Healing Hands in a Small Town: Buckhannon's Hospitals; A Vintage Buckhannon Exclusive

April 4, 2023

Mountaineer News

Vintage Buckhannon

This week, it's another DOUBLE-SHOT exclusive straight out of the Vintage Buckhannon Vault.

Photo 1:

The Old City Hospital in Buckhannon, WV, circa 1905

This unique photographic image showcasing the City Hospital is believed to have been taken circa 1905, capturing a rare moment frozen in time. This captivating visual artifact offers a glimpse into an era of antiquated medical practices and architectural design.

Photo 2:

St. Joseph's Hospital, circa 1920s

This rare postcard depicts St. Joseph's Hospital, circa the late 1920s.

As the Titanic's wreckage lay beneath the frigid waters, a group of courageous women, the Pallottine Sisters, embarked on a journey to the United States in 1912. Their ship, navigating through treacherous icebergs, carried them safely across the Atlantic.

A few years later, in 1920, the Sisters were invited to establish a hospital in Buckhannon, West Virginia. Responding to this call, four brave Sisters arrived on February 15, 1921, and purchased the splendid Barlow estate.

"The Overlook," as it was called, was perched on a hilltop, offering a breathtaking town view. The estate boasted a four-story wooden building with a yellow brick facade, spanned over nine acres of lush land.

The estate's grandeur was soon transformed as the Sisters, with the assistance of their generous friends and benefactors, converted it into an eight-bed hospital and a convent for the Sisters.

Despite the challenges they faced along the way, their unwavering commitment to serving others enabled them to transform a private home into a place of healing, love, and compassion.

Revisit us here every Tuesday to see new additions as we build this virtual online pictorial for our community featuring the landmarks, people and relics of Upshur County's bygone days.

*Updated April 4, 2023 | Next Update - April 11, 2023