Lycoming County Women's History Project

 

WILLIAMSPORT HOSPITAL SCHOOL OF NURSING

Williamsport Hospital School of Nursing Class of 1947

The Williamsport Hospital School of Nursing was founded in 1883. It was established and directed by extraordinary women of the time period. The school, one of the oldest in the state, was known for the excellence of its program. A majority of the women who graduated from this school were from the Williamsport area and stayed in this area to contribute to the local community.

The Williamsport Hospital School of Nursing educated women (and, in later years, men) for 105 years; the school closed in 1988. The school's first graduate was J. Alta King; this local woman received her diploma on February 19, 1884.

The nursing school, or the Williamsport Hospital Training School for Nurses, as it was known then, was closely associated with the Williamsport Hospital that had opened its doors six years earlier in 1878. According to 100 Years of Tradition: 1883-1983, a history produced by the Alumni Association on its centennial,

"The Williamsport Hospital and the School of Nursing came into being only a few years apart, and in response to the same growing need for improved health care in Lycoming County. Therefore, their histories are closely intertwined, especially in the earliest stage of their development. Until the mid-1800's Williamsport had had little need for a hospital. The community, after all, was very small and its people had long been used to looking after their own needs. But in the two decades following 1850, a significant amount of industry came to the area, bringing with it a larger population and the inevitable increase in illness, accidents and disease."

Drs. Jean Saylor-Brown and Rita Church, the first female physicians in Williamsport, founded the school in order to provide nurses for the new hospital. The opportunity for women to train formally for the nursing profession opened doors that had previously been closed to them. Training gave the graduates professional status, respect, greater economic opportunities, and the ability to provide financial support for themselves and their families.

The Williamsport School of Nursing collection includes hundreds of photographs, diplomas from graduates dating back to 1884, graduation programs, and early applications for admission, student handbooks, exam papers from the early 20th century, and student grade sheets.

Among the historic documents are the diploma of Debbie Louise King, who was one of the first graduates in 1895, and examination paper from a test given in1903, and a letter of acceptance listing the materials needed by a probationary student when she entered training in 1925.

The collection itself, housed at the Lycoming County Historical Society in Williamsport, contains a wide variety of additional materials, including a sample of nurses' caps, uniforms, pins, medical apparatus, and other unique items.

To see all the documents that reference the nursing school search "Williamsport Hospital School of Nursing" in the collection. The online archive currently includes two books produced by the Alumni Association - Williamsport Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association presents: 100 years of tradition. 1883-1983 and Williamsport Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association presents: the pride of tradition. 1983 - 1988 and also the historical Register of Graduate Nurses, which lists the name of each student ever enrolled in the program.

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