Maine Memory Network

Original sketch of Maine General Hospital by architect Francis Fassett. Initial plans were for four wings or pavilions, leading out from a central building. The siting atop Bramhall Hill allowed for free circulation of fresh air, deemed essential for minimizing the spread of disease, and granted views of the White Mountains and the ocean.

The final construction, still visible today, resulted in the central building but only two pavilions. Due to financial necessity, the structure was built in phases, ending in 1892 with completion of the west wing and superintendent's house. The hospital began accepting patients in 1874 with only the east pavilion open.

Maine General Hospital is the predecessor of Maine Medical Center.

Members of the original medical staff of Maine General Hospital, which opened its doors in 1874. Pictured in the front row, from left: Israel T. Dana, M.D.; Seth C. Gordon, M.D.; John T. Gilman, M.D.; William Warren Greene, M.D.; and Stephen H. Weeks, M.D. In the back row, from left: Charles O. Hunt, M.D.; Horatio N. Small, M.D.; Frederic H. Gerrish, M.D.; and Augustus S. Thayer, M.D.

Maine General Hospital is the predecessor of Maine Medical Center.

This document, prepared by the Maine General Hospital Superintendent, illustrates the cost of operating a Marine Ward for fifteen patients for one year.

Maine General Hospital is the predecessor of Maine Medical Center.

An early photo of Maine General Hospital, designed by architect Francis Fassett. Fassett originally planned for four wings and a central building. When the hospital was dedicated in October of 1874, only one of the wings was complete. The central building followed in 1876 and the west wing in 1892. While many additions have been built in the intervening decades, this original structure is still visible from the Western Prom.

The first patient admitted at this brand new hospital was Henry S. Harding, on November 9, 1874. Most likely, he spent his time on one of the 20-bed, 30-by-80 foot wards, each bed having a gas jet, a venting register, and a shared heating unit. For the sake of cleanliness, the walls had a hard sand finish and simple, dark woodwork. The patient would have had a view of the city from any of the very large twelve windows on the ward. Mr. Harding was not discharged until the following May and was "not relieved" of his condition according to the MGH Patient Discharge Book.

Maine General Hospital is the predecessor of Maine Medical Center.

Jeannette L. Allen of Freeport was a graduate of the Maine General Hospital Training School for Nurses, class of 1891. According to records, during that year the Superintendent of Nurses heard 104 class recitations, and gave 40 lessons in elementary massage and 12 lessons in sick cookery in the kitchen of the hospital.

Maine General Hospital is a predecessor of Maine Medical Center.

The MGH surgical amphitheater, completed in 1885, was located in a separate building behind the hospital's east pavilion and connected by a ramp. The operating theater could seat 200 and was located on the second floor of the amphitheater. Skylights 35 feet above the operating floor helped supply the lighting. The space beneath the sides of the amphitheater was used for an orthopedic clinic and for isolation needs. Note the gauze strainers on water faucets, conditions of the floors, few instruments, wooden handled knives, lack of gloves, gowns donned after removal of suit coats, and bottles for antiseptic solutions. The surgeons pictured here are Dr. George H. Cummings and Dr. Herbert Henry Brock.

Maine General Hospital is the predecessor of Maine Medical Center.

After the Great Fire of 1866 had destroyed a large part of Portland, the socioeconomic necessities combined with the urge to rebuild Portland spurred a strong need for a general hospital.

In 1874, the medical center opened its facility doors, harboring 114 patients in its first year.

In 1951, The Maine Medical Center was officially formed by the merging of The Maine Eye and Ear Infirmary, The Children's Hospital, and The General Hospital.

Postcard depicting Maine General Hospital in Portland, with carriages parked along the front entrance on Arsenal Street.

Maine General Hospital is the predecessor of Maine Medical Center.

In 1868, plans to construct the Maine General Hospital were drafted. The hospital would be built on the site of the state arsenal on Bramhall Hill. Portland citizens raised $100,000 from sales and donations to construct it.

By 1874 the Maine General Hospital began accepting patients. Today, Maine Medical Center is the biggest tertiary care hospital in Northern New England, serving all of Maine and parts of Vermont and New Hampshire.

Postcard depicting Maine General Hospital in Portland under a full moon in the late evening sky. Card is addressed to a Miss Caswell, postmarked September 1909, and reads: "I remember you."

Maine General Hospital is the predecessor of Maine Medical Center.

Maine General Hospital was the predecessor of Maine Medical Center. It was built on Bramhall Hill, the area known as the West End in Portland, and opened it's doors to patients in 1874.

The student nurse from Maine General Hospital School of Nursing held a newborn baby wearing a cloth pinned around it's stomach, in the maternity ward. Identities of nurse and child are unknown.

Maine General Hospital was the predecessor of Maine Medical Center. It was built on Bramhall Hill, the area known as the West End in Portland, and opened it's doors to patients in 1874.

The student nurse from Maine General Hospital School of Nursing held a newborn baby wearing a cloth pinned around it's stomach, in the maternity ward. Identities of nurse and child are unknown.

A stereo record player is presented to the Pediatric Department of Maine Medical Center in honor of Marion L. Dunn. Dunn began working as a General Staff Nurse in 1927 and became Pediatric Supervisor in 1945, a position she held until her retirement in 1963. The record player was purchased with money from the Shaw Fund, established by Mrs. Langdon T. Thaxter's uncle, Albert H. Shaw of Bath, to supply items for the children in the Pediatric Department.