Cook Hospital: The Citizens Hospital

In the early days of Fairmont, West Virginia, people seemed to care for their ailments themselves. They used old remedies that had been passed down from elders. They used what they had and hoped for the best. It was a precarious time—no doctors or nurses to run to.

When it came to farming, injuries were bad, but when it came to coal mining, it could mean death. The industry of mining caused many deaths each year, injuries that could have been not as devastating if a doctor or hospital had been procured.

A doctor would come to Fairmont and put his medical talents to use and save so many lives, not just miners, and leave a legacy that’s remembered to this day.

Fairmont had few men more universally esteemed than Dr. John R. Cook. He came to Marion County, West Virginia. He located himself here as a country doctor at the Montana Coal Mines. he had received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1884. Practiced at John Hopkins in Baltimore, Md., and practiced alongside Dr. Mayo in Rochester, Minn. He had learned from some of the best medical minds in the country.

Dr. Cook remained there for almost twelve years, unknown to the people, but gradually his skill as a surgeon began to be heard of, and then his fame spread rapidly. It led him to be recognized as one of the best surgeons in central West Virginia.

When he left his job at the mines, he knew the city was in need of a place where the average person could get quality medical attention. His practice was opened in a small house on Gaston Avenue. He realized after a while that the need was great for operations. Patients would make an appointment to see him, and they had afflictions that had been left long overdue and needed care. The house was not suitable in size to handle the growing list.

Dr. Cook was pleased with the location and didn’t want to move. It was easily assessable to everyone. He went to the city’s local leaders and, with their help, devised a plan to build a brand-new hospital. The plan was set, and construction would soon begin on what would become the newest best-equipped hospital for the citizens of Fairmont.

Building began, but people still needed health care, so he moved the original house to the back of the property of the new hospital’s site and continued to see patients. He even performed operations in the house while workmen continued the build.

The new hospital would encompass five floors. The first floor would house the private and general offices, the medical library, and the waiting room would be placed for ease of use. The reception hall, pharmacy, and head nurse’s office would round out the floor next to the main kitchen.

Nineteen private rooms with a bathroom between each two would be on the second floor. Twenty-two private rooms were contained on the third floor.

Wards were placed on the fourth floor that could hold as many as seventy-five patients and the operation suites. The fifth floor had a special treat added for recovering residents, an enclosed glass sunroom that leads to a roof-top garden that has seats, so if you sat in the front, you might enjoy the hustle and bustle of downtown and if you sat in the back you look out over the river and watch the boats coming and going.

The building was to be heated using a hot water radiator system. Coal City House Furnishings decorated the hospital and made sure it was ready for the first patient. The main kitchen and small reheat kitchens on each floor were also provided with the equipment imperative to feed the patients.

To be able to keep a check on a loved one while they were there, a telephone would be placed in each private room, and one would be placed in the ward. When a person was staying in the hospital, the family might not be able to visit and needed to be able to check on the sick one and talk to the doctor. This was a luxury of the time. The patients on the ward would have the convenience of a bathtub on wheels, and if a fire should happen to start, the building was equipped with a waterworks system with adequate hoses for each floor. Remember this for the system will be tested later on. To finish the list of the new hospital, a fire escape was added, as well as an elevator, which is very handy for moving everyone quickly when needed, and twenty-eight bathrooms total.

I’m sure this would serve the purpose while you were convalescing.

The Cook Hospital, aptly named for the man who had the skills and vision, opened its doors on April 27, 1904. This hospital would prove its need over and over again. The doctors assisting Dr. Cook with the running of this institution would include Dr.Hall, Dr. Fith, Dr. J.J. Durrett, Dr. Howard, and Dr. Sterling. This was the first board of directors of Cook Hospital. Dr. Cook would be the principal stockholder.

The staff of the hospital would consist of 30-35 nurses on duty at all times. Full-time cooks and one dietician, orderlies, and maintenance men. A total of 50 employees are on-site at any given time.

Dr. Cook held a reception on April 27, 1904, open to the general public to show off his fine hospital. It would be open from 8-11 pm. Nurses would be the tour guides for anyone wanting to tour the amazing building. Waiters from Fairmont’s finest hotels handed out party fare and drinks while citizens listened to MacArthur’s Orchestra.

The hospital had ferns and palms spread thru out, while tables had arrangements of Carnations and pink ribbons. It must have felt like being in a beautiful home instead of a place where recovery or death could happen.

After the public had left, a few special invitations had been sent to certain leaders of the community and the doctors who would practice in this den of healing, and they dined on a specially prepared dinner made just for them to celebrate the adventures ahead.

Cook Hospital also served as a training hospital for nurses. The girls who applied to become a nurse had to live on sight next door at the nurse’s residence. It had the capacity to house 22 nurses at a time. They would go thru a 3-year course that included hands-on work at the hospital. The average age for student nurses ranged from 18-25. A well-educated nurse at the time could make around 25.00 a week.

Miss Margaret Leatham was the school’s head nurse, instructor, and superintendent. Eventually, she would also become the superintendent of the hospital.

Above is one of the graduating nurse classes and an advertisement for the training school. They looked very professional.

The hospital was always ready for any emergency. But when one of the worse mine disasters occurred at Monongah, WV, on December 6, 1907, the services of all doctors and nurses would be tested. It was early morning when not just one but two mines exploded, killing over 300 men. Dr. Cook and many of the other doctors raced to the scene and offered help. It was too late for most miners, but the shock to wives and families was what needed care. Cook Hospital was open to help anyone, no matter if they could pay or not.

Dr. J. J. Durrett would do many autopsies later on, to tell how they died for the coroner’s inquest.

Thank goodness we had such a great hospital close by when needed. Many different illnesses and health afflictions were treated there, and it seems appendicitis operations were the number one procedure there.

When a person was in the hospital, and not everyone knew that the local paper would put how they were doing so friends and neighbors could see. Here is one such story that appeared in a local newspaper.

A Foot Ball Accident

” Late last evening, during a practice game on the Normal School campus between the high school football team and Billingslea’s Buzzards, a young boy named Kinney, a member of the latter team, sustained a badly broken nose. He was immediately taken to Cook Hospital, where it was found that the nose had been mashed badly and caused the injured boy much pain. After dressing the injury, he was sent home.”

From simple injuries to life-threatening illnesses, Cook took all on.

The hospital was a sanctuary for the poor, rich, and anyone that needed help. Dr. John R. Cook never turned anyone away. How could the hospital ever run without him?

Dr. Cook was not Superman, though, and in November of 1908, Dr. John R. Cook succumbed to blood poisoning from related illnesses he’d had for a while. In the end, he seemed to improve but then took a turn for the worse.

On November 8, 1908, the funeral for Dr. Cook was held at the M. P. Temple in town. Dr. Cook was a Baptist by faith, but a bigger church was needed with the large crowd attending the funeral. After the church service, The Masons of Fairmont, an organization Cook belonged to, took over, gave him their last rites, and took him to Woodlawn Cemetary for his burial.

The doctor who brought good healthcare and built the best hospital in the state at the time was gone. Would his legacy live on? Does Cook Hospital still serve the community it was built for?

This story is far from over. The people of Fairmont would at one time have to step up to save their beloved hospital. Next week I will finish this tale and let you know the hospital’s fate.

Thank you again for coming on another journey with me into the history of Marion County W. V. If you could leave a comment below and tell me what you like and what I could do to improve this blog, I would appreciate it. Your feedback really helps! Plus, bonus this week. Clicking on Yesterday’s News in the menu will take you to some news articles and pictures about Cook.

Remember: History is the spine of America. If we do not learn and lean on it, we will collapse and Fall!