She championed Charlotte's first hospitals
She championed Charlotte's first hospitals
Plus: Top news of the week — South Charlotte flooding fallout; State extends Aldersgate oversight; Wells Fargo sign plan advances; Trade and Tryon park ideas revealed
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Historical Heavyweights: Jane Wilkes — Her work during the Civil War led her to launch Charlotte’s first two civilian hospitals
Editor’s note: You see their names on street signs or parks, but who were some of the big-name people from decades ago who shaped Charlotte? They have fascinating stories, and for the next few Saturdays, we’re sharing them with you.
by John Short
Charlotte arrived on the regional map with the opening of the railroad in the 1850s and came of age with the economic boom that accompanied the connectivity to other cities in the region.
While the outbreak of the Civil War slowed Charlotte’s civic growth, Reconstruction ushered in many Charlotte institutions, including libraries and hospitals.
At the center of the social power moving these institutions forward was Jane Smedberg Wilkes.
Born Jane Smedberg in 1827 to a wealthy New York family, Wilkes grew up comfortably in New York society as the seventh of 13 children. Raised by a governess at her family’s estate in the Catskills mountains, she would ultimately marry Naval Capt. John Wilkes (her first cousin, if we’re splitting hairs).
John and Jane settled in Charlotte in 1854, arriving in the region to supervise the Capps Gold Mine, in which John had a controlling interest. From their home at 508 W. Trade St., the couple established themselves in Charlotte society, with John growing his business interests, including flour and cotton mills and a foundry that would become Mecklenburg Iron Works. Jane focused on raising the Wilkes children and tended to matters with the ladies groups in town.
During the Civil War, many Confederate wounded were sent to Charlotte, and Jane Wilkes — commemorated by this statue on Charlotte’s Trail of History — volunteered in Confederate camp hospitals. This experience sparked her interest to lead the effort to build Charlotte’s first two civilian hospitals. (Courtesy of the Trail of History)
The Wilkes’ fortune and business interests grew, due in part to the family’s enslavement of more than 30 people, most of whom worked in the mills owned by John.
At the onset of the Civil War, John and Jane aligned themselves with the Confederacy, with John’s foundries and production interests supplying the Confederate army. Like many families during the time, the broader Wilkes clan was divided over the conflict. Jane’s brothers fought for the Union, and John’s father financially supported the Union cause.
It was during the support of the war effort that Jane became involved in hospital work, working with other Charlotte society women to establish the Ladies Hospital Association, which operated and staffed the two Confederate military hospitals that operated in Mecklenburg County.
Jane’s experience volunteering at these hospitals, and the dreadful conditions and practices she observed, opened her eyes to the benefits that a proper hospital could provide. She emerged from the war effort convinced that public health care was a civic good that could eliminate tremendous unnecessary suffering.
When Union troops moved into Charlotte in May of 1865, John Wilkes’ business interests fell under U.S. government control, due to the direct relationship with the defeated Confederacy. However, John would receive a pardon from President Andrew Johnson a few months later and was ultimately able to repurchase Mecklenburg Iron Works, which he revived into a thriving provider of iron and brass to the region.
With the Reconstruction era underway in Charlotte, Jane turned her focus to civic efforts within Charlotte. In 1876, she worked with a group of women to establish North Carolina’s first non-military hospital, the St. Peter's Home and Hospital. This hospital initially operated out of two rooms in a home on 7th and College streets.
It quickly became clear that a dedicated facility was needed. Jane was the secretary and treasurer of the Ladies’ Aid Society. With the initial fundraising help of the “Busy Bee Society,” a girls’ club within St. Peter’s church, Jane used her position to invest the donated funds and purchase the lot for a new hospital at 6th and Poplar in uptown.
Startup capital in hand, Wilkes championed the remaining fundraising effort for the construction of a dedicated hospital building, tapping into her family and society connections in New York to meet the funding needs for the four-room hospital that was completed in 1878.
By 1888, the success of St. Peter’s Hospital was clear, but limited. The hospital admitted only white patients. Seeing the impact the hospital could have, Jane Wilkes returned to her fundraising efforts in town and out of state with the mission to create a hospital for the city’s black residents.
At the time, there were only five private hospitals in the United States, and none in the state of North Carolina (the two that existed were government-run in Raleigh and Goldsboro). Jane organized the community around the cause, and in 1891, Good Samaritan Hospital opened at its location between Mint and Graham streets.
The hospital was colloquially referred to as “Good Sam,” and the operations were overseen by a Board of Governors composed of women from the St. Peter’s congregation (including Jane) for decades.
By 1907, both St. Peter’s and Good Samaritan hospitals had expanded their missions and physical spaces after experiencing growing demand every year. With the needs of the Charlotte medical community expanding, St. Peter’s Hospital would move to Charlotte Memorial Hospital on Blythe Boulevard in Dilworth in 1940. This facility would grow into what is now Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in the same location.
Good Samaritan hospital would similarly merge with Charlotte Memorial Hospital in 1961. Today, the site of Good Samaritan Hospital is occupied by the 40-yard line of Bank of America Stadium. A historical marker for the site of the hospital sits outside the stadium.
Jane Wilkes died in Charlotte in 1913 at 86 and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery. Her tireless dedication to Charlotte’s medical community was honored in Charlotte’s Trail of History in 2010 with a statue that sits along Little Sugar Creek Greenway near East Morehead Street.
John Short is a freelance writer and co-host of The Charlotte Podcast who loves digging up Charlotte’s past and pondering its future. Say hey when you see him on the streetcar.
➡️ This is our third season of “Historical Heavyweights.” For previous installments of this feature — including profiles of settler Thomas Polk, doctor J.T. Williams, businessman Edward Dilworth Latta, westside visionary Henry L. McCrorey, snack pioneer Philip Van Every and more — check out our Historical Heavyweights page.
Today’s supporting sponsor is VIA Health Partners, formerly Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region. New name, same exceptional care for families in 32 counties across North and South Carolina.
This week in Charlotte: State releases guidelines for AI in schools; NCDOI to keep watch over Aldersgate; Lithium company cutting back
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Education
Dental school planned: (WUNC) High Point University will open a new dental school in August. It will be the first private dental school in North Carolina and the third dental school in the state.
AI guidelines for schools: (WRAL) The N.C. Department of Public Instruction this week released a list of guidelines about how educators can use artificial intelligence like ChatGPT in the classroom. North Carolina is the fourth state in the country to issue such guidelines.
Politics
Probe into state insurance commissioner’s driver: (Observer) North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey has been using a part-time driver at public expense since 2017. The driver is a longtime friend and campaign supporter and earns as much as $84,000 a year. Critics argue that it is a political job, and Causey's agency has faced scrutiny for providing jobs to people with personal connections or political clout.
Local news
Flooding concerns move to the forefront: (Ledger 🔒) Residents in south Charlotte, including areas facing proposed developments, are raising concerns about the potential worsening of flooding due to increased density and new structures. Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell has requested a public engagement session to address flooding worries, following the Ledger article.
State extends watch of Aldersgate: (Ledger 🔒) The N.C. Department of Insurance has extended its supervision of the Aldersgate retirement community in Charlotte for another 150 days because of ongoing financial challenges. Although Aldersgate has made progress, it still faces issues such as a reported $2.9 million loss in its 2024 operating budget and outstanding debts to former residents and vendors.
Business
Lithium company cutback: (WFAE) Albemarle Corp., a Charlotte-based lithium company, is in the midst of a cost-reduction plan due to the lag in electric vehicle sales and lower lithium prices. Albemarle will defer investment in two major Charlotte-area projects, the Albemarle Technology Park and a $1.3B lithium hydroxide processing facility in Chester County, as part of the initiative to prioritize permitting activities for its Kings Mountain mining operations.
That’s a big sign: (WSOC) Wells Fargo’s rezoning petition to add two 1,880-square-foot signs to the top of the company’s skyscraper on South Tryon Street prompted no critics during a city council public hearing this week. The rezoning petition will go to the city’s zoning committee for review and the city council could vote on the matter next month.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
You Ask, We Answer: A Ledger reader sent in a question about the construction on South Boulevard where Harrelson Ford used to be. Tri Pointe Homes Holdings purchased the 10.6-acre property for $10M in October 2023, and plans submitted by The Ardent Cos. in March 2023 outline the construction of 165 townhomes on the site.
Pineville’s 50-year time capsule: Pineville celebrated its 150th anniversary with a time capsule, set to be opened in 2074, which includes items like old and modern phones, a map, a historical book, a police coin, a Covid test, property tax summary, Town Council minutes and images representing the town's history.
3 designs presented for new McColl Park: Three designs for the new McColl Park at the corner of Trade and Tryon Streets in uptown Charlotte were presented to the public, including a “floating nest,” a “crown datum” and a “verdant crown.”
🎧 New podcast episode: A new episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast dives into what’s holding back nonprofits in Charlotte and what they need to do to thrive, in a conversation with Josh Jacobson, the founder and CEO of Next Stage.
Ian Faires, a beloved music teacher at Jay M. Robinson Middle School, passed away at age 46, leaving a legacy of inspiring students through his passion for music and creating a safe space for them to be themselves.
How tied are Charlotte leaders’ hands on spending tourism tax money? Asheville successfully expanded the use of tourism taxes to fund a broader set of community projects, including greenways and potentially affordable housing and transit. That’s a different approach from Charlotte, where such funds tend to be directed toward pro sports facilities and the convention center.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman, BC Creative