The Class of 1890

In the 1880s in Freeport, there were no hospitals, and few people saw the need for one. In December of 1886, the Muehlenhoff family contracted typhoid fever. The Reverand Father Clemens Kalvelage of St. Joseph's Church contacted the Sisters of Charity in Joliet, requesting help. Sister Mary Francis and Sister Mary Jerome nursed the family back to health. The community was impressed with their service, and plans began for Freeport's first hospital.

On February 5, 1887, William Stoneman died. His will gave $7,000 to the City of Freeport for the establishment of a hospital.

In July of 1888, Father Kalvelage used his own funds to purchase two lots on S. Walnut Avenue. He travelled to Danville to visit their hospital, and returned with their floor plans. Ground was broken in the summer of 1889. The cornerstone was laid on September 1, 1889. The city sold to the hospital 50 cords of limestone valued at $5.00 per cord, though the debt was later forgiven. Many citizens donated money, sand, lime and cement. The masons at Flachtemeier's donated the labor of cutting the foundation stone.

Jacob Eberle and John Rodemeier excavated fo rthe foundation. H. H. Upp was spuerintendent of construction. The EVberle Brothers did stone work. John Trunck did brick work. Charles Seifert was the carpenter. M. Scanlan did the plastering. Bouge and Swarz painted. Bartlett Hardware contracted for the steam heat. The tin slate for the roof came from Philadelphia; the galvanized cornices came from Milwaukee. The total cost of all the contractors was just $14,565.

The cross was erected on October 19.

On Lincoln's birthday in 1890, St. Francis Hospital was dedicated. The first patient arrived on February 14. Dr. W. L. Caldwell was the first doctor.

In May of 1893, the Henney Buggy Company donated an ambulance wagon, and Dr. J. H. Stealy donated the horse that pulled it.

In 1894, Dr. Caldwell donated a seven-foot statue of St. Francis of Assisi that had been made in Cologne, Germany, which was placed over the entrance.

In 1902, an addition was built at the south end of the original hospital. In 1909, when John Taylor died, he gave his driving park to the hospital. The city bought the park for the public's use from the hospital.

In 1923, the St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing was started. The Hospital, along with the Freeport Board of Education, offered a 52-week course in practical nursing. In 1926, the southern half of the hospital was built, with an exact replica of the Grotto of Lourdes on the grounds.

In 1942, St. Clare Convent was built to house the Sisters who worked in the hospital. During the polio epidemic of 1945, the first floor was reserved for polio patients. Four iron lungs were in use, and doctors and nurses from around the state came to help.

On a Saturday in July, 1965, St. Francis Hospital closed its doors. In the spring of 1967, the original hospital and the addition were torn down. The 1926 addition still stands, and houses the St. Francis School for Exceptional Children.

Father Kalvelage was also instrumental in the founding of St. Vincent's Orphanage.

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