Past topics relating to health-related facilities included the tuberculosis hospital, sanitorium and smallpox hospital in the areas of Cherry Street and Jarvis Avenue. Today, the journey leads to Smith’s Ferry, where the Clarke Surgical Hospital, also known as Holyoke Surgical Hospital, stood for over a decade.
Dr. Louis Henry Clarke was born in Northampton in 1863. He attended the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, graduating in 1885. He was elected Marshall of his class, considered the highest honor to be bestowed by classmates.
In 1890, he and his family moved to Holyoke, where he became the fourth Superintendent of Holyoke Hospital.
In August 1919, a newspaper account indicated that Dr. L. H. Clarke purchased a frame building and 25 acres of land from Edmund H. (E. Hugo) Friedrich. The news account stated the property was situated on a hill west of the Holyoke Street Railway line, and halfway up the mountain. The building was originally planned as a hotel by Patrick Wall, but it never opened. The 2.5-story building needed to be remodeled and outfitted for a medical facility.
The Registry of Deeds showed an easement permitting Dr. Clarke to use Cedar Grove Ave., Western Ave., Ridge Ave., and Cross Street owned by Cedar Grove Estates to access the hospital land to the north. A 1911 layout of these streets is shown below.
Also, later in 1919, Drs. Louis H. & Philip H. Clarke purchased Lots numbered 94, 95, and 99 in Cedar Grove Park from Joseph F. Smith. The parcels are highlighted on the 1911 map below. Current-day Cedar Hill Road now bisects portions of these 3 lots.
On Saturday, May 28, 1920, the hospital opened for care. At its inception, the hospital had a capacity of 20 to 30 patients, with room for later expansion. Ruth N. Bray, who resided on Westfield Rd. in Holyoke, was the head nurse at the facility for the first 5 years. In 1928, she went overseas to perform nursing services in Soddu, Abyssinia.
Over time, Drs. Louis H. Clarke and Philip H. Clarke had built one of the largest medical practices in Western Massachusetts. Care and treatment included obstetrics, pediatrics, general medicine, emergency care, and surgery.
The location had its challenges for first responders. In 1924, the fire department requested that a fire hydrant be installed near the hospital, as a recent grass fire had required stretching 1,300 feet of hose to extinguish it.
Dr. Louis H. Clarke died in January 1933 at the age of 70. He had been in poor health after sustaining injuries in an auto accident in 1931. The hospital may have closed around 1932, as no entries for the facility appear in subsequent city directories. Dr. Philip Clarke was shown as having a medical practice at 282 1/2 Maple Street in 1933. In 1936, the former hospital and home of Dr. Philip H. Clarke was converted into a chicken farm.
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
