Audubon Park in Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Gen. James M. Kennedy Hospital
Photographed by Steve Masler, June 24, 2015
1. Gen. James M. Kennedy Hospital Marker
Erected 1989 by Shelby County Historical Commission and Memphis State University.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Science & Medicine • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is January 23, 1746.
Location. 35° 6.328′ N, 89° 55.8′ W. Marker is in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in Audubon Park. It can be reached from Getwell Road 0.1 miles south of Park. Located off of Getwell road south of Park Ave on the grounds of the University of Memphis South Campus. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: University of Memphis - Park Avenue Campus Memphis, Memphis TN 38111, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in the Upper South, in the Mississippi Delta, and in the Great River Road Region. 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, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Beginning (within shouting distance of this marker); The Player (within shouting distance of this marker); Elvis Presley House (approx. 0.6
this page online
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Normal Depot was where the wounded soldiers were brought to bring to the Kennedy Hospital.
Also see . . . Get Well. The story of the building of Kennedy Hospital (Submitted on June 24, 2015, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee.)
Additional commentary.
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2. Normal Depot Marker
Also see . . . Blueprints of the original Normal Station. From the site: Historic Memphis West Tennessee State Normal College ... and then there was West Tennessee State Teacher's College, Memphis State College, Memphis State University, and University of Memphis http://historic-memphis.com/memphis-historic/normal-school/normal-school.html (Submitted on June 4, 2015, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee.)
Photographed by Steve Masler, June 24, 2015
2. Gen. James M. Kennedy Hospital Marker on grounds of University of Memphis South Campus
Additional comments.
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The site of the Normal Depot is now on the campus of the University of Memphis. The Kennedy Veterans hospital referred to on the Historic Marker was on what is now the south campus of the University of Memphis.
In 1943, the US Army opened a 3,000 bed veteran's hospital in Memphis at the corner of Park Avenue and Shotwell Road. The new Kennedy Hospital's address would be on Shotwell, prompting Mrs. M.E. Brown of Marvell Arkansas to write to the Memphis Press-Scimitar claiming the name of the street would not be appropriate for wounded soldiers returning home.
County officials, despite facing some opposition from local residents, decided to change the name of the road to Getwell to help improve the morale of the hospital's patients. The former site of Kennedy Hospital is now occupied by the University of Memphis, student housing, sports complexes, and WKNO.
Memphis Moments is co-produced by the Pink Palace Family of Museums (http://www.memphismuseums.org) and WKNO-FM, and airs on Tuesdays and Thursdays during All Things Considered on the WKNO Stations.
Used with the permission of the Memphis Pink Palace Museum
— Submitted June 24, 2015, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 24, 2015, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 2,550 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 24, 2015, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
