I came in on the tail end of the conversation too, but Eugene is correct abt. the TB Hospital in Charlottesville. My Dad was there in the mid 40s, and it is still there but , no longer a TB Hospital. It is now used as a center for the treatment of Mental Illnesses. One other comment, I lived in Harrisonburg for a little while, and don't remember a Western Hospital. There is a Western Hospital in Staunton , however.it's a mental facility. ceya Jim ----- Original Message ----- From: "H. Eugene McInturff" <hemack@rmaonline.net> To: <VASHENAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2003 12:44 AM Subject: Re: [VASHENAN] Cemetery > I've missed part of this thread but would like to suggest that there > was a TB hospital - BLUE RIDGE SANITARIUM - just outside > Charlottesville, VA in the 1960's. My mother was treated there for > about a year and a half in the very early years of the 60's. Hope > this helps........Eugene > > Walt.Flory@fscv.net wrote: > > > > At 06:35 PM 5/03/2003, CORALAA@aol.com wrote: > > >That might be the one I was looking for - where is Harrisonburg? Thanks, > > >Coral > > > > > >Coral Barker Allbee > > >Digging and searching for my roots. > > > > Harrisonburg, Virginia is physically located in Rockingham County, VA. > > > > It is both the county seat of Rockingham County and an independent Virginia > > city. Both Rockingham and Shenandoah Counties were formed from parts of > > Augusta County and are adjacent to it in the Shenandoah Valley. > > > > If we are talking about residents of Shenandoah County my feeling is that > > this may be the nearest likely hospital for TB patients. There is, as you > > may notice, a large amount of conjecture here, but Western Hospital (a > > state mental facility in the 1950's) was I have heard used for TB patients > > at one time, and it is close to Shenandoah County. > > > > Walt > > > > ==== VASHENAN Mailing List ==== > > To unsubscribe, send a msg. to VASHENAN-L-request@rootsweb.com or VASHENAN-D-request@rootsweb.com with the word unsubscribe. > > > ==== VASHENAN Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe, send a msg. to VASHENAN-L-request@rootsweb.com or VASHENAN-D-request@rootsweb.com with the word unsubscribe. > >

Jim You are right, I had a slip of the mind. Western is in Staunton, Virginia, not Harrisonburg. Staunton is the county seat of Augusta County, VA and as I said before (when I misplaced it in Harrisonburg) is not far from Shenandoah County. The fact that it was a state mental hospital doesn't mean that all the inmates had the type of problems that we might first think. I know first hand of a man who was committed to Western during the mid 1950's not because of what we think of as mental problems but because he was an alcoholic. I have heard from someone on another list that they also had TB patients at Western at one time. The name Blue Ridge Sanitarium is familiar to me though I do not recall anything other than the name. Was it perhaps the case that Blue Ridge was a private facility and that those who could not afford to go there may have been placed in Western, a state facility? Walt At 08:17 PM 5/03/2003, Jim Artz wrote: >I came in on the tail end of the conversation too, but Eugene is correct >abt. the TB Hospital in Charlottesville. My Dad was there in the mid 40s, >and it is still there but , no longer a TB Hospital. It is now used as a >center for the treatment of Mental Illnesses. One other comment, I lived in >Harrisonburg for a little while, and don't remember a Western Hospital. >There is a Western Hospital in Staunton , however.it's a mental facility. >ceya >Jim >----- Original Message ----- >From: "H. Eugene McInturff" <hemack@rmaonline.net> >To: <VASHENAN-L@rootsweb.com> >Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2003 12:44 AM >Subject: Re: [VASHENAN] Cemetery > > > > I've missed part of this thread but would like to suggest that there > > was a TB hospital - BLUE RIDGE SANITARIUM - just outside > > Charlottesville, VA in the 1960's. My mother was treated there for > > about a year and a half in the very early years of the 60's. Hope > > this helps........Eugene > > > > Walt.Flory@fscv.net wrote: > > > > > > At 06:35 PM 5/03/2003, CORALAA@aol.com wrote: > > > >That might be the one I was looking for - where is Harrisonburg? >Thanks, > > > >Coral > > > > > > > >Coral Barker Allbee > > > >Digging and searching for my roots. > > > > > > Harrisonburg, Virginia is physically located in Rockingham County, VA. > > > > > > It is both the county seat of Rockingham County and an independent > Virginia > > > city. Both Rockingham and Shenandoah Counties were formed from parts of > > > Augusta County and are adjacent to it in the Shenandoah Valley. > > > > > > If we are talking about residents of Shenandoah County my feeling is that > > > this may be the nearest likely hospital for TB patients. There is, as you > > > may notice, a large amount of conjecture here, but Western Hospital (a > > > state mental facility in the 1950's) was I have heard used for TB > patients > > > at one time, and it is close to Shenandoah County. > > > > > > Walt

Hi, Just checked with my aunt who was a child in 1929 when her mother and older brother were hospitalized at Blue Ridge Sanitarium for 13 months for TB. She said she had always thought it was a State facility connected in some way with the UVA hospital. She remembers that her father had to pay in advance for her mother's medical care. Ultimately, they had to sell their farm to pay these medical bills. She remembers rperiodically going from Woodstock to Blue Ridge with her 2 brothers and her Dad to see their mother. Her father was allowed to see her mother, but the children could only wave to her from a distance as she stood on the second floor. Her brother recovered, but her mother was sent home after 13 months, still sick, because they said that there was little else they could do for her. She lived with the disease for 4 more years before dying of TB at the age of 38, leaving her 4 children, ranging in age from 7 to 16. Sally ----- Original Message ----- From: <Walt.Flory@fscv.net> To: <VASHENAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2003 12:40 AM Subject: Re: [VASHENAN] Cemetery > Jim > > You are right, I had a slip of the mind. Western is in Staunton, Virginia, > not Harrisonburg. Staunton is the county seat of Augusta County, VA and as > I said before (when I misplaced it in Harrisonburg) is not far from > Shenandoah County. > > The fact that it was a state mental hospital doesn't mean that all the > inmates had the type of problems that we might first think. I know first > hand of a man who was committed to Western during the mid 1950's not > because of what we think of as mental problems but because he was an > alcoholic. I have heard from someone on another list that they also had TB > patients at Western at one time. > > The name Blue Ridge Sanitarium is familiar to me though I do not recall > anything other than the name. Was it perhaps the case that Blue Ridge was a > private facility and that those who could not afford to go there may have > been placed in Western, a state facility? > > Walt > > > At 08:17 PM 5/03/2003, Jim Artz wrote: > >I came in on the tail end of the conversation too, but Eugene is correct > >abt. the TB Hospital in Charlottesville. My Dad was there in the mid 40s, > >and it is still there but , no longer a TB Hospital. It is now used as a > >center for the treatment of Mental Illnesses. One other comment, I lived in > >Harrisonburg for a little while, and don't remember a Western Hospital. > >There is a Western Hospital in Staunton , however.it's a mental facility. > >ceya > >Jim > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "H. Eugene McInturff" <hemack@rmaonline.net> > >To: <VASHENAN-L@rootsweb.com> > >Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2003 12:44 AM > >Subject: Re: [VASHENAN] Cemetery > > > > > > > I've missed part of this thread but would like to suggest that there > > > was a TB hospital - BLUE RIDGE SANITARIUM - just outside > > > Charlottesville, VA in the 1960's. My mother was treated there for > > > about a year and a half in the very early years of the 60's. Hope > > > this helps........Eugene > > > > > > Walt.Flory@fscv.net wrote: > > > > > > > > At 06:35 PM 5/03/2003, CORALAA@aol.com wrote: > > > > >That might be the one I was looking for - where is Harrisonburg? > >Thanks, > > > > >Coral > > > > > > > > > >Coral Barker Allbee > > > > >Digging and searching for my roots. > > > > > > > > Harrisonburg, Virginia is physically located in Rockingham County, VA. > > > > > > > > It is both the county seat of Rockingham County and an independent > > Virginia > > > > city. Both Rockingham and Shenandoah Counties were formed from parts of > > > > Augusta County and are adjacent to it in the Shenandoah Valley. > > > > > > > > If we are talking about residents of Shenandoah County my feeling is that > > > > this may be the nearest likely hospital for TB patients. There is, as you > > > > may notice, a large amount of conjecture here, but Western Hospital (a > > > > state mental facility in the 1950's) was I have heard used for TB > > patients > > > > at one time, and it is close to Shenandoah County. > > > > > > > > Walt > > > > ==== VASHENAN Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe, send a msg. to VASHENAN-L-request@rootsweb.com or VASHENAN-D-request@rootsweb.com with the word unsubscribe. >

Hello all, This isn't a major contribution to this thread, but ... The story about the sanitarium and tuberculosis was, unfortunately an all too common occurrence. My maternal grandmother, Anna Mowery from Mulberry Run, west of Strasburg, spent some time in a Sanitarium in West Virginia called Hopemont. The case was the same with her - her husband could visit, but her daughter (my Mom - age 5) and only child could only wave through the window. She, too, was basically sent home to die. I have read with interest this thread - and thought about how similar it sounded to my maternal grandmother's story. How sad for so many children to lose a parent that way. I guess during that time period, tuberculosis was the equivalent of AIDS today. Don *************************************************** Don Silvius Coordinator Shenandoah County VAGenWeb <http://www.rootsweb.com/~vashenan/vashenan.html> <dsilvius@intrepid.net> <dsilvius@tlcdelivers.com> ***************************************************

Don; I don't want to dwell on the subject of TB, but during the late 40s, treatment was more or less "fresh air". When my Dad had "it" he was sent to Charlottesville for his treatment. It required some medication, but most of it was rest and isolation. I remember going over to visit with my Mother, and his room was out on a screened in porch. I can't remember if it was because of overcrowding or not, but I think they wanted the men,(and there were only men there at the time) to get plenty of sunshine & fresh air. They were not allowed to smoke, and when ever the would have to "spit" they had to use a disposable cup, which the doctors would check for blood. Dad stayed there for abt. 6 mos. and went back once or twice a year for check-ups. Somewhere in an old album of my mother's I have some pictures taken while he was there. I don't think it was as bad as Aids, but it was pretty bad for that time.The funny thing abt. it is, that living around a tubercular person stays with you. When people were taking "skin tests" for TB, I was told by my dr. that mine would show positive, simply because of my association with my father. He advised me not to take that kind of test. So whenever I was required by my work to have a test for TB I had to have an X-Ray. After the time spent Blue Ridge, Dad never had a reassurance. ceya Jim ----- Original Message ----- From: <dsilvius@tlcdelivers.com> To: <VASHENAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2003 5:17 PM Subject: Re: [VASHENAN] Cemetery > Hello all, > > This isn't a major contribution to this thread, but ... > > The story about the sanitarium and tuberculosis was, unfortunately > an all too common occurrence. > > My maternal grandmother, Anna Mowery from Mulberry Run, west > of Strasburg, spent some time in a Sanitarium in West Virginia > called Hopemont. The case was the same with her - her husband > could visit, but her daughter (my Mom - age 5) and only child could > only wave through the window. She, too, was basically sent home > to die. > > I have read with interest this thread - and thought about how similar > it sounded to my maternal grandmother's story. How sad for so > many children to lose a parent that way. > > I guess during that time period, tuberculosis was the equivalent of > AIDS today. > > Don > > > *************************************************** > Don Silvius > Coordinator > Shenandoah County VAGenWeb > <http://www.rootsweb.com/~vashenan/vashenan.html> > <dsilvius@intrepid.net> > <dsilvius@tlcdelivers.com> > *************************************************** > > > ==== VASHENAN Mailing List ==== > Shenandoah Co VAGenWeb > http://www.rootsweb.com/~vashenan/vashenan.html > >