Hale Infirmary
Hale Infirmary (also Hale's Infirmary[1]) was a hospital in Montgomery, Alabama, for African American citizens during a time of segregation. It was the first such hospital in the city; founded in 1890 by Dr. Cornelius Nathaniel Dorsette, it was in operation until 1958.
The hospital was founded during the
Dorsette's father-in-law, James Hale, was the richest Black man in Montgomery. He donated the land for the hospital, and money was raised for the building by a White women's social organization.[4] The hospital was a two-story building with sixty beds, an operating room, and an isolation ward.[5] It cost $7,000 to build, had plumbing throughout and bathrooms for men and women with hot and cold running water.[4]
Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson, the first woman licensed to practice medicine in the state, was tutored in Hale Infirmary. In 1919, the lynching of Willie Temple took place in the hospital: he was murdered by a White mob while being treated for a gunshot wound. Later, Martin Luther King Jr. helped raise funds for the hospital.[5] David Henry Scott, a doctor from Montgomery who had studied medicine at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, operated at the hospital, and for a while was the head of the hospital.[4]
References
- ^ Official Guide to the City of Montgomery 1861-1920 (PDF). Montgomery: Paragon. 1920. p. 51.
- ^ Ward Jr., Thomas J. (August 31, 2023) [August 24, 2009]. "Black Hospital Movement". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ Wright, A. J. (August 1, 2012). "Cornelius Nathaniel Dorsette". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Wright, A. J. (December 7, 2018). "Hale Infirmary: An Early Alabama Hospital for Blacks". Alabama Yesterdays. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Hale Infirmary / The Lynching of Willie Temple". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved February 25, 2024.