Hillside Hospital- Jarvis Avenue

It was the turn of the 20th century, and sanitary conditions at the Hillside Hospital continued to concern city officials, the health community, and patients.

A resident at 10 Spring Street contracted smallpox and was transferred to Hillside Hospital. The 40 remaining residents were under guard and not allowed to enter or leave the 8-unit building for a week. 

In 1907, the Board of Health made recommendations for improvements at Hillside Hospital. They again advocated for a new hospital for contagious diseases, especially scarlet fever and diphtheria. 

In 1912, three cases of smallpox victims at Hillside Hospital cost the city $5,000, including three shifts of police patrols around the grounds, attendants to care for the afflicted, and food.

On February 26, 1912, the Holyoke Sanitorium was opened. The Board of Health continued its work advocating for better housing conditions, particularly addressing inadequate and unsanitary plumbing and trash collection.

In mid-1918, the Carpenter Hospital for Contagious Diseases opened on Cherry Street. The Board of Health discontinued its use of Hillside Hospital when the new facility opened.

In September 1918, Alderman William E. Hayes introduced an order to sell the Hillside Hospital, sawmill, lumber, and 35 acres of land. Invitations to bid were published for the hospital and sawmill. Emery Field of Conway purchased the sawmill for $450. The sawmill, which cost $1,200 to build, was used to clear trees on the property. No bids were received for the hospital.

On September 30, 1919, a bid of $750 was accepted for the lumber on the property. The successful bidder was Thomas Epstein.

The former hospital was an 11-room house, and it would sell for $5,000 or $6,000. The sales proceeds would be used to construct a bungalow on the new Carpenter Hospital’s property located on Cherry Street. This hospital was located east of the present-day Massachusetts Veterans Home at Holyoke, formerly the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.

In July 1922, F. J. Donoghue submitted a bid of $1,500 for the unused Jarvis Ave. hospital. The bid was not accepted. There were proposals in 1923 to establish a firing range or have the property taken over by the Holyoke Parks and Recreation. 

In 1926, consideration was given to granting the property to the Water Department to supply what was considered the best water in the city to residents of the neighboring wards and new homes built in the area.

The City of Holyoke Water Department now owns the 18, 16.8 and 2.5-acre tracts. Tank Farm Road traverses the two larger tracts leading to the towers. 

Citations:

Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.

Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories

Richard's Atlas of Holyoke, Massachusetts (1911)

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Holyoke, Hampden, Massachusetts (1956)

Assessors Office, City of Holyoke, Massachusetts

Richards Atlas of Holyoke, Hampden County, Massachusetts

(1911)

1956 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Holyoke, Massachusetts

The approximate site of Hillside Hospital is shown in red,

35 acres of hospital land are outlined in blue.

(outlined in orange and blue) 

City of Holyoke, Assessors’ Map of three parcels

owned in 2026 by the Water Department and 

formerly the 35+ acres of Hillside Hospital.