I watched an
excellent documentary about the development of Charlotte’s health care
system. Most notable was the
establishment of hospitals by churches and citizens. Two major hospitals in our area can be traced
back to the activities of individuals and their parishes.
After the devastation of the War of Northern
Aggression, Jane Wilkes saw a need for nursing skills while tending to wounded
soldiers. She helped raise funds for St.
Peters Hospital and also for Good Samaritan Hospital, which was the first
privately funded all-negro facility in the state of North Carolina. She and her fellow citizens typified Alexis
de Tocqueville’s ideals of what it means to be an American. This kind of civic pride and participation lasted
until the mid-twentieth century when local governments began to take over the
hospitals.
You won’t find monuments or public buildings named
after Jane Wilkes in Charlotte. Those
kinds of accolades belong to rapacious politicians who raid the public
treasury. No, her legacy endures even
though most Charlotteans don’t remember her.
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