From River Reflections vol II page 77Did you know that the City of Snohomish once had a hospital?
It opened in 1904 and closed for the first time in 1949. It was reopened in August of 1950 but very quickly was turned into a nursing home until its final closure in 1970. The building was torn down in 1973.
Occasionally, we will have customers approach us at the Information Desk and tell us that they were born in the old Snohomish Hospital. Other times it will be relatives of people who were born there that are gathering information for a milestone birthday celebration.
Often they are looking for a picture or some information about it. The best place I know to gather information is from River Reflections II published by the Snohomish Historical Society. On page 77 there is a whole article about it.
What makes this question so interesting is that the library is sitting on the exact spot where the hospital was once located. (It feels like the Information Desk, where I work, would be inside the old hospital.)
We can see this by looking in our microfilm collection of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. (Click on the picture for a larger image.)
The microfilm reel has maps of Snohomish from a number of different time periods. The map above is from the one dated 1905. You will see that at that time the street we now know as Maple was called Lake. (You can also see that the railroad depot was located in what is now the library's parking lot.)
This is a 1908 map that shows an additional structure was added behind the hospital. It is labeled "Wards".
This map is from a later date. The notation is a little confusing but it seems to be an amended 1908 map from 1954. Lake is now called Maple and you can see the hospital's footprint has changed. This is explained in River Reflections II. Apparently the back building was moved to line up with the front house and then the space between the buildings was enclosed.
Included in the River Reflections II article is this image of a 1947 bill for a fifteen days stay at the hospital. A grand total of $22.50.Times sure have changed!
Nate - Snohomish Library Reference
3 comments:
So interesting! Good job explaining the layouts of the maps Nate. I had no idea that Snohomish used to have a hospital, although for the time period it makes total sense. I love historical facts like this about my hometown. Thanks for posting it!
What an interesting take on the library's location. Is that an old railroad depot on the map?
Terry,
Yes that is the old Northern Pacific Depot. You can see what appears to be a 1968 picture of it on page 76 of the book "Washington State Railroad Depots" by Clive and Ann Carter.
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