Somerset Hospital circa 1921
The Jacob Bowman residence
|
In 1917, Dr. Jacob T. Bowman opened a private
hospital on West Main Street in the duplex residence known as the Jack Philip’s
property. The first floor served as an office and Dr. Bowman’s residence. Three rooms
on the second floor were devoted to patient care. Recognizing the need for more space, Dr.
Bowman purchased the John R. Scott residence on South Center Avenue plus the Sanner
residence in the rear and converted them into a 15-bed private hospital. |
The south wing of the hospital
completed in 1939 |
The financial problems, which beset this venture, crystallized efforts for a
community hospital. Reverend I. Hess Wagner, president of the Chamber of Commerce,
called a meeting of concerned citizens to discuss measures to raise $40,000 to purchase
the Bowman holdings and remodel them as a hospital. A steering committee was appointed to
propose ways to raise the money. F. W. Cunningham, who served as the hospital’s first
board president, was among these founding fathers.
On January 31, 1921, the Bowman title was transferred, a charter recorded and
Somerset had its community hospital. The purchase price of the Bowman Hospital was $25,000
and an additional $10,000 was spent to remodel the hospital, making necessary
improvements. |
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