The Sherbrooke Hospital
In the late 19th century, cities like Sherbrooke were growing at an unprecedented rate and with larger and more dense populations came disease and a higher chance of an epidemic breaking out. Many cities lacked the sanitary measures that were necessary and hospitals were needed to help to treat diseases.
Once known as the Sherbrooke Protestant
Hospital, the Sherbrooke Hospital was incorporated in 1888.
A man named Richard W. Heneker, a Sherbrooke businessman, strongly believed that the Protestant population of Sherbrooke should contribute to the health care of the community with a hospital.
On April 22, 1887, Heneker wrote a letter to the Sherbrooke Daily Examiner suggesting that a hospital be established. He called on anyone who was interested in his idea to meet him at the Eastern Townships Bank on April 25.
Many significant Sherbrooke figures showed up to the meeting and plans were put forward to establish the hospital. However, very little action was being taken to raise the necessary funds to purchase the piece of land that was chosen for the hospital. It wasn’t until Heneker paid $1,250 dollars of the $1,750 dollars that was needed to purchase the chosen 13.8 acres of land on Pine Street that the hospital became a reality.
Fundraisers took place to raise the rest of the funds and there was much public support for the building of a Protestant hospital considering a Catholic hospital had already been established known as Hospice du Sacrécoeur.
While the Sherbrooke Protestant Hospital was incorporated in 1888, it wouldn’t open its doors until almost ten years later. It took seven years to build the hospital and it wouldn’t officially open its doors until another year later on July 8, 1896. More importantly, it was made clear at the time that the Sherbrooke Protestant Hospital would serve all Townshippers, no matter what religion they identified with, despite its name.
The first building that was built had two wards that could hold up to 14 patients. It also had an operating room, a dining room, bathrooms, laundry rooms, as well as accommodations for nurses and servants. The first doctors to be employed at the hospital were A. Norreys Worthington, Frederick J. Austin, W.D. Smith, and William A. Farwell.
The first hospital building served patients for 18 years before it could not longer support the needs and demands of the region. A new hospital was built in 1914 and it was called the Sherbrooke Hospital. After this building, a third hospital was established on Argyle Avenue in 1951.
The Sherbrooke Hospital served the Sherbrooke population for a century before closing its door in the spring of 1996. The Sherbrooke Hospital was forced to merge with the Youville Hospital to create the Sherbrooke Geriatric University Institute as part of the region’s reorganization of care services.
As one of the first hospitals to be built in Sherbrooke, it was a heartbreaking loss to many.