The rise in smallpox cases in the 19th century led to the construction of isolation hospitals worldwide to separate the infected from the general population. Smallpox was highly virulent and spread through coughing, sneezing, or contact with infected materials, among other routes of transmission.
There were incidents in Holyoke of paper mill workers contracting the highly virulent disease by coming into contact with infected rags. When they returned home, especially those living in tenements, the disease would quickly spread to others. At times, due to a lack of space at the smallpox hospital, residents were quarantined in their homes or, more likely, their tenement blocks.
By definition, a pest house, also known as a pesthouse, plague house, or fever shed, is a hospital for patients affected by plague or other infectious diseases. This would include communicable diseases, such as smallpox, cholera, tuberculosis, and typhus. The term was widely used in the 19th century to describe the isolation facility. Most of the Holyoke Transcript news articles in the late 19th century referred to the isolation hospital as a pesthouse.
Holyoke’s smallpox hospital, located on the west side of Jarvis Avenue, now the segment known as Old Jarvis Avenue, was completed during 1886, according to the Municipal Register of the City of Holyoke for 1886. This included all the sheds for storing ambulances. The kitchen and dining room were equipped with the necessary furniture. There were two wards to accommodate 8 patients. The Board of Health indicated the facility was fully equipped to care for and isolate infected patients.
A vaccination was developed in the 18th century by Edward Jenner, but it was not widely used. By the late 19th century, public health officials educated the public about hygiene practices and vaccinations, paving the way for eradication by the 1970s.
One of the smallpox hospital’s ongoing problems was the lack of adequate heat during the winter months. In 1893, the Board of Health advocated for a new boiler and adequate, clean drinking water. The water source was from a well that had dried up, and was of poor quality when in service.
In 1894, Alderman Connor introduced an order instructing the superintendent of public orders to proceed with repairs to improve conditions at the facility. The Board of Aldermen passed the order.
In April 1899, Alderman Muritz E. Ruther motioned to rename the pest house as Hillside Hospital. The motion carried. More on the history of the newly named isolation hospital follows in the next chapter.
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
Municipal Register of the City of Holyoke for 1886; published by order of the Board of Aldermen, Google digitized; public domain.
Municipal Register of the City of Holyoke for 1894; published by order of the Board of Aldermen, Google digitized; public domain.
Richard’s Atlas of Holyoke, Hampden County, Massachusetts (1911)
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