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Tag Archives: St. Elizabeth’s
The Central Junior High School Fire of 1949
It was an unusually warm, but windy evening on Sunday, December 11, 1949. It was shortly before 7:00 p.m. when Ruth Ann Brasnar and Merline Frost were walking near Central Junior High (607-611 21st Street) in Rock Island, Illinois. The … Continue reading
The St. Elizabeth’s Tragedy: Part II of II
Please click here to read Part I. During the cold dark morning hours of January 7, 1950, St. Elizabeth’s, part of the Mercy Hospital Complex, had caught fire, placing 63 patients and 2 staff members in danger.* Before fire fighters and … Continue reading
The St. Elizabeth’s Tragedy: Part I of II
In the early morning hours of January 7, 1950, as frigid winter temperatures were made harsher by a strong wind, Mercy Hospital night orderly Murray Francis noted an eerie light glowing outside. Shortly after 2:00 a.m., he activated an alarm. … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Anna Neal, Disasters, Fire, Mercy Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital, Sisters of Mercy, St. Elizabeth's
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The Beginning of Mercy
On December 7, 1869 the first patient entered the new Mercy Hospital situated on the outskirts of Davenport. Started by the Order of the Sisters of Mercy , the hospital and its grounds would play a pivotal role in the … Continue reading
