Written by Lynn Allen, Executive Director/Curator Brown County Historical Society
Off on another history adventure, and imagine it is 1886, the Rock Island Railroad brings business and commerce to Horton, Kansas. The railroad would also deliver a physician to Magic City. Magic, you see, because if the railroad had stayed in Horton, the city would have blossomed and continued to grow to be an equivalent of Chicago. The location of the first healing arts was, by all definitions, a first aid station. The location of this first aid station was the physician’s office at the Rock Island shops.
While most families had a copy of the “Doctors Book,” which came complete with color-pictured illustrations in the home, the family could form a preliminary diagnosis to share with the physician. In 1895, Dr. Lawrence Reynolds came to Horton as a physician for the Rock Island Railroad. Dr. Reynolds was well-liked and welcomed by the community! A few years after the doctor arrived, he began to share his vision for Horton. A hospital facility would also serve as a school or academy where nurses could receive training, firsthand experiences, guidance, and instruction.
The doctor’s vision quickly developed into an institution. Dr. Reynolds obtained a wood-framed home on the Northwest corner of 8th Street and 2nd Avenue East. The hospital facility is now a private residence but remains a testament to health care services in Horton, Kansas. Dr. Reynolds first facility established a surgery center, an office, and four patient rooms for the community of Horton and surrounding communities. On April 2, 1906, the “hospital” opened its doors! Dr. J.O.Ward and Dr. Dunlap also sprang into action to assist Dr. Reynolds in turning vision into reality!
Mary Ubelaker, Dorothy Barry, and Minnie Brandsfield are the first nurses who attend the training school. Of course, many others will follow; one thing is absolute; each nurse trained in this hospital was outstanding.
In 1909, Dr. Harry James Harker arrived to assist Dr. Reynolds in furthering his vision. Harker’s name is recognized in council meeting minutes, where he implores the council to improve sanitation, water purification, and a quarantine area for outbreaks to isolate conditions such as smallpox. Dr. Reynolds passed away in 1924 after serving and advancing the community of Horton in many ways. Dr. Harker will take over as the chief physician and begins his own dream. The training school will close, and a vision for a bigger hospital to replace the outdated facilities will emerge. The hospital opened on September 3 & 4, 1926, at the corner of 8th and First Avenue East. The once-functioning hospital remains a weathered testament to healthcare in Horton, Kansas. It is a two-story brick structure with a sun porch. The hospital features eight private rooms, one four-bed ward, a modern surgery suite, a delivery room, a nursery, an x-ray room, a laboratory, the nurses’ quarters, doctor’s offices, and a kitchen, all on the first floor. The cost of this new hospital came in at $50,000, which equates to roughly a little over $700,000 today. The daily cost of a room was $4.00, about $56.00 daily in today’s economy. Other doctors come to assist in fulfilling Dr. Harker’s dream; Dr. G. M. Edmonds and Dr. Berney would help alongside and bring the vision into reality.
The hospital quickly outgrew itself demonstrating a need for a larger facility. In early 1929, a newly remodeled, 44-bed hospital emerged. Sadly, in April of 1929, due to a strep infection, Dr. Harker suddenly passed away, as no antibiotics were available. The facility that carried the dreams for health care in a rural community has since passed, and all remnants of that treasure have now been erased, for this historian considers a grievous misfortune to the people and community of Horton.
After Harker’s passing, Dr. L.C. Edmonds joins Dr. G.M. Edmonds, and the two become very loved by the townspeople. These two worked hard to continue the dream of quality healthcare in Horton. During the challenging years of the depression, when patients failed to make their payments, those payments became the obligation of the physicians.
In 1950, the State Board of Health began to impress on the Horton doctors the need for an updated facility. With no other suitable course, the doctors implored Horton citizens and raised donations to build the facility. Remember that many surrounding communities had NO hospital serving their communities’ medical needs, and Horton saw an opportunity to embrace and fulfill the needs of the surrounding areas! In 1962, the Horton Hospital was incorporated. And in February 1963, a site was chosen and built for $615,809.18! Community members pledged $306,833.99! The community commits nearly half of the building costs, which is no small feat by anyone community standards, perhaps even more impressive considering the rural location! All of the accomplishments and healing arts in this small community owe a debt of gratitude impossible to repay, thanks to the vision and dream realized by Dr. H. J. Harker. As always, there is so much more to the story! Find it! Be sure to stop by and share with me what you uncover! #historymysteries
Horton Hospital I and II images are part of the Brown County Historical Society Collection.
“History Mysteries” and “Chasing My Sparkle” are the intellectual property and creative inspiration of Lynn Marie Allen.
Forest of Words 