ca. 1925. In 1925, the East Wing of the Tacoma General Hospital was under construction. The building is shown in this photograph from So. 4th St. The addition was designed by the firm of Sutton, Whitney & Dugan. It was completed in 1926. (WSHS)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma);

ca. 1925. The graduating class of nurses, circa 1925, posed on the lawn in front of the entrance to the Tacoma General Hospital. They are wearing starched white aprons over their short sleeved uniforms and nurse's caps. Miss Minnie V. Hill, the Superintendent of Nurses, is seated in the center of the front row. Pictured sitting are, left to right, Eva Athow, Nina Walker, Edyth Hansen, Gladys Wright, Miss Hill, Johanna Johnson, Minnie Sternagle, Gladys Strickland and Sophia Anderson. Standing, left to right, are Alice Carrick, Helen Chapin, Marie Hack, Dora Winslow, Helen Needham and Nellie Frostad. (TNT 5/12/1925, pg. 15) (WSHS- negative A840-0)

Nursing--Tacoma; Group portraits--1920-1930; Nurses--Tacoma--1920-1930; Hospitals--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Hill, Minnie;

16 members of the graduating class of nurses from Tacoma General Hospital posed for a group portrait on the grounds of the hospital in June of 1925. They would bid farewell to the hospital training school on June 18th in ceremonies held at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. Pictured in the upper row, left to right, are Sophia Anderson, Elizabeth Appelman, Mary L. Putnam, Eva V. Athow, Minnie E. Sternagle, Helen Needham, Marie W. Hack and Johanna L. Jansen. Seated are, left to right, Helen MacChapin, Nina A. Walker, class salutatorian Alice Carrick, Gladys H. Bright, Edythe Hansen, Gladys E.Strickland, Dora B. Winslow, and Nellie G.R. Frostad. Not pictured were class valedictorian Dorothy Kyne and Grace K. Smith. The Tacoma General Hospital School of Nursing was one of the oldest in the nation and was in existence from 1895 to 1980. During that extended period of time, the school graduated over 2,200 registered nurses. (TNT 6/10/1925, pg. 3; multicare.org) (WSHS)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tacoma General Hospital School of Nursing (Tacoma);

ca. 1926. Many nurses in uniform standing in front of Tacoma General Hospital, circa 1926. (filed with Argentum)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tacoma General Hospital School of Nursing (Tacoma);

In October of 1926, three Junior League women show a passage in a book to an older gentleman in a wheelchair while a nurse looks on. The man is covered with a blanket stamped "Tacoma General Hospital." The book has been removed from a rolling cart used to transport the books from room to room for selection. One of projects of the Junior League was a traveling library maintained at Tacoma General Hospital. Two times a week, members of the library committee, chaired by Mrs. Frank Buckley (believed to be pictured center of the back row), visited the hospital and took the specially constructed set of shelves on wheels loaded with books from room to room. (WSHS) (TDL 10/22/1926, pg. 1- story, diff. picture)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Books; Wheelchairs; Junior League (Tacoma);

ca. 1933. Tacoma General Hospital, ca. 1933; therapeutic pool inside the hospital. In August of 1929, the physiotherapy department opened a swimming pool for children suffering from infantile paralysis (polio.) The tiled pool was 10 foot by 9 foot and thirty to forty inches deep. Water temperature was maintained between 92 and 94 degrees. The overhead track had ropes and springs that supported the children while in the water. Nurses and assistants were photographed helping children with treatment in the pool. Physical therapy was often performed in a warm water pool to reduce the strain on muscles. (WSHS) ("A House of Mercy" by Mildred Bates, RN)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Physical therapy--Tacoma;

ca. 1933. Tacoma General Hospital School of Nursing. View of classroom. In 1933, Tacoma General offered a three year course of study; on completion, students would be registered nurses (R.N.) The school was established in 1895, and closed in 1980. The school graduated 2200 nurses during its years of operation. (WSHS)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Classrooms;

ca. 1933. Tacoma General Hospital School of Nursing. Woman pouring coffee for three nurses seated around a table. The coffee urn has an electric cord plugged into it. (WSHS)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1933. Tacoma General Hospital; Laboratory circa 1933. Beakers and tubes on shelves and counters on laboratory cabinets. (WSHS)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Laboratories--1930-1940;

ca. 1933. Tacoma General Hospital School of Nursing. Six nurses gathered around upright piano in living quarters. (WSHS)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Pianos;

ca. 1933. Tacoma General Hospital. Nurses preparing food trays in kitchen area. (WSHS)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1933. Tacoma General Hospital. Large room with square columns covered with wood paneling. Rattan chairs and Mission-style rocking chair. (WSHS)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma);

ca. 1933. Tacoma General Hospital. Four-bed ward. Metal frame beds with neatly folded covers and pillow. Walls and ceiling painted with high-gloss enamel paint. (WSHS)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma);

ca. 1933. Tacoma General Hospital, circa 1933. Doctor or radiologist and nurses working in X-ray room with patient on table. One piece of equipment has a large dial and the other is a camera and screen mounted on a steel frame. X-rays were accepted as a medical practice in the 1920s. (WSHS)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Radiography--1930-1940; Radiologists--1930-1940;

ca. 1933. Tacoma General Hospital School of Nursing empty classroom, circa 1933. The Tacoma General school of nursing was established in 1895, and closed 85 years later in 1980. (WSHS)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma);

ca. 1933. Tacoma General Hospital; Laboratory circa 1933. Three medical technicians using microscopes and typewriter to examine and record information on lab samples on counter. (WSHS)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Laboratories--1930-1940;

ca. 1933. Tacoma General Hospital. Three nurses using microscopes to view test samples. Glass cabinets filled with beakers and other lab equipment. (WSHS)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Laboratories--1930-1940;

ca. 1934. Tacoma General Hospital (Fannie C. Paddock Memorial), Class of 1934. Group of graduating nurses. (Argentum)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital School of Nursing (Tacoma);

ca. 1936. Doctors and attendants in Tacoma General Hospital operating room, circa 1936. Large windows and skylights supplied natural light; which, along with the operating lights, flooded the operating table. Several large tanks, right, supplied oxygen and probably gaseous anesthesia. A curved stand held operating instruments and several bowls sat on stands. By the mid 1930's, the new Heidbrink anesthetic machine and uniform sterilization of instruments and equipment had reached Tacoma. (filed with Argentum)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Operating rooms--Tacoma--1930-1940; Surgery--Tacoma--1930-1940; Physicians; Medical personnel--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1936. Exterior view of Tacoma General Hospital with an ambulance parked in front, ca. 1936. The original $100,000 hospital, front, opened in 1915. It was designed by the architectural firm of Heath and Gove. It had a capacity for 150 beds and was virtually fireproof. The East wing, or "C" Wing, opened in 1926, Sutton, Whitney & Dugan architects. It brought the hospital's capacity to 250 beds. (filed with Argentum) ("A House of Mercy" by Mildred Bates, RN)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Ambulances--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1936. Switchboard operator at Tacoma General Hospital, circa 1936. To the right in the picture is the illuminated board invented by hospital superintendent C.J. Cummings. Listed on the board was each doctor at the hospital and to the right of the name was a light and a switch. When a doctor entered the building, he switched on the light next to his name, letting everyone know that he was in the building. (filed with Argentum) ("A House of Mercy" by Mildred Bates, RN)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Switchboards--Tacoma--1930-1940; Telephone operators--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1936. Exterior view of Tacoma General Hospital, intersection of 4th Street and K Street. Building constructed in 1915 and designed by Heath and Gove, architects. The east wing, behind the main hospital, was added in 1926. The hospital originated in 1882 as the Fannie C. Paddock Hospital at 2511 No. Starr St. It is Tacoma's oldest continuously operating hospital.

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma);

ca. 1936. Exterior of Tacoma General Hospital, circa 1936. The photograph shows both the original building, front, opened in 1915 and designed by the firm of Heath and Gove., and the 1926 addition. The addition can be seen behind the original building. It is called the East, or "C," Wing. It was designed by the firm of Sutton, Whitney and Dugan. The hospital began its life as the Fannie C. Paddock Memorial Hospital in 1882 on Starr St. It is the oldest continuously operating hospital in the city of Tacoma. (filed with Argentum)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma);

ca. 1936. Close-up of illuminated register at Tacoma General Hospital, circa 1936, invented by hospital superintendent C.J. Cummings. The board, situated at the hospital office, listed all the doctors and could be easily seen by the switchboard operators. There was a small light and a switch to the side of each name, as well as a slot where a message could be inserted. As each doctor entered the building, he switched on his light, letting everyone know that he was in the building. The board was the most modern device of its kind and a great aid in hospital efficiency. (filed with Argentum) ("A House of Mercy" by Mildred Bates, RN)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma);

ca. 1936. Exterior of Tacoma General Hospital, circa 1936; front entrance. Tacoma General is Tacoma's oldest continuously operating hospital. It began as the Fannie C. Paddock Memorial Hospital in 1882 at 2511 No. Starr St. As the population grew, a new Fannie Paddock Hospital was opened in 1889 at 312 So. J St. on a plot of land donated by the Tacoma Land Co. In 1912, the name was changed to Tacoma General Hospital in an attempt to help the community identify with the hospital. The building in this photograph opened in 1915 at 315 So. K (now Martin Luther King Jr. Way) and has been added on to in 1925, '64, '77 and '82 as the need arose for more beds and services. (filed with Argentum)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma);

Bedroom with twin beds, possibly in the Tacoma General Hospital nurses' quarters, circa 1936. For 85 years, from 1895-1980, Tacoma General ran its own nurse training program. The nurses studied for three years, emerging as Registered Nurses. In its years of operation, Tacoma General graduated 2200 nurses.(filed with Argentum)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma);

Tacoma General Hospital. Six women having afternoon tea. (filed with Argentum)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Tea parties--Tacoma--1930-1940;

In April of 1936, two nurses welcome a girl entering the Tacoma General School of Nursing for training. One nurse is shaking the woman's hand. The Tacoma General School of Nursing was established in 1895, and closed 85 years later in 1980. In 1936, the hospital was still recovering from the Depression. It had 126 employees, plus the students. However, hospital usage was up, necessitating the reopening of the north end of the second floor. Plus, the American Nurses' Association had adopted the eight-hour work day in the 1930's, meaning that more trained nurses were now needed. (filed with Argentum) ("A House of Mercy" by Mildred Bates, RN)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital School of Nursing (Tacoma);

Tacoma General Hospital School of Nursing, circa 1936. Seven nurses studying and writing in note books in the library. The hospital ran its own school for nurses from 1895-1980, requiring three years of study to become a Registered Nurse. The hospital benefited from the student nurses, who performed much of the hospital's work as part of their training. (filed with Argentum)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital School of Nursing (Tacoma);

On Friday evening, January 8, 1937, twenty five students in the Tacoma General Hospital nursing program took their first step toward graduating as nurses. The women received their caps, signifying that they had completed the preliminary four month basic course in theory and practice. The students will receive their full graduation honors when they complete their studies in May of 1939. Photograph of nurses congratulating one another. Left to right, Miss Sutherling congratulates Miss Baskerville, Miss Gibson and Miss Rembert, Miss Timmerman and Miss Phillips, Miss Harvey and Miss Barton, and Miss Pederson is congratulated by Clarence Cummings, superintendent of Tacoma General. (T.Times 1/7/1937, pg.. 4- picture; TNT 1/8/1937, pg. 2) (filed with Argentum)

Hospitals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma); Nurses--Tacoma--1930-1940;