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History - Sisters Responded to
the Call
The Community of The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis traces
its heritage to 1860 and Herford, Germany, where the Sisters first
taught school and cared for orphans.
Life was not easy for them in those days.
It was the era of Bismark, the so-called "Iron Chancellor" of
the country, and his "Kultur Kampf," which persecuted the
church violently. Eventually, the Sisters were banished from their
homeland.
The tiny band of 25 Sisters and four
postulants, led by Mother Mary Xavier, took refuge in America and
finally settled in Iowa City, Iowa, in 1875. Just as they did in their
native Germany, the Sisters settled in to teach. But they struggled with
great poverty.
A pastor in Peoria became aware of their
plight and, in an effort to help, asked them to establish a much-needed
hospital there. After the Sisters had begun their work in Peoria, young
women from throughout the state, as well as Germany and Holland, sought
entrance into the Community.
Soon, new missions were established and
Sisters were sent out to begin new hospitals. Among them was Saint
James, which opened in 1907.
On January 29, 1907, The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis came
to Pontiac to begin caring for the sick. The Sisters came from Peoria
upon the request of Father James Dollard, assistant at St. Mary's
Church, Pontiac. Father Dollard had personally approached Bishop John
Lancaster Spalding, in Peoria, about his concern for the spiritual and
physical care of the sick in Pontiac and the surrounding area.
The Bishop agreed wholeheartedly and
advised that a Catholic hospital be built, provided there were Sisters
available to staff the institution and that sufficient funds could be
raised prior to planning a building. The Bishop set the latter
stipulation because two previous attempts to develop a hospital had
failed due to financial problems.
Meanwhile, on the same day Father Dollard
met with the Bishop in Peoria, he also went to see Mother M. Anthony,
mother general of The Sisters of The Third Order of St. Francis in
Peoria. Mother Anthony assured Father Dollard of the Sisters' services
if a hospital was provided. The zealous curate spent many long hours of
work before his plan was realized. He obtained a permit from city
officials to legally canvas for funds. He also arranged for a meeting
between the Sisters and the doctors.
In the summer of 1906, a resolution was
adopted and signed by physicians and surgeons of the county emphasizing
the need for a hospital in the area and inviting the Franciscan Sisters
of Peoria to establish such an institution. At the same time, the
resolution called upon the citizens of the county to give the project
their encouragement and support.
 The site chosen for the hospital was the
property on East Water Street owned by Mrs. Mahala Bradish. It had 10
lots with an alley and cost $20,000. An old mansion stood on the
property. This house also served for the hospital's use.
The name of Saint James was in
recognition of the work done by Father Dollard. Mother M. Anthony sent
seven sisters to Pontiac. She accompanied the sisters on their journey
by horse and buggy.
It was a very difficult beginning. Often,
there
was no money to buy food. On one such occasion ,Sister M. Alberta, Superior, sent two Sisters
to a grocery store to ask for food. The first grocer denied their appeal
and suggested another grocery store. The second grocer gave them a large
supply of food for their 35 cents.
The first patient, Mrs. Mary Daldy of
Pontiac, was admitted by Dr. Crocker on January 31, 1907. Records
indicate that she was 80 years old and was a Methodist. By the end of
the first year, 147 patients had received care.
To continue the journey through OSF Saint
James's history, choose any of the dates below or scroll down the page.
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Epidemics Impacted
Hospital Through the Years
Pontiac's first cholera epidemic came in
late summer 1849.
The grim disease had gripped New Orleans
in December 1848 and moved north along the Mississippi River, fanning
out into nearly every major city in the nation. Barely more than six
months later, St. Louis alone had suffered over 3,200 deaths due to
cholera.
Augustus Fellows, having completed
Pontiac's first hotel a little more than a year earlier, returned from
an extended visit to New York and he and his wife settled into running
their new establishment on the northeast corner of Chicago and
Washington streets.
In less than two weeks during late August
and early September, 14 people in the Pontiac area had died in the
epidemic. The victims included Fellows and two of his children; Dr.
Josiah D. Holland, who came in from Rook's Creek to tend the Fellows
family; five members of the Garrett M. Blue, Sr., family; William
Garner; three members of the John Blue family; and Miss Ann Oliver
(sister of Franklin Oliver of Chatsworth Township), who was teaching
school at Owego when she came into Pontiac to nurse the sick.
The cholera continued into the 1850s,
following water courses, well-traveled roads and weary railroad
construction gangs.
A young couple arrived from the East in
the summer of 1854 at the Pontiac hotel known as Buck's Tavern. Within
two days, the travelers' cholera-stricken bodies had been buried on the
knoll northeast of town and, once again, the scourge hovered over the
community, claiming the lives of 10 others before it was snuffed out.
Scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhoid and
many other communicable diseases touched the community in years
preceding the age of "miracle drugs." A quarantine would often
squelch an infection, yet, through the years, local health officials
would periodically need to take more drastic action, like closing
schools, churches and all public gatherings in order to check a rampant
disease.
When the influenza pandemic occurred in
the United States during World War I, flu-related deaths began appearing
on the casualty lists. Pontiac boys were fighting overseas and training
at boot camps. Each week, more local boys climbed aboard trains on their
way to report for duty.
By September 1918, Illinois was hit with
the flu in points both north and south and it spread rapidly over the
state.
In Pontiac in the first week of October,
the health board closed all moving picture shows, all churches and
public gatherings. Schools remained open, but teachers were required to
inspect their students each morning and send suspect cases back home.
The Livingston County Chapter of the Red Cross offered free face masks.
In the second week, schools were closed,
along with all pool halls. Dr. Bawden of the Board of Health, just up
from a bout with flu himself, said he thought the local epidemic was
under control and appointed Dr. James Mitchell as "health officer
in charge." He refused to give an estimate on the number of
influenza cases in Pontiac.
Absenteeism due to the flu forced the
A.M. Legg Shoe Company to halt production indefinitely.
The War had already caused a shortage of
doctors and nurses and on Friday, October 11, orders came from
Springfield prohibiting Saint James Hospital from admitting influenza
patients or receiving visitors.
Within 22 hours after a call from Dr.
Bawden, the local Red Cross secured the use of a residence at 319 E.
Washington Street, and converted it into an emergency hospital for
influenza patients. Seven beds were made ready while donations and food
came in from townspeople.
Across the town, entire families had been
stricken and small children were without sufficient care. Disregarding
the hazards, 40 girls previously trained by the Red Cross nursing
service helped not only in the hospital, but also in homes.
During October's third week, the Chicago
and Alton freight depot lacked enough employees to stay open and the
Central Union Telephone Company received help from operators in Forrest,
who were repaying help given them during their own epidemic in late
September. All funerals were restricted to family members only.
On the warmest day of the month (82
degrees), beds were added at the emergency hospital, along with an
assurance from the Red Cross Central Department in Chicago that more
nurses were on their way.
At the beginning of the last week in
October, the local Red Cross reported on the 12-day-old emergency
hospital. Thirty-three patients had been received, of which 10 remained
in the hospital. Seventeen patients had been discharged completely
cured. The six who had died had been seriously ill on admittance.
Also, 130 calls providing food and care
had been made to various stricken families in Pontiac. Many miners had
been sick and when the temperature dropped to 35 degrees, officials
worried about a possible fuel shortage. Doctors reported an increase of
influenza cases in the rural population while cases were diminishing in
the city.
Finally, the quarantine lifted in early
November for everyone except those living with persons ill within the
week. Yet all buildings had to be well ventilated before and after any
public gatherings. Funerals remained private.
Illinois felt a new wave of influenza
during the first weeks of December 1918, but it was not as severe.
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Fire Guts Hospital
in 1919
On May 4, 1919, the entire Saint James Hospital burned out, leaving only
the outside shell standing.
The fire began early in the morning,
following a large bolt of lightning. All 15 patients in the hospital
were removed to safety and carried through heavy rain to private homes
near the hospital.
All of the equipment owned by the doctors
was lost in the fire, including a $1,200 X-ray machine belonging to Dr.
John D. Scouller and operating instruments and appliances owned by Drs.
Marshall, Middleton, Ross and others.
Firefighters worked until 11 a.m. putting
out the blaze, which was fed by chemicals in the operating room and a
300-pound tank of gas which exploded.
The displaced patients were cared for by
the Sisters and by the Red Cross secretary, Mrs. Alice Walker, who
recruited help and equipment for an emergency hospital on East
Washington Street.
After the fire, A.N. Smith loaned a
building on North Main Street for six months to the Sisters while the
hospital was being rebuilt.
On the afternoon of the day of the fire,
$33,333 was raised for the reconstruction of Saint James at a public
meeting in the opera house directed by A.M. Legg, president of the
Chamber of Commerce.
The first patients were admitted in
November 1920 to the new hospital, which had been built with fire
precautions, such as lightning rods and terazza floors instead of wood.
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Did you know that
in 1950:
- One out of 12 patients at Saint James
Hospital had to be treated in tile hallway or on the sun porch
because of the growth in the hospial's patient census.
-
Eighty-three percent of the patients treated
were not Catholics.
- Beds could be obtained at Saint James
for $5 per day. The average cost in Illinois was $11 per day. The
difference was largely due to frugal management of resources and the
duties performed by the Sisters, who took no payment for the work.
- An 11-member non-sectarian,
non-professional group of civic leaders was formed to advise the
Sister Superior of St. James Hospital on community relations and hospital
services. Today, this group
exists as the medical center's Community Advisory Board.
- Any bequests made to the Saint James
Hospital Advisory Board were jointly administered by that board and
the hospital administrator. Its approval was necessary before any
expenditure of such funds could be made. All funds were to be spent
for hospital improvement.
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Celebration Marks
Dedication in 1953
Three days of festivities marked the end of two years of hopeful
planning and fund collecting, when Bishop William E. Cousins dedicated
the new $600,000 addition to Saint James Hospital.
The blessing of the four-story wing was
in May 1953, following a Pontifical Low Mass offered by Bishop Cousins.
Open house ceremonies, celebrating the
completion of the new addition, were Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31,
from 2 until 5 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. Men of the Advisory Board,
under the direction of Tony Price, president, acted as hosts to the
visitors, and women of the VFW Auxiliary and the Franciscan Sisters at
Saint James Hospital served refreshments.
 Assisting
Bishop Cousins at the Mass were the Rev. John Shields, pastor of St.
Mary's parish in Pontiac, and the Rev. Richard Raney, pastor of Sts.
Peter and Paul's parish in Chatsworth, as chaplains. St. Mary's choir,
composed of the seventh and eighth grade students at St. Mary's parish
school, under the direction of Sister Mary Laurelle, sang during the
Mass.
Following the blessing Friday morning,
Bishop Cousins was the guest of honor and gave the main address at a
dedication luncheon at the hospital. Other special guests were the Rt.
Rev. Monsignor B.J. Sheedy, dean of the Bloomington deanery; priests
from parishes in the service area of the hospital; the medical staff;
the advisory board; heads of the Pontiac Elks and Moose lodges;
commanders of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in
Pontiac; and chairmen of the various township fund drives.
Edward Zorn, general chairman of the
fund-raising drive for the new addition, spoke at the luncheon, and Reed
Tornbaugh of the advisory board acted as toastmaster. James Maloof of
Peoria entertained with vocal selections, accompanied at the organ by
Miss Letitia Luther of Pontiac High School.
Forty-six beds were added to the capacity
at St. James Hospital by the construction of the new building, bringing
the hospital capacity to 100 beds. The new wing added a modern kitchen
and cafeteria.
The original intention of the
fund-raising campaign was to add a kitchen, cafeteria, Sisters' dining
room and a first and second floor for medical and surgical cases. The
drive was so successful that a third- and fourth-floor section was added
to the plans. It housed the obstetrical department and operating rooms.
In 1951, a grant of $125,000 was made
available to Saint James Hospital from the estate of Fritz Bolander to
improve hospital facilities. This amount was matched by The Sisters of
the Third Order of St. Francis.
Shortly afterwards, a drive was begun by
the Pontiac Lodge #1019 of the Elks to provide further funds for the
addition of the facilities needed. Administrative costs of this fund
drive were absorbed by the Pontiac lodge.
Edward Zorn, who was appointed chairman
of the campaign, worked with the Advisory Board instituted by Rev. John
Weishar, diocesan superintendent of hospitals.
Composed of prominent business and
professional people of the community, the Advisory Board also worked in
conjunction with Sister Mary Adelgunda, superior of Saint James, at the
drive's beginning and later with the superior, Sister Mary Concepta.
Architect was Hamilton B. Dox of Peoria.
Wroan and Sons company of Deer Creek was general contractor.
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Grant Allowed
Maternity Modernization
In February 1956 a growing Saint James
Hospital announced that it would use its $33,200 grant from the Ford
Foundation for modernization of its maternity floor. Figures released at
the same time indicated increased service by the hospital during 1955.
The starting date for the job, estimated cost of which was $25,000,
depended on a final approval of the project by the Foundation, according
to Frank Lehman, president of the hospital's lay advisory board.
Any money left over was to be applied
toward finishing the fourth floor of the building's south addition.
Estimated cost of that project, which would equip the floor for surgery,
was $130,800.
Maternity patients in 1955 numbered 544,
according to figures released by Sister Superior M. Concepta. The total
represented an increase of 22 over 1954's figure, she said. The total of
patients admitted jumped to 2,752 from 2,340 in 1954, she added, while
the average length of patients' stay was reduced to eight days.
Outpatients were up to 2,354 from 2,316.
The Ford Foundation grant provided money
for an enlarged delivery room, a modern formula room next to the new
nursery and remodeled doctors' and nurses' rooms. Rooms were rearranged
for more efficient obstetrical service. Several of the changes brought
the hospital in line with state regulations.
Other figures in the yearly report for 1955 revealed that 985 inpatients
and 981 outpatients had received X-ray service, as compared with 879 and
980 in 1954. Laboratory inpatients increased to 3,330 from 3,074 and
outpatients receiving laboratory services was down to 861 from 981.
Major operations performed increased to 271 in 1955 from 243 in 1954,
while minor operations went up from 396 to 459. There were 315 emergency
outpatients, and 457 pints of blood were used.
The hospital used 63 full-time and seven
part-time employees during the year ending June 30, 1955, according to a
report to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Included were 32
graduate nurses and an equal number of practical nurses and aides. Also
employed was a registered X-ray technician, a medical technologist, a
registered anesthetist, a pharmacist and a record librarian, Sister
Concepta said.
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Hospital Praised
for Addition
This is the exact text taken from an
editorial printed in the August 18, 1969, edition of the Pontiac Daily
Leader:
"Pontiac has many assets, and we
believe one of its finest is St. James Hospital.
"On Tuesday, the latest of many
additions and improvements to the facilities of the hospital was
dedicated. This new wing of the hospital, which will provide 32
additional beds and greatly advanced emergency, X-ray, laboratory and
therapy facilities, was built at a cost of $1.7 million without a fund
drive from the community.
"The Sisters of the Third Order of
St. Francis, who operate the hospital have financed the cost with the
aid of a federal-state grant of $387,470. This alone is a most
noteworthy and unique aspect to the whole undertaking, in this day when
there are so many calls for contributions.
"We would not want to imply that gifts would not be welcome. They
are needed and we are certain would be most welcome. Just a few days ago
there was good news of the hospital's being one of the beneficiaries
from a charitable trust which the late Mrs. Blanche Finley set up in her
will. Such generous gifts will always be needed and be welcomed by the
hospital.
"There are many aspects to the value
of St. James to the Pontiac area. Its facilities and its staff provide
for fine medical care for ill and injured. It is one of the larger
employers in the city, with 172 hospital employees - skilled and
dedicated individuals.
"Salaries for this staff totaled
$631,112 last year. The hospital provides a workshop for a medical staff
of 17 physicians, plus the courtesy staff of eight physicians and
dentists, and a consultant staff of 14.
"Then, too, the hospital draws
people from a wide area to Pontiac. In admission lists for just a week
we noted there have been patients at St. James from Flanagan, Odell,
Chenoa, Minonk, Onarga, Forrest, Graymont, Saunemin, Cornell, Dwight,
Fairbury, Kempton, Streator, Campus and Long Point, in addition to
Pontiac. Also there had been a number of accident patients from outside
this area.
"All these factors mean that St.
James has a considerable economic impact on this community, in addition
to its primary purpose of healing.
"Also in the last few years, the
facilities at St. James and the plans for this fine new wing have been
major factors in the decisions of four new doctors to move here.
This is a considerable achievement for
this community at a time when there is a shortage of physicians so many
places.
"Today, even though the hospital is
operated by the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, it is
primarily lay people who are the employees. But the Sisters hold a
special place in the affections of people of the community.
"This was evidenced at a dinner
Tuesday night following dedication of the new wing when only two people
received standing ovations from those present--Sister Virginia, the
beloved and devoted nun who has been at St. James many years, and Sister
Frances Marie, a native of this area who was administrator of the
hospital when plans were started on the new wing.
The Pontiac community can be very proud
of these new hospital facilities. We congratulate all those who have had
a part in planning and developing this addition.
"On Saturday afternoon, there will
be an open house at the hospital. We recommend that you pay a visit to
see for yourself these fine new facilities, and we recommend careful
reading of the special tabloid section of today's Leader which is
devoted to the hospital."
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Second Blaze Struck
in 1979
A fire of undetermined origin destroyed
an X-ray file room on a Saturday in December 1979 at Saint James
Hospital and threatened evacuation of the hospital's patients, but the
hospital was in full operation again by Sunday. No services were closed
down because of the fire.
The fire was discovered at 6:41 p.m. in a
first-floor room of the hospital's two-story, east wing, a 1969 addition
to the main building. Smoke from burning X-ray negatives spread to the
second floor, forcing the evacuation of nine patients.
Firefighters had the fire under control
within 15 to 20 minutes, containing it to the X-ray file room. The room
and its contents were destroyed. No damage estimate was available.
An automatic alarm, tripped by a smoke
detector, summoned firefighters to the scene. Pontiac firefighters
called for mutual aid from nearby fire departments.
"We needed help in case we had to
evacuate," Fire Chief James Myers said. Firefighters did help in
moving the nine patients from the east wing.
Even with the prompt action by the
hospital personnel, "by the time we got the last patient out, the
smoke was real heavy," Myers said. The patients were moved to the
second floor area of the main building.
While employees werecleaning up the mess
left by the fire, an investigation to determine the cause was
continuing. State Police Detective Al Lindsey, Pontiac Police Detective
Lt. James Edinger and Pontiac firefighter James Roberts were conducting
the investigation, Myers said. Myers would not speculate on what might
have started the fire.
Moving patients from the smoke-filled
area caused no space problem because the hospital had a low number of
patients due to the Christmas season.
Files destroyed contained the hospital's
1979 X-rays and reports of the film. The files only recently had been
moved into the room where the fire occurred.
A hospital maintenance worker went to the
room where the alarm sounded but retreated when he saw smoke pouring
from under the door. The two-story, brick wing also houses the
hospital's emergency room, outpatient services and X-ray equipment and a
laboratory.
The emergency room was back in operation
late Saturday night. The second floor's 15 patient rooms were cleaned
that morning.
Seven fire departments sent a total of 71
firefighters to the hospital to back up the Pontiac department in case
an evacuation was necessary. It was nearly 10 p.m. before the
firefighters left.
The fire was controlled in about 15
minutes, but ventilation--getting the smoke out of the building--was a
problem.
Chief Myers said seven ambulances were
standing by in case of evacuation. "We were prepared for it. The
armory was ready to take any supplies of people," he said.
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A Special Act of
Love and Compassion
In April of 1983, with pediatric
hospitalizations declining across the country because of medical
advances, Saint James Hospital closed its dedicated pediatrics unit. A
three-year-old girl from Odell was a patient at that time, and with an
inoperable brain tumor, was not expected to live much longer. Out of
concern for her comfort and that of her mother, who naturally wanted to
stay with her daughter around the clock, a room for Jessica and another
next door for her mother, were kept open and nurses took turns staying
with them on the otherwise empty unit for an additional few weeks until
Jessica passed away. This story typifies the dedication of OSF Saint
James and its Community of Caregivers to serving persons with great care
and love throughout its 100-year history.
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Remodeling of the
Hospital, Further Enhancements to Patient Care and Comfort
On May 4, 1986, 67 years after a fire
that almost destroyed all hope, Saint James Hospital hosted a
rededication ceremony, celebrating a $4.5 million remodeling of the
hospital, which included a facelift for the main lobby and Emergency
Department waiting area, a new intensive care unit, the addition of an
ambulatory care unit and 32 patient beds, new state-of-the-art equipment
for the Obstetrics Department, the addition of birthing rooms, and a
renovation of the Surgery Department. All of the intensive care rooms
became private and the obstetrics rooms became combination
labor-delivery-recovery rooms, improving the privacy and comfort of
patients and their families during their hospitalizations.
By this time, the Sisters’ Mission in
Pontiac had grown to include more than 385 employees and 80 OSF Medical
Group employees.
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The Generosity of
Mr. John W. Albrecht
OSF Saint James – John W. Albrecht
Medical Center was completed in 2002. This entirely new “replacement
facility” became a reality through the generosity of others. A large
portion of the cost of building the medical center was provided through
the estate of a farmer who wanted to give back to the area in which he
had always lived … John W. Albrecht. Mr. Albrecht’s Last Will and
Testament set aside a major portion of his estate for the explicit
purpose of building a healthcare facility in or near the community he
loved. Employees, physicians, area residents, organizations and
businesses also donated willingly to the “Partners in Progress”
campaign, along with significant support from The Sisters of The Third
Order of St. Francis. While the architecture, equipment, services and
infrastructure is beautiful and modern, however, it is the OSF Saint
James’ Community of Caregivers --- over 500 strong --- that makes it a
place of genuine caring, love and commitment to its patients and their
families, and to the Mission of The Sisters of the Third Order of St.
Francis.
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