1873 cholera epidemic

The Cholera Epidemic of 1873 afflicted several cities in the Southeastern United States. This outbreak began in Memphis and moved along rail lines to Nashville, Huntsville, Birmingham, and Montgomery. Birmingham was particularly hard hit by the illness due to the lack of urban infrastructure and the poor housing conditions of many citizens. At least 128 people died from cholera, while half of Birmingham’s 4000 residents fled the city.

The disease was first introduced to Birmingham from Huntsville by an African American male who arrived on June 9, 1873. In visibly good health on arrival, this individual became ill two days later. The African American community of Baconsides became a perfect incubator for cholera, as the infected clothing and bedding of the sick man were washed in water used for communal drinking. Unfortunately, this community lay upstream from the main population center, and the disease soon spread throughout the city. Frequent rain showers and summer heat contributed to creating a favorable environment for the epidemic.

The disease was contained for a short while within Baconsides. However, after a Fourth of July celebration in Blount Springs, the outbreak became general. While the African American community would remain the hardest hit, the illness moved rapidly through the rest of Birmingham. Many residents left the city at this point fearing for their health. Fortunately, the epidemic became milder over time and did not spread to Mobile or New Orleans.

There are numerous stories of personal courage during this period. Many medical professionals stayed to tend to the sick despite the risk to their own health. Other residents contributed by sharing their private wells and rain cisterns with the community. One of the most popular local tales involves Louise Wooster, a notorious Birmingham prostitute, who, along with her “girls,” assisted in caring for the sick during this period. Some of these individuals wrote down personal accounts of their experiences during this trying time. Birmingham’s Oak Hill Cemetery contains the gravesites of many of the victims of the cholera epidemic, along with those who cared for them.

References

Primary

• Caldwell, H. M. (1892) History of the Elyton Land Company and Birmingham Alabama. Birmingham: Birmingham Printing Company.
• Jordan, M. H. (1875) Cholera at Birmingham Alabama in 1873. The Narrative of the 1873 Cholera Epidemic. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office
• Luckie, Mrs. (n. d.) Sketch of the 1873 Cholera Epidemic. On reserve in the Birmingham Public Library Archives in the Ferguson Collection.
• Means, T. A. (1875) Report of a Case of Epidemic Cholera Which Occurred at Montgomery, Alabama in 1873. The Narrative of the 1873 Cholera Epidemic. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office
• Wooster, L. C. W. (1911) Autobiography of a Magadalen. Birmingham: Birmingham Printing Company.

Secondary

• Rosenberg, Charles. (1962) The Cholera Years. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• Sulzby, James F. (n. d.) Birmingham Sketches from 1871-1921. Birmingham: Birmingham Printing Company.

External Links

• Birmingham Cholera Epidemic of 1873. (August ,1874) Report and map by Mortimer Jordan.