History with ‘Hud’: Remembering the first local hospital built specifically for African Americans
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Wilmington area has several hospitals serving all citizens regardless of demographic. But that wasn’t the case as recently as the early 20th century.
Through the 1920s, the two main Wilmington hospitals only had a combined 25 beds for black patients, with black physicians not allowed to practice at either location.
But on February 1, 1921 all of that changed.
Community Hospital became the first hospital in Wilmington exclusively dedicated to providing the health care needs for black citizens when it opened in an old drug store building located at 415 North Seventh Street.
Dr. Foster Burnett was the driving force behind the hospital’s conception, and served as its first superintendent. He had been pushing for years to see better service for the black community, combining with two other citizens to raise $1,000 to assist with establishing the new hospital.
But Community Hospital quickly outgrew its location, with a campaign coming for a new, larger facility by the 1930s.
A new Community Hospital opened its doors at 511 South Eleventh Street in 1939, with an increased capacity of 40 beds.
The hospital developed quickly and by 1940 housed a 23 bedroom nursing dorm on its campus. Over the years to follow, more than 250 nurses would graduate from the program.
Despite the initial success, by the late 1950s, Community Hospital was in bad shape with rusted pipes and other issues. James Walker Memorial Hospital didn’t fare much better across town. So in 1958 New Hanover County citizens passed a bond to build a new hospital to serve all patients, regardless of their race.
What is today known as Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center opened in 1967 to accommodate all residents of the Cape Fear.
The Community Hospital building was torn down just over a decade later in 1978 after falling into total disrepair. But it hasn’t been forgotten. Three memorial markers are still visible today to commemorate the hospital’s history and impact to the area.
In the decades since the hospital was last standing, countless people of all demographics have been given health care. As the region continues to grow, so does its commitment to making the health care future of all citizens much different than it was around a century ago.
Meteorologist Matthew Huddleston (‘Hud’) has always had two major loves – weather and history. While you can watch him talk about weather each morning on WWAY, he looks forward to bringing you a little piece of history each Thursday on WWAY’s website.
To read other History with ‘Hud’ segments, click HERE.
