Our History Part II

Hospital Ownership and Development

The latter half of the 1800's found Claremont, along with countless other New England towns, awash in the boom created by the textile industry. Mills sprung up all along the banks of the Sugar River, and huge influx of working families quickly transformed Claremont from sleepy farm town to thriving city. But like so many similar river towns, the Industrial Revolution far outpaced the development of worker safety programs, proper housing, and adequate pay. In a few short years, Claremont found itself with a sizeable number of poor and destitute families with no hope of assistance or care.

By 1886, the plight of Claremont's working families could no longer be ignored. Women from several local churches banded together to see what could be done. They quickly discovered that the needs of the community far outstripped their resources, and that care of the very young, elderly, and sick consumed the majority of the available funds. Gradually, the organization found itself given more and more to distinctly "hospital" work, and by the fall of 1891 decided that they should focus on this endeavor exclusively.

As the number of volunteers grew, it was soon realized that a more formal organization would need to be established. In February 1892 the group assembled to sign articles of agreement organizing them as a voluntary organization, and the Ladies Union Aid Society was born.

The first item on the Society's agenda was of course finding a location where they could operate from, which had to be centralized enough so the citizens of Claremont could receive the care they needed. Several different properties were evaluated, but the most attractive (and best priced) of them all was the Keyes farm, which in the possession of Robert Lull had just become available. In addition to 30 acres of available space, the $3,500 price tag also included the farmhouse, stables, and sheds. The necessary funding, however, wasn't so easy to find. Several months' worth of fundraisers, pleas to local businessmen, church contributions, and even a small sum from the local children finally amounted to the full sum of the purchase price by October 1892.

The R.B. Lull property, formerly the Keyes Farm, in 1892.

The new "facility" was far from move-in condition. As expenses were tight, the town agreed to exempt the property from taxes so long as it was utilized for hospital work. Renovations to the house, furnishings, and hospital beds were all provided for through church assistance, further fundraising, and the generous gifts of the townspeople. This work was substantially complete by the following summer, and on July 13, 1893, the citizens of Claremont assembled on the spacious grounds of the former Keyes farm for the dedication of Cottage Hospital- the first of its kind in Sullivan County, and the third established in New Hampshire.

Dedication of Cottage Hospital, July 13th, 1893. View looking south toward Claremont.

Patient volume at the new hospital grew quickly- nearly doubling each year at first. Despite the seemingly large size of the building, it became immediately obvious that the existing seven beds would soon be overwhelmed. Raising funds to construct an addition to the building seemed daunting, and would have been a nearly impossible task had it not been for sizeable donation that nearly covered the cost of the new wing. An additional eight rooms were added, effectively doubling the size of the facility. The new Leland J. Graves Memorial Wing was dedicated on November 4, 1896.

About this time Cottage Hospital established a nurse's training school, owing to the lack of qualified personnel in the region. The response was overwhelming, forcing the need to continually expand the program. By the turn of the century, the need for the Training School to have its own dormitory facilities and laundry was undeniable. Rooms in the Graves ward had been given over to the program, reducing patient capacity once again. It took several years to raise the necessary funds for the proposed "Nurse's Home", which was finally completed in May 1908.

The Nurse's Home was a welcome addition to the site, and included classrooms, bathrooms, a living area, and seven bedrooms total. It also received its own heating system, and came completely equipped for electricity- a luxury the rest of the hospital only received two years before. The total cost for the project was $7,500- but the return on the investment was significant. The building still stands today, and though its function has changed many times over the last century, continues to serve the needs of the hospital.

View of the Nurses Home (at left) and Cottage Hospital, about 1910.

Despite the use of the property for hospital work, considerable revenue was realized (for a time) from the continued use of the remaining farmland. In fact, the hospital brought in $1,138 from the farm alone in 1912. And the facility needed every one of those dollars, as the need to further expand the hospital was becoming more apparent every year. During the 1910's, patient volume saw a consistent increase of one third per year- a growth rate that would strain any institution. Still, the staff and community were resigned to accept the fact that any available funds would likely have to be put toward the existing building- even though the need for a totally new building was widely accepted.

Their needs were realized sooner than they could have imagined. In 1915, one of Claremont's most prominent businessmen, George H. Stowell, passed away- leaving an unexpected $50,000 willed to the hospital. Unfortunately, World War I put any construction plans on hold, and it wasn't until 1919 that the topic of expansion was again revisited. As it turned out, Stowell's $50,000 grant was no longer sufficient to cover the costs of the proposed fifty-bed facility. In fact, figures estimated the total cost would top $100,000. Were it not for a successful public campaign that raised an additional $77,000, the community might not have received the hospital it so desperately needed.

It was decided to locate the new building "to the west of the Nurses Home near Elm Street; the entrance facing north so that patients may have advantage of southern exposure in the wings." The Shattuck Construction Company of Manchester broke ground on the new building in the summer of 1922, reaching final completion late the following year. Claremont could now claim to have one of the most state-of-the-art facilities in New England. Equipped with dedicated inpatient and maternity wings, the hospital also boasted a complete operating suite, x-ray rooms, kitchens, servants quarters, and even an electric-light nurse call system. Such a dramatic transition in the level of care necessitated a new name, and Cottage Hospital became Stowell Memorial Hospital.

Stowell Memorial Hospital, circa 1930's.

Seeing no reason to continue maintenance and upkeep on the original structures, all older buildings save the Nurses Home were torn down. The last vestiges of the Keyes farm had disappeared. In their place, a new roadway connecting Elm and Hanover streets was installed, providing access to the front of the new building. Dunning Street still serves this function today, named for Mrs. Charles Dunning- one of the original proprietors of the Ladies Union Aid Society.

Meanwhile, it was decided that the farm should be rented out, with the hospital reserving the apples and a portion of the corn for its own use. By the 1930's other changes were afoot as well, not the least of which was the discussion to close the Nurses School. The Great Depression had hit New England hard as well, and by 1932 as many as 25,000 nurses were out of work. At the urging of the State Board, it was finally decided to discontinue the Training School. Its doors closed for good in 1934. The building would serve as staff accommodations for many years to come.

World War II brought about even more changes. In 1942, the hospital took steps to revise its name yet again, and filed forms with the State that allowed it to become Claremont General Hospital. A gift shop was added, as were needed updates to the operating suite and inpatient wings. The war also drove up the cost of healthcare, and expenses for many procedures doubled during this period.

In 1956, the hospital sold a portion of its property to St. Mary's Catholic Church, who commenced construction of a new parish high school. The school closed in the early 1970's, after which the City purchased it for operation as an elementary school- a role it continues to this day.

By 1957, expansion of the hospital had come to the forefront once more, as it had not seen a major renovation in over 35 years. The proposed addition would provide for an additional thirty beds, an improved maternity ward, new surgical wing, and the addition of a radiology and laboratory department. A hefty price tag accompanied the addition however, totaling over $800,000. When completed in 1960, the new three-story east wing once again boosted the hospital to the forefront of modern healthcare. Subsequent improvements to the front lobby, cafeteria, and meeting rooms within the 1924 wing rounded out the package.

Claremont General Hospital, 1968 (1959 addition at rear).

The 1960's and 1970's were for Claremont General more a time of socio-political change than it was a time of physical alterations. The site and buildings remained largely unaltered, with the exception for a one-story addition to the laboratory in 1970. The hospital also began to sell some of its remaining unused acreage to the south of the site for residential development, which was once again on the rise in Claremont. By 1979, Claremont General owned only a 10-acre portion of the original 30-acres purchased back in 1892; but while property may have begun to shrink, but the facility was yet again on the verge further growth.

Discussions about modernizing and expanding the facility had begun in the early 1970's, the most major concerns centering on the aging 1924 building and its inability to provide up-to-date patient care or meet with increasingly stringent building codes. The solution that made the most sense involved moving all remaining patient-care services housed within in the 1924 wing to a new addition, leaving it available for badly needed office space and support functions. The proposed addition was to be the largest the facility had yet seen- totaling 38,500 square feet of new space. A new inpatient wing, surgical unit, and emergency department were all included in the 6.9 million-dollar price tag, each of which was in need of significant updates.

Fundraising for the new project took a considerable amount of time, and ground was not broken for the new wing until 1980. A significant amount of site work had to be conducted prior to construction, as the footprint for the new wing was quite large. Space between Elm and Hanover Streets was already tight, and the size of the addition required that it be brought as near the eastern property boundary as possible. Parking lot capacity also needed to be increased, and as a result much of the open field to the south of the hospital (formerly farmland) was leveled, filled, and paved. A considerable amount of underground utility work was also accomplished at this time, bringing the facility's water, sewer, and electrical service up-to-date.

Once completed in 1982, the new wing (photos 4,5,6) enabled Claremont General to accommodate the needs of the community and surrounding region far better than previously possible. Indeed, the hospital found itself focusing on not only the needs of Claremont, but to all of Sullivan County as well. To reflect this wider scope of care, the hospital once again adopted a new name, becoming Valley Regional Hospital early in 1983.

The next 25 years found the campus at VRH changing minimally, the most notable projects including the construction of a garage/storage building at the south end of the parking lot (photo 11), a two-story outpatient care addition to the north of the old Nurses Home (photo 10), and the addition of a helipad at the northeast corner of the property (photo 4). Focus shifted to internal renovations and maintenance of the existing facility, which was able to keep pace with the continually changing needs of the healthcare industry into the 21st century.

2005 found Valley Regional preparing yet again for a major renovation and addition to the facility. Increasingly hampered by undersized (and non-private) patient rooms, lack of space in the emergency department, and an aging and outdated infrastructure (the central plant was approaching 50 years old), it was determined that the hospital would require substantial updates to maintain quality patient care in the new century. By early 2008, an architectural firm was hard at work on the new design, and the state had given a unanimous blessing for the work to be undertaken. Construction is currently scheduled to begin this summer, with work expected to finish midway through 2010.

Compiled by Alan Owens, Director of VRH Plant Operations, 2008, utilizing the following:

1. History of Cheshire and Sullivan Counties, New Hampshire. Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co., 1886.

2. Phyllis A. Muzeroll, Valley Regional Centennial 1893-1993, A Celebration of Our 100th Birthday. Valley Regional Hospital, 1993

3. State of New Hampshire, Registry of Deeds, Sullivan County Deeds, 1825-present. Concord, New Hampshire.

4. Ladies Union Aid Society, Meeting Minutes and Miscellaneous Records, 1887-present. On file at Valley Regional Hospital.

5. Claremont Historical Society, Historic photographs and material contained herein. On file at Claremont Historical Society.