Number

Number 001127	Scan Date 7/31/02
Time Period 1912 (photo before 1930)
Subject Matter Medical Facility
Location 802 West Windsor St., Monroe, North Carolina
Description Quality Hill Sanatorium, a hospital for Monroe's black community, opened "its doors to the public for inspection on Monday, August 19th" in 1912. (Monroe Journal, 7-23-1912, p.1). It was demolished in January of 1988 after a March 28, 1985 fire destroyed much of the building. It was the first hospital built in Union County & Monroe. About this photograph: This photo is a "re-photograph" of probably a postcard shared with The Heritage Room. The photographer cropped the tag below which read "Quality Hill Sanitorium Monroe, N.C." and someone's handwritten note in the upper right corner (barely seen here) which read "Hotel Dennis". The cropping also cut off the tin finial at the top of the 'tower'. The re-photograph's negative is at the N. C. State Archives (N.83.8.952) and most likely was printed at the request of a researcher with The Heritage Room. This print should be found in their files. Original owner of postcard unknown but most likely related to Ethel Dennis Stokes, who owned & managed the "Hotel Dennis" (c1950s-1960s) housed in Dr. Massey's former hospital building.
Photographer (if known)
Notes The hospital was founded by Dr. John S. (Sherman) Massey (1866 - 1946) in 1912. He was Union County's first black physician. Massey was a Lancaster County, SC, native who began to practice in Union County after graduating in 1896 from the Leonard School of Medicine (Shaw University, Raleigh, NC). His home was next door at 800 W. Windsor Street (the house was where the 1985 fire started). The photo above is before 1930, as the January 1930 Sanborn map for Monroe shows an addition to the hospital that is not seen in this photo. It is interesting to note that Dr. Massey was mentioned as a member "not in attendance" at a 1903 Union County Medical Society meeting - unusual as it was rare for a black physician to be admitted to a white physician's group in that time. In the "Annual Report of the Board of Public Charities of North Carolina 1913" (pub. 1914, available at google books), Quality Hill Sanatorium is one of four listed on p. 60 under "Hospitals Exclusively For The Colored". The following information comes from this report: This is a private hospital of a colored physician. Surgical and medical cases. Fees of patients and also receives contributions. Three nurses. Charges. $1 to $1.50 per day. Admitted during the year: 100; Discharged cured or improved: 98; Died: 2; number of charity patients: 26; Three orthopedic cases treated. - J. S. Massey, Superintendent. Description, Notes written by Patricia Poland, Union County Public Library, Monroe, NC 7/13/12, revised 8/27/2012
Measurements of original photograph		Height 5"	Width 7"
Type of photograph Black and White