Building History

Two nuns-- Sister Teresa Moran and Sister Stanislaus Tighe--made their way from the Convent of Saint Joseph of Peace in Newark, NJ, with the mission of setting up the first hospital in the Bellingham-Whatcom area of WA State. The sisters persuaded two officials of the Fairhaven Land Company, John Joseph Donovan (1858-1937) and Tacoma-resident Nelson Bennett (1848-1913), to donate land and raise funds for the hospital's completion. Journalist Matt Benoit said of this first Saint Joseph Hospital: In January 1891, the first St. Joseph Hospital opened just north of Adams Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets. It was a two-story structure, with an office, pharmacy, ward, kitchen, dining room and bathroom on the ground level. The second floor featured another ward and bathroom, a chapel, linen room, two single rooms, and a dormitory for the Sisters. Detached buildings contained a laundry and mortuary. The facility was staffed by seven nuns and a lay cook; its food included vegetables picked from the Sisters’ own garden." (See Matt Benoit, Whatcom Talk.com, "Examining Bellingham’s Hospital History," accessed 05/30/2023.)

PCAD id: 24662