By Danny Crownover
Located on Lookout Mountain, it was started in June 1926. The site was a five-acre tract on the western brow of the mountain, overlooking Little Wills Valley. It was donated by C.K. Crossfield and Fred Agricola. A.D. Simpson was the architect and Walter Temple was the builder, having been awarded the contract.
The new building was of the airplane type. The contract called for its completion within three months. The main body of the structure was to consist of a large reception hall, a dining room, a kitchen and a pantry.
There were to be two wings, each containing space for eight beds, one wing to be used for male patients and the other for female patients.
The idea was to create a 16- bed hospital with modern equipment. The main part of the building was to be 20 by 70 feet with each wing 60 by 20 feet.
Money was raised by popular subscription through the untiring efforts of a committee composed by H.S. Patterson, Chairman, Mrs. W.P. Gwin and W.K. Ives.
The work was started with $16,000 cash in hand. The plan was to provide first for the destitute tuberculosis patients and then, if rooms remained, to take paying patients. The late Dr. T.Y. Greet was president of the Etowah County Tuberculosis Association which was responsible for the hospital.
During its 22 years of existence, this hospital, small though it has been, did a monumental work in arresting and curing tuberculosis. It has had a great educational value in that patients have been taught how to look after themselves and, in arrested cases, have in turn taught their own families how to prevent and treat tuberculosis.
It spread the gospel of sanitation and preventive measures and its work on the whole has been very valuable to the entire county. It has a sizeable organization of out-patients and was developed experts in the treatment and care of those who have suffered attacks from the dread disease.
The building and equipment were improved and enlarged from time to time. It took the place of a fresh air camp, located on Bellevue Drive that was destroyed by fire.
Later, this little hospital was be replaced with a large and modern tuberculosis hospital that served Etowah and eight nearby counties of the district, with the state and federal governments cooperating in building and maintaining it.
Eventually, the incidence of TB decreased during the 20th century with improvement in sanitation and the introduction of drug treatments including antibiotics. There was little needs for a TB hospital and the building was sold and became todays Mountain View.
Contact The Vagabond at dkcrown@bellsouth.net.
