Call Number:

27

Repository:

Germantown Historical Society

Extent:

58.0 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1863-1997 (inclusive)

Creator:

Germantown Hospital (Philadelphia, Pa.).

Abstract:

A medical dispensary was started in the Germantown section of Philadelphia in 1863, and seven years later the doors of Germantown Hospital opened to the public. In 1997 the hospital was acquired by Einstein medical group, and it was merged into Albert Einstein Medical Center in 1999.

On September 23, 1863, twelve prominent gentlemen of the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia met for the purpose of establishing a medical dispensary. During the Civil War, the Germantown Hospital Association contributed to the Women's Pennsylvania Branch of the Sanitary Commission, an organization that helped coordinate medical care for the Union Army (Merritt). Germantown Hospital opened its doors in 1870. The doctors there maintained their own practices, but also provided free medical care to the needy (Callard 86). In 1997 Germantown Hospital was acquired by Einstein medical group, and it was merged into Albert Einstein Medical Center in 1999.

Bibliography:

Callard, Judith. Images of America: Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia, 2000.

Merritt, Jen. "Wisters and Fishers in the Civil War." Belfield & Wakefield: A Link to LaSalle's Past. 1994. Accessed February 29, 2012. http://www.lasalle.edu/commun/history/articles/wfcivil.htm

The collection consists of meeting minutes spanning from 1863 to 1997, as well as correspondence, legal documents, forms, contracts, staff applications, pamphlets, and other miscellaneous documents, circa 1960-1994.

In addition to Germantown Hospital minute books (1863-1991), this collection also contains minutes from the Women's Board of the Germantown Hospital (1920-1997), and from various committees.

Most of the other materials in this collection are organized into files by subject. The subjects relate to hospital administration, construction projects, personnel, legal issues, and other topics.

There is a small amount of material separate from the subject files. Several newspaper clippings scrapbooks (1961-1969) are devoted to the Rose Carnival, an annual fundraiser organized by the Women's Board. There are also annual reports spanning the years 1949 to 1973. Finally, there is a set of files belonging to Earle Barber, the hospital's attorney. The files primarily contain legal documents and materials relating to merger with Einstein Hospital, circa 1997-1999.