that were at the hospital. Additionally, it provides a unique view into the Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital in the 1920s, which was growing exponentially each year. This collection is unique in that it shows images of the experiences at the Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital in the late 1920s. The images highlight the beauty of the hospital grounds and depict the distinctive experience of being at the hospital from a patient’s point of view.

Dates

1926-1929

Creator

Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital (Organization)

Conditions Governing Use

OHSU Historical Collections & Archives (HC&A) is the owner of the original materials and digitized images in our collections, however, the collection may contain materials for which copyright is not held. Patrons are responsible for determining the appropriate use or reuse of materials. Consult with HC&A to determine if we can provide permission for use.

Historical Note

In 1894, construction was started in Salem on a building designated to be the Oregon Mute School. The school was abandoned only a short time later because of a lack of adequate roads to its relatively secluded location. Its empty buildings were later used to house the newly commissioned Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital, which began admitting patients in November of 1910.

H. J. Clement, M.D., was superintendent in 1910 and 1911, and administered the medical program and business. Several new buildings were completed during this period. Later, in 1913, G. C. Bellinger, M.D. became superintendent. He would remain superintendent until his retirement in 1954.

During the first few years, patients came very slowly, as the idea of a tuberculosis sanatorium was new to the public. Soon, however, the hospital was forced to form a waiting list as the demand for treatment exceeded the supply of beds. Starting from only fifty beds in 1910, Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital expanded to 120 beds in 1920, many of which were in open-air pavilions. For the next few decades, the hospital continued to have a significant waiting list, and so kept expanding with new pavilions.

In 1963, the State Legislature combined the Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital in Salem with the University of Oregon Medical School State Tuberculosis Hospital, which was opened in 1939 on the University’s Portland campus. As a result, patients located in the University State Tuberculosis Hospital were transferred to the State Hospital in Salem.

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital began admitting patients in 1910. This album, which dates from 1926 to 1929, contains photographs that depict patients, staff, and the buildings and grounds of the hospital.