View source for Jefferson Tuberculosis Sanatorium

The '''Jefferson Tuberculosis Sanatorium''' was a series of medical facilities constructed by the [[Anti-Tuberculosis Association of Jefferson County]] for the treatment of patients infected with tuberculosis, often also called "consumption". In the early 20th century, the prevailing treatment for infection was sunlight and fresh air.

[[File:Red Mtn TB camp.jpg|right|thumb|325px|The Red Mountain tuberculosis camp in 1912]]
At the urging of Reverend [[George Eaves]] and health officer [[Robert Harkness]], an [[Anti-Tuberculosis Association of Jefferson County]] was established in [[1910]] and erected an infirmary, originally consisting of canvas tents on [[Cahaba Road]] in what is now [[English Village]]. The project was supported by the [[Birmingham Chapter of the American Red Cross]], the Board of Lady Managers for [[Hillman Hospital]] (which did not admit infectious patients), the [[Graduate Nurses Association]], and various public and private organizations. It accepted its first patient in August 1910 and treated 78 people over the course of its first year, reporting good results.

A framed building, called the [[Red Mountain Sanitarium]], was completed in [[1914]]. The society treated both white and Black patients at the sanitarium.

In [[1921]] the Association relocated to a newly-donated 45-acre site off of [[Old Montgomery Highway (Homewood)|Montgomery Highway]] in [[Shades Valley]]. A new facility, now called the [[Davenport Building]] was designed by architect [[Bem Price]]. The anticipated budget for the building was around $110,000, but when it opened on [[June 3]], [[1925]] it was reported that $250,000 had been spent. A "[[Third Main Building]]" was completed adjoining it in [[1937]].

In the 1940s, wide distribution of antibiotics provided a more reliable treatment for tuberculosis, though the disease remained a leading cause of death in the county well into the 1950s. The former tuberculosis sanitorium was repurposed in [[1973]] as [[Lakeshore Hospital]], now the [[Lakeshore Foundation]]'s [[Lakeshore Rehabilitation Hospital]].

==References==
* {{Cruikshank-1920}}
* "[http://bplonline.cdmhost.com/digital/collection/p4017coll8/id/32697 Bidders on Jefferson Tuberculosis Sanitorium]" (May 25, 1924) ''The Dixie Manufacturer'', Vol. 54, No. 10, p. 18

[[Category:Hospitals]]
[[Category:1910 establishments]]
[[Category:Cahaba Road]]
[[Category:1925 buildings]]
[[Category:1937 buildings]]
[[Category:Ridgeway Drive]]
[[Category:Lakeshore Foundation]]