Purchased by Hutchins Library for its Southern Appalachian Archives.

Special Collections & Archives, Berea College, Berea, Ky.

History

The Catawba Sanatorium, founded in Virginia in 1908, was a public institution for the treatment of tuberculosis. It was known as one of the most organized and best equipped institutions of its kind. W.W. Baker, born October 20, 1844, founded the sanatorium after he experienced the disease himself. He introduced a bill passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1908 that made the sanatorium a possibility. Apparently many contented patients stayed at Catawba. Visitors commented on the cheerful atmosphere and smiling faces. The Catawba Sanatorium of the Commonwealth of Virginia stayed open until the late 1940s and 50s, when better methods were found for the treatment of tuberculosis. Then the sanatorium became the Catawba Hospital, which is still being used today.

1 Manuscript Box

The series contains a history of the sanatorium through 1929; a report by the Resident Physician, John J. Lloyd, M.D., providing statistics and treatment used for 1913-1914; some information for patients; and postcard images, one dated 1935.

Box 1

1. Booklet by Ernest Drewry Stephenson on the Catawba Sanatorium, 1909-1929.
2. Annual report of the Catawba Sanatorium of the Commonwealth of Virginia for the years 1913 and 1914. .
3. Pledge of Membership, railroad schedule change from Jan. 31, 1921, page about rules and regulations, and Rules and Information for Patients.
4. Seven post cards of the Sanatorium buildings, one dated 4/3/35.

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