Related Records

1. Administration building at Catawba Sanatorium - Exterior view of the administration building at Catawba Sanatorium located in Catawba, Virginia, several miles north of Salem, Virginia. The date "1927" appears on the image.The sanatorium opened on the grounds of the former Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs resort in 1909 with a total of 16 patients. An existing resort structure probably met administrative needs until this more modern and functional building was constructed. According to an article by Melville Carrico published in the Roanoke Times around 1937 the tuberculosis facility was housing and treating 350 patients.

   1990.69.883

   Record Type: Photo

   
2. Brauer Chapel at Catawba Sanatorium - circa 1955

   Postcard of the Brauer Chapel located on the grounds of Catawba Sanatorium, a few miles north of Salem, Virginia. The chapel was built at a cost of $8,000 and dedicated on Easter Sunday, April 23, 1916. It is named in honor of Charles E. Brauer, a Richmond, Virginia barber, who contracted tuberculosis, was treated at Catawba, and while there organized both the Sunday School program and the campaign that raised the funds for construction of the ch...

   Record Type: Archive

   
3. Brauer Chapel at Catawba Sanatorium - Photograph of the Brauer Chapel located on the grounds of Catawba Sanatorium, a few miles north of Salem, Virginia. The chapel was built at a cost of $8,000 and dedicated on Easter Sunday, April 23, 1916. It is named in honor of Charles E. Brauer, a Richmond, Virginia, barber, who contracted tuberculosis, was treated at Catawba, and while there organized both the Sunday School program and the campaign that raised the funds for construction of the chapel. The chapel is constructed of local stone and features gothic style windows and doors and a slate roof. The sanatorium is located on the former Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs resort property a few miles north of Salem, Virginia.

   1990.69.885

   Record Type: Photo

   
4. Building at Catawba Sanatorium - Exterior view of a two story building at Catawba Sanatorium located in Catawba, Virginia, several miles north of Salem, Virginia. The tall windows along the side would have allowed fresh air and sunshine, major elements in the treatment of tuberculosis at the time, to penetrate the building. The development of anti-bacterial drugs in the 1940s altered the treatment of the disease, and in 1972, after the facility at Catawba had treated over 25,000 patients, it was converted to a mental health facility. in this photograph the shadow of the photographer, George Davis, and his camera equipment are prominent in the photograph. The land on which the sanatorium stood was formerly a resort known as Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs. A portion of the information in this description comes from an article by Melville Carrico, staff writer for the Roanoke Times, published circa 1937.

   1990.69.882

   Record Type: Photo

   
5. Catawba Sanatorium, circa 1915 - A black and white photograph of patients at Catawba Sanatorium lined up for weighing, circa 1915. Catawba Sanatorium was originally a privately-owned hotel and health resort opened by several businessmen from Salem, Virginia in 1858. It was located on the site of Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs, approximately 10 miles north of Salem on the north border of Roanoke County, Virginia. The approximate 700 acres was part of a mountainside that rose from the Catawba Valley containing a sulfur and limestone spring. It operated from 1858 - 1861 when it closed due to the Civil War. It was then purchased by Joe Chapman and reopened in 1876 housing 300 guests. The springs were known to have healing effects and many of the wealthy went there to "take the cure". The facility continued to operate as a resort off and on until 1908 attracting many tuberculosis victims. The Chapman family sold the property to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1908 to establish the first Tuberculosis Sanatorium in the state. This was spearheaded by William Baker, a member of Virginia's General Assembly, who had lost four of his six children to the disease. Patients were treated to fresh air, plenty of sunshine, rest and as much food as they could handle. This was the standard treatment of tuberculosis patients until Thoracic Surgery began circa the 1920s. Tuberculosis was eventually brought under control with the invention of Streptomycin and Isonicotinic Hydrazide(INH) in the late 1940s and 1950s. As the need to house tuberculosis patients declined with the advent of antibiotics, the facility ceased to admit patients in 1972. It became a mental health facility in 1992 and is still used today in that capacity.

   1990.69.755

   Record Type: Photo

   
6. Correspondence - September 17, 1918

   A one-page letter enclosed in an envelope from Albert A. Cannaday, M.D. of Roanoke, Virginia to Dr. Elbyrne G. Gill of (at that time), 13th Street, New York, New York. Contents of the letter invite Dr. Gill to join Dr. Cannaday in practice in Roanoke at Shenandoah Hospital where Dr. Cannaday had recently purchased, "a small interest." Also enclosed in the envelope are two postmarked two-cent stamps.

   Record Type: Archive

   
7. Craft Shop at Catawba Sanatorium - Interior view of the craft shop at Catawba Sanatorium located in Catawba, Virginia, several miles north of Salem, Virginia. Two females and three males are at work in the shop. The three people in the left side of the image are constructing items from wicker. The two males on the right side of the image are at work on unidentified projects. The man at the far right appears to have his right foot on a treadle which may power the piece of equipment in front of him. The floor of the shop is littered with scrap wood and other material. The female in the foreground uses a cane, probably to assist her in coping with tuberculosis.The land on which the tuberculosis sanatorium stood was formerly a resort known as Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs.

   1990.69.887

   Record Type: Photo

   
8. Latane Building at Catawba Sanitorium - Exterior view of the Latane Building at Catawba Sanatorium located in Catawba, Virginia, several miles north of Salem, Virginia. "Latane Building - Burned 1912" has been added in bold print on the face of the photograph. A note on the back of the photograph indicates that the photo was taken in 1909 shortly after acquisition of the property by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The name "Davis" appears at the lower right corner of the image indicating that it is a George Davis photo. The landscape around the building looks rough, and unused building materials still lie on the ground around the structure. The land on which the sanatorium stood was formerly a resort known as Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs.

   1990.69.858

   Record Type: Photo

   
9. Lean-to at Catawba Sanatorium - A note on the reverse of this photograph reads as follows: "A typical lean-to & park of tents". This lean-to was characteristic of structures housing tuberculosis patients at the Catawba Sanatorium as well as other treatment facilities. it was styled after the Adirondack lean-tos constructed of small timber and bark whose unique feature was an open front. Its purpose in the sanatorium setting was to maximize air circulation around the patients. The lean-to and the park of tents in the background were raised to allow fresh air and sunshine to penetrate under the structures. Although the phrase "Catawba 1904" appears on the reverse of the photograph, the correct date is most likely 1909, the year the sanatorium was first opened by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The phrase "The Beginning" appears twice on the image.

   1990.69.884

   Record Type: Photo

   
10. Post Office at Catawba Sanatorium - Exterior view of buildings and people at Catawba Sanatorium located in Catawba, Virginia, several miles north of Salem, Virginia. A sign on the major structure in this photograph reads "Post Office Catawba Sanatorium Va.". One of the two ladies in the doorway to the post office is a nurse carrying an umbrella and the other lady carries a cane while reading her mail. Tuberculosis, also known in earlier times as consumption, is a debilitating disease and canes were one method of coping with its effects. A plank bridge in the background crosses a swale or stream. The second and third floors of the post office building are open to the elements providing air circulation. Awnings or shades, probably of heavy duck, protect the openings. A note on the reverse of the photograph reads as follows: "Business office Red Sulphur Spring Hotel Catawba". The land on which the sanatorium stood was formerly a resort known as Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs.

    1990.69.881

    Record Type: Photo

    
11. Silver plated spoons. - Pair of silver-plated spoons from Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs Company. R.R.S.S.Co. is carved in the handle of each spoon. According to "Historic Springs of the Virginias, A Pictorial History" by Stan Cohen, the Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs was established in 1857 on 700 acres of land containing a sulphur and limestone spring. The land was part of a mountainside that rose from the Catawba Valley. The resort was opened in June 1858. Joe Chapman, a prominent hotel man from the area, leased the land in 1879. Mr. Chapman later purchased the resort, and advertised the water as being valuable in the treatment of lung diseases. "Catawba Iron or All Healing" he called the water, and shipped it around the country. At the height of its popularity the main hotel accommodated 300 guests. It continued to operate until 1908. The Commonwealth of Virginia bought the resort in 1901 and appropriated $40,000 to establish the first tuberculosis sanitorium in the state.

    1963.13.02

    Record Type: Object

    
12. Spring and Gazebo at Catawba Sanitorium - View of the spring and gazebo at Catawba Sanatorium located in Catawba, Virginia, several miles north of Salem, Virginia. A note on the back of the photograph indicates that the photo was taken in 1909, shortly after acquisition of the property by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Patients are shown at and near the spring some of whom are using canes. A female patient to the left of the spring gazebo appears to be using both a tree and a cane for support. The land on which the sanatorium stood was formerly a resort known as Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs. In the nineteenth century the curative value of the sulphur water in this spring was widely advertised.

    1990.69.876

    Record Type: Photo

    
13. Stoneware Foot Warmer - Stoneware foot warmer. 20th century, American. The crock has a round hole or "pig" with a cork, below the neck of the crock. Printed in black on the stoneware is the following: "CHAS. E. BRAUER, CATAWBA SANATORIUM, VA." The Catawba Sanatorium, founded in Roanoke County, Virginia, in 1908, was a public institution for the treatment of tuberculosis. It was known as one of the most organized and best equipped institutions of its kind. W.W. Baker, born October 20, 1844, founded the sanatorium after he experienced the disease himself. He introduced a bill passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1908 that made the sanatorium a possibility. The Catawba Sanatorium of the Commonwealth of Virginia stayed open until the late 1940s and 50s, when better methods were found for the treatment of tuberculosis. Then the sanatorium became the Catawba Hospital, which is still operating today. Charles E. Brauer, a barber from Richmond, Virginia, arrived at Catawba Sanatorium soon after it opened. Before contracting tuberculosis, Brauer was a member of the Union Station Methodist Church in Richmond, where he was a layman, member of the building committee for the new church, and Superintendent of Sunday School. In 1910, while at Catawba, he organized the Sunday school program on the porch of the old hotel, the remains of a former building on the site. He became the Superintendent of Sunday School and in 1914, began the fundraising campaign for the chapel. Within two years Brauer had raised enough money to construct the chapel, and the Tuberculosis Committee of the State Board of Health approved the site location that he selected. The architect for the chapel is unknown, but one can only assume that Brauer, who had been on the building committee of the Union Station Church, was involved with the design and choice of materials.

    1988.023.000

    Record Type: Object

    
14. Virginia Building at Catawba Sanitorium - Photograph of the Virginia Building which was the first infirmary at Catawba Sanatorium located in Catawba, Virginia, several miles north of Salem, Virginia. The upper left corner of the image contains the notation "40 beds". The date of the photograph is 1913. This description is based on information contained in a note on the back of the photograph. The land on which the infirmary stood was formerly a resort known as Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs.

    1990.69.856

    Record Type: Photo

    
15. West porch of Virginia Building at Catawba Sanitorium - View of the west porch of the Virginia Building which was the first infirmary at Catawba Sanatorium located in Catawba, Virginia, several miles north of Salem, Virginia. A female tuberculosis patient lies on her back in each of the beds pictured. Clean air and rest were integral parts of the tuberculosis cure. The beds are on casters. The date of the photograph is 1913. This description is based on the caption under the image and additional information contained in a note on the back of the photograph. The land on which the infirmary stood was formerly a resort known as Roanoke Red Sulphur Springs.

    1990.69.857

    Record Type: Photo