ST. FRANCIS GROWS WITH DEMAND FOR HEALTH CARE

From its beginning as a 12-bed infirmary, St. Francis Hospital grew as the community grew. It began in 1875 when three nuns -- Sisters Philomena, Engelberta, and Felicitas -- came to the city from Carondolet near St. Louis. They set up shop in a rented two-story frame house on Themis Street that would accommodate 12 patients.

They came to Cape Girardeau at the invitation of the Rev. Joseph Schmidt, pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church. The nuns also taught at St. Mary Grade School.

Demand was so great that the sisters were forced almost immediately to look for larger quarters.

They moved the hospital to the corner of Broadway and Harmony, but they lost that building in a dispute over the land title. The nuns then set up shop at the northwest corner of William and Sprigg. In 1879, a small brick hospital was built at the site. The hospital expanded in 1882, 1900 and 1901. But more space was still needed.

Patients were often brought to the steps of the hospital by horse and wagon. Coal oil lamps were carried from room to room to check on patients.

In 1908, some of the first electric lights in Cape Girardeau were installed at St. Francis. Cape Girardeau Mayor W.C. Patton donated two lights to the hospital, one for the entrance and the other for the chapel.

In 1910, the sisters began a fund drive to purchase property at Good Hope and Pacific streets for a new building, which was opened on Oct. 26, 1914. The old hospital later became St. Mary's High School. The school opened its doors Sept. 1, 1925 with 14 students and one teacher.

The new hospital was dedicated Nov. 15, 1914, when the most Rev. John Glennon, archbishop of St. Louis, delivered the keynote address.

Thousands of visitors toured the new, modern fire-resistant red brick building.

It was said that the hospital boasted every modern appliance and convenience. When completed and furnished, the hospital was said to cost in the neighborhood of $150,000. That year, members of the State Board of Health declared St. Francis Hospital "equal to any hospital of its size in the country."

By this time, the fee for a private room ran $20-40 a week, while wards ran from $1-15 a week. A charge of $5-10 was assessed for use of the operating room.

St. Francis continued to expand it services and outgrew its Good Hope location. In 1973, ground was broken for a 264-bed hospital on Gordonville Road. St. Francis Medical Center opened its doors in October of 1976.