In 1902, two Roman Catholic Franciscan Sisters of Mary from St. Louis arrived by train in Jefferson City. Their mission was simple, yet ambitious: Establish a hospital to care for all people, regardless of faith or social or financial standing.
The ill were being cared for in homes since the closest hospitals were located in Kansas City or St. Louis - quite a drive in those days. The Rev. Otto S. Hoog, pastor of St. Peter Parish, had contacted the Franciscan Sisters with this new endeavor.
The land for the hospital, flanked by Elm, Bolivar, Miller and Harrison streets, was donated by the Jacob Moerschel family. The property on Bolivar Street had been the site of the Franz Brothers Brewery, which the Moerschels purchased, intending to expand Capital Brewery Company (now Jefferson City Coca-Cola). When they heard about the possibility of a hospital in the community, they sold the property to the sisters for $1. With additional donations, construction began in 1902. An adjoining lot (the B.H. Hoake home) was purchased, and here the sisters lived during construction.
The cornerstone-laying ceremony for the new hospital, called St. Mary's Hospital, had been scheduled for May 8, 1904, with prominent attendees expected including Rectors of several Catholic churches, Mayor Joseph Porth, Gov. Alexander Dockery, and representatives of German and American newspapers. A parade was planned, and the citizens of Jefferson City were asked to decorate their homes for the occasion. However, heavy rains dampened the attendance.
The completed four- story, stone hospital building was dedicated on Oct. 18, 1905, and opened with a staff of 25 sisters, doctors and nurses. In the early years, it prevailed through the citywide smallpox epidemic of 1907, the flu epidemic of 1918 and the Great Depression. Two fires damaged the building - the second, more extensive fire in 1919 necessitated moving the hospital services temporarily to Villa Panorama, the Moerschels' country home on Swifts Highway, until the hospital could be rebuilt in 1920.
Two additional properties were purchased in 1906 from J. Duenkler and C. Lepage. The first major expansion of the hospital came in 1932, with many structural additions and medical department additions through the following years. A convent was added on a corner of the property in 1947, with nurses in residence until the 1960s. Rose Mary Moerschel, mother of local residents Edith Vogel and Rose Mengwasser, served as a nurse for many years at St. Mary's Hospital. Rose Mary had several other children, including former state Sen. Carol Vogel.
The first administrator, Sister Mary Henrica, served until 1908. Sisters were in charge of each department and the hospital continued to be run by a head nun until the 1970s. In 1949, St. Mary's established the first physical therapy department in Mid-Missouri. People came from outside the city limits to learn about medical professions at St. Mary's. A three-story building was purchased at the corner of Elm and Bolivar Street as a residence for those who worked at the hospital. And all the while, the tradition of caring established by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary continued to "reveal the healing presence of God" as proclaimed in their mission statement.
In 2014, SSM Health, present owners of St. Mary's Hospital, built a new medical campus along Missouri 179, vacating the historic structure. The Farmer Holding Company purchased the original property in 2015. Sensitive to the historical significance of the original hospital building, they submitted a nomination for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, but multiple additions had compromised the building's architectural integrity. It was also determined once the additions were removed, the structure would be unstable. With demolition eminent, FHC took on the additional expense of saving the stones from the original building and negotiating with the new hotel, Courtyard by Marriott, to reuse the stones on a section of the new structure that would also reflect the exterior of the old hospital. It has also been suggested the original hospital's story be displayed in the hotel's lobby.
"Our goal from the beginning has been to redevelop this property at the front door of our community into a lifestyle destination that represents the proud history of the former St. Mary's Hospital, while simultaneously serving as a beacon to tell the world that Jefferson City is a community worthy of investment," FHC principal Rob Kingsbury stated.
In November 2018, the time capsule, placed in 1904, was recovered from the original cornerstone and donated to the Historic City of Jefferson. This display is available for public viewing by contacting Executive Director Anne Green at [email protected].
Tammy Boeschen is the former president of the Historic City of Jefferson, a local nonprofit preservation organization.