Waverly in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital
Photographed By Nancy Stone-Collum, March 22, 2019
1. Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital Marker
Side 1
Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital, created in 1938 by the merger of two older hospitals, served the black community in Columbia for 35 years. It merged Good Samaritan Hospital, founded in 1910 by Dr. William S. Rhodes and his wife Lillian, and Waverly Hospital, founded in 1924 by Dr. Norman A. Jenkins and his four brothers. The hospitals competed for the same doctors, nurses, and patients for several years.
Side 2
By the mid-1930s the Duke Endowment and the Rosenwald Fund recommended a merger of the two hospitals to improve the quality of health care for blacks in Columbia and surrounding counties. This building, the first in Columbia built for blacks, opened in 1952. After the new integrated Richland Memorial Hospital opened in 1971, Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital closed the next year.
Erected 2019 by Richland County Conservation Commission. (Marker Number 40-154.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1952.
Location. 34° 0.626′ N, 81° 1.121′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Visanska-Starks House (within shouting distance of this marker); Cyril O. Spann Medical Office (within shouting distance of this marker); First Calvary Baptist Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Matthew J. Perry House (about 500 feet away); Black Churches Are Still Burning (about 500 feet away); Waverly (about 600 feet away); Allen University (about 700 feet away); The Lighthouse & Informer / John H. McCray (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.
Regarding Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital. The hospital was the only training facility exclusively for black nurses in Columbia, and was built as a state-of-the-art medical facility with a pharmacy, laboratory, X-ray room, staff dining room, two operating rooms, ad fifty beds.
Allen University owns the hospital and is embarking on a major restoration project to be completed by 2021.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Photographed By Nancy Stone-Collum, March 22, 2019
2. Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital Marker
Photographed By Nancy Stone-Collum, March 22, 2019
3. Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital Marker unveiling
Photographed By Nancy Stone-Collum, December 19, 2017
4. Hospital has been closed since 1972
5. Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital Nurses
Photographed By C.F. Bruce, March 28, 2023
6. Hospital renovation nearing completion, 2023
Photographed By C.F. Bruce, March 28, 2023
7. Hospital renovation nearing completion, 2023
Dedication to the nine persons killed in the Mother Emanuel shootings - several were Allen University alumni.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 21, 2019, by Nancy Stone-Collum of Columbia, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 833 times since then and 89 times this year. Last updated on March 29, 2023, by C.F. Bruce of Columbia, South Carolina. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 21, 2019, by Nancy Stone-Collum of Columbia, South Carolina. 6, 7. submitted on March 29, 2023, by C.F. Bruce of Columbia, South Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
