Meridian Highland in Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Lt. Col. Joseph H. Ward, M.D.

1872-1956

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 6, 2023

1. Lt. Col. Joseph H. Ward, M.D. Marker, Side One

Inscription. African American surgeon and hospital administrator Joseph Ward moved to Indianapolis and practiced medicine by the 1890s. Barred from treating black patients in City Hospital, he opened Ward’s Sanitarium and Nurses’ Training School on Indiana Avenue ca. 1907. This private hospital later moved here. Dr. Ward served in France with the all-black 92nd Division in WWI.

In 1924, Ward became the first African American commander of the segregated Veterans Hospital No. 91 at Tuskegee, Alabama. White residents, politicians, and the Ku Klux Klan responded with hostility to the appointment of an entirely black staff. Ward’s adept leadership challenged the Jim Crow Era perception that black Americans were unfit to manage federal facilities.

Erected 2019 by Indiana Historical Bureau • The American Legion • The Association for the Study of African American Life and History • Those dedicated to the memory of Joseph H. Ward, M.D. (Marker Number 49.2019.3.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Science & Medicine • War, World I. In addition, it is included in

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the Indiana Historical Bureau Markers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.

Location. 39° 47.709′ N, 86° 9.796′ W. Marker is in Indianapolis, Indiana, in Marion County. It is in Meridian Highland. It is at the intersection of West 21st Street and Boulevard Place, on the right when traveling west on West 21st Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2101 Boulevard Pl, Indianapolis IN 46202, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Indiana.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Indiana Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Andrew “Bo” Foster / Andrew Foster, 1919-1987 (approx. ¼ mile away); St. Vincent's Hospital (approx. 0.6 miles away); T.C. Steele Studio and Herron

Lt. Col. Joseph H. Ward, M.D. Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 6, 2023

2. Lt. Col. Joseph H. Ward, M.D. Marker, Side Two

(approx. 0.6 miles away); Camp Morton (approx. 0.6 miles away); Joseph W. Summers Memorial Bridge (approx. 0.7 miles away); Widows and Orphans Friends’ Society (approx. 0.7 miles away); a different marker also named Joseph W. Summers Memorial Bridge (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Indianapolis.

Also see . . .
1. How Indianapolis Surgeon Dr. Joseph Ward Challenged the Jim Crow South. His leadership at Tuskegee, Alabama’s Veterans Hospital No. 91 helped prove to some white Jim Crow Southerners, medical practitioners, U.S. military officials, and even President Calvin Coolidge that African Americans were fit to manage large institutions. (Nicole Poletika, Indiana History Blog, Aug. 5, 2019) (Submitted on August 27, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. The Trials and Triumphs of Dr. Joseph H. Ward. His record from 1923-1934 is fairly mundane. It shows time off requests, official travel, pay records, raises, promotions, and correspondence. All things ones would expect to see in an OPF [Official Personnel File] for someone in his position. The prosaic

Lt. Col. Joseph H. Ward, M.D. Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 6, 2023

3. Lt. Col. Joseph H. Ward, M.D. Marker

day-to-day activities came to a halt in 1935 when Dr. Ward was put under investigation. (David R. Hardin, National Archives "Rediscovering Black History" project, April 20, 2022) (Submitted on August 27, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Then-Maj. Joseph H. Ward, M.D. image. Click for full size.

Western Newspaper Union via National Archives (Public Domain), circa February 10, 1919

4. Then-Maj. Joseph H. Ward, M.D.

Ward is pictured above in Hoboken, N.J. upon returning from the war. At the time, he was one of only two African Americans in the Medical Corps to achieve the rank of Major.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 333 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 27, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.