TB Sanatoriums

[Bub]

A thread in another category hear got me thinking about them.  Anyone here have any stories to tell?

My dad entered one when he was 13 and spent much of his life there, meeting and marrying a nurse (my mother).  It was out in the country in a very rural area and was nearly self sufficient.  It has its own power generator and it had heated water piped throughout which provided heat by radiators.  When I was just a youngster I wanted to work in the Powerhouse.  I had no idea what that meant but the name alone was interesting to a little boy.

They had their own little dairy, always had a huge garden, kept a bunch of pigs, had a little general store where patients and employees could shop (really cheap prices).  Also had a bakery where we bought long loaves of bread fresh from the oven for 15 cents each (still warm enough to melt butter).

The grounds surrounding the hospital building were kept neat as a park, and their were park benchs and picnic tables all over. It was always pleasant on the grounds as the campus was higher up in the mountainous area and was always subject to a cool breeze even on the hottest days.  I have such fondest memories of sitting on  a park bench there, waving to my dad in the windows above, munching on pbj sandwich and sipping a coke dad would send down.  Cokes were rare treats then and made the vist to see dad even more special.

I had at one time, the monthly newsletter from this place from 1923 to 1957, complete.  The were more like magazines as they were printed on slick paper.  But I lost them when moving around.  I would love to have them back.

[paris]

My Dad was in one in the 50's.  Like your memory, I remember it being set on lovely grounds with rolling grassy lawns.  The only visitation we had was standing in the yard and talking to Dad while he stood in a screened porch. Of course, I remember the cold winter months the most! Standing in snow and freezing!  He was allowed to come home one Christmas Day and I still have old home movies of that day.   It never made sense that he could come home for a day, but we couldn't have contact with him in the Sanitarium.   There were 5 of us kids - ages 18 down to 1.  I really don't know how my Mom did it all alone while he was away.

 I also remember that we had to get chest x-rays every month. There was a moblie x-ray set up and it was in our area once a month.  Can you imagine how many x-rays we had as kids?  lol    Also, can you imagine the medical society putting people in Sanitariums today?  Just like the lepers being isolated.   We have made some progress!   This was in Ohio and the building has long since been torn down.  It was a very memorable time in a little girls life.   Dad died of lung cancer years later. 
 

[Jean]

That is very interesting. I have know people who had TB, but never knew any one who had been in a sanitorium. Thanks for sharing those memories with us.

[Mimi]

TB ran in my fathers family.  He had a sister and a brother who died with it, both in their thirties.  I was too young to remember my uncle, but I remember my aunt  She was in a sanitorium, Alto, in the beautiful North Georgia mountains.  We would go to see her and we didn't go in the sanitorium, but they allowed her to go ourside and we could visit with her.  They finally got her TB in remission and she came home and lived several years. But when it came roaring back there was no help and she died, at 32.  Her death was a bad one for she could not breathe.  TB is still around, tho they have more to treat it with, they can't completely get rid of it.  No one else in the family ever got it.  Thank the Lord.