Hospital on the Hill
The impressive building depicted in the background of this postcard was located at 120 Haynes Street on Water Tower Hill. It has been referred to over the years as “Hospital on the Hill”, “old Dr. Simmons place”, “Nichols Sanitarium” or “Old Sanitarium on North Haynes.” Although it was torn down in 1939, the stone walls that surrounded the property are still visible today.
In October 1904 Misses Harriet Simpson and Anna Thomas purchased two lots in Bates addition to build a much-needed sanitarium (a variant of hospital.) The cornerstone was laid Nov. 14, 1904, with 50 visitors in attendance and the two women each striking a blow to settle the cornerstone in place.
The building was erected on a 100 by 225 feet tract. It was topped by a small structure and two porches surrounded all four sides. With 17 rooms and one operating room, it was already functioning as a hospital by April 1905.
The hospital at this location was short lived, however. On Feb. 16, 1907, Dr. Charles Franklin Simmons purchased the property for a home. Simmons had been in the area for less than two years, having come from San Antonio. Being one of the wealthiest men in Texas, he gave Excelsior Springs the distinction of having two millionaires – Dr. William S. Woods being the other.
Harriet Simpson Lindsey (who had married Harry Lindsey in November 1905) and Anna Thomas moved their hospital to 214 E. Excelsior Street and received their first patient at that location on March 1, 1907. Their hospital was moved to other locations around the town, including Spring Street (now site of the Springdale Apartments), and Mrs. Lindsey remained affiliated with the old Excelsior Springs Hospital located on Superior Street until her death in 1937.
Dr. Simmons died Nov. 4, 1910, but the property remained a part of his estate. Nichols Sanitarium Co. leased the Simmons building in June 1911 and opened a branch hospital for the care of patients with cancer. Dr. Perry Nichols was head of a large cancer sanitarium at Hot Springs, S.D.
Needing more space, in December 1911 Nichols struck a deal to purchase the Plaza Hotel, on the northwest corner of St. Louis and Kansas City Avenue. Local citizens were outraged as to the effect this hospital “at the gate of the city” would have on the visiting public. After many public meetings and heated discussions with the Commercial Club, the city council passed an anti-cancer ordinance on Dec. 28, 1911, “forbidding the operation of a sanatorium for the cure of cancer or other contagious or infectious diseases within the city limits.” (Note this ordinance dates to a time when cancer was still believed to be a contagious disease and cancer patients were stigmatized.)
Knowing he had a long legal battle ahead to fight this ordinance, Dr. Nichols agreed to sell The Plaza Hotel back to the City or any other willing party, provided he get his money back. After obtaining an acceptable offer, Dr. Nichols gave up possession on Feb. 22, 1912, and began moving his cancer patients back to the northeast hill until permanent arrangements could be made for another and larger facility. On April 10, 1912, he and his remaining employees left for Savannah, Mo., where he would build a sanatorium.
The Hospital on the Hill was vacant until the properties in the Simmons estate were sold on the courthouse steps June 17, 1914, to J.E. Stroh of St. Louis. The building was divided into two- or three-room furnished apartments, some with kitchenettes. A two-room furnished apartment including lights, water, heat and gas rented for $3 per week in 1936. There were several owners over the years including Jesse Williams and Marion Boyer.
About October 1939, the building was torn down. Several items were found in the cornerstone including three Indian head pennies, a copy of two 1904 newspapers, a hypodermic syringe, and a professional card of Dr. O.C. O’Kell. The lumber was used in the construction of new, modern cottages on Beverly Street.
Researched and written by Jan Marasch
Side note: a news article from The Excelsior Springs Standard, dated March 1, 2005, p. 3, showed a copy of an old postcard of Dr. Nichols’ Sanatorium, verifying this is the same building that was on Haynes Street.
