Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-03-18
MAKES ITS FIRST APPEAL
FOR AID IN FORTY YEARS
Retreat for Sick Was First Monde
nominational Hospital
b. I'm South.
SEEKS S15o,oOo FOR BUILDING
Odd Structure, Never Well Adapted
to Hospital Purposes. Has Served
Ss, Its Day. and Must BE Replaced
With More Modern Structure.

~ BY coincidence. entirely unprcmedi-
s&tated. the actual launching of the cam
sTpaign for the raising OF a $4,000
sSbuiiding fund for the rebuilding OF the
ffttsRetreat for tho Sick. in which $50
Richmond mon and women participated
iSon Thursday evening. fell precisely on
sSthe fortieth anniversary OF the found
fins of the old hospital-the pioneer
S%ofy all mathematician hospitals In
the South.
1t WAS after the Thursday evening
q dtnner, for tho campaign teams had
Sheen announced. that some OF the
HSwomen of the Retreat board in review
ting the old manuscript reports among
Esthe Ninstitution's records. discovered
Esthe statement. in the first annual
Export written in ISIS by Mrs. Annabella
S Savenscroft Jenkins founder of the
g1nstftution and its president from tho
e day 1t opened until her death in Dccem-
Esher, 1901. that the first patient had
been received IN the original hospital
buihing on Marshall Street on March
&1b. 1877.
5s The women OF tho Retreat board and
4 the members OF tho campaign COM
Is nnittee took the coincidence as good
Il omcn, and the Thursday night dinner
nt campaign headquarters. 1908 Main
& street, took somewhat the aspect
IS oftn birthday party. when the work.
IS Ars on the thirty campaign teams de-
II 1oond on tho business men Of Richmond
YIN force tomorrow morning. they will
i carry with them the slogan, Remember
4 the Retreats Birthday"
I FIRST PATIENT RECEIVED
\ JUST FORTY YEARS AGO
sS yellow packet OF manuscripts Is
one Of the treasures In the Retreat
IS archives. 1t was handled gently, al
,Emost reverently. when brought out for
n reference last week The packet con-
Z tnins the original manuscript, reports
% OF Mrs. Jenkins. tho president and
n founder, for the early years. and the
Ereports give an intimate glimpse Of
s5the struggles OF the little group OF
women who rallied Mrs Jenkinss
4 assistance and formeo he frs, board
W. Annabella Ravenscrott Jenkins was
r the wife of William y. Jenkins, who
s3Swas prominent in Richmond for many
e years. She was Miss Gibson. cousin
y OF the Right Rev. Robert \. Gibson.
y Bishop ot the Episcopal Diocese OF
ssYirGinia. The old Jenkins homestead,
81 theater OF many OF the early confer
ences OF the first Retreat board, has
stood for many years al the corner OF
= Foushee and Man Streets. and is being
s&rorn down this month
S The Retreat was opened originally IN
9 an ed:hce, a, 1878 Marshall Street,
H hrii; BY ths State 81 Virginia for an
Z .~fTIg-y % tie Stat. Medica! Col
) leE.. ard turned over BY the college
3 Faculty 20 Atrs jenkins On condition
}; ii:st Il ae fixed Up as z hospital. open
I 70 ali sufferers, without distinction o,
ersce or creed Later this building was
requires BY the college. and INC present
3 home was acqu:-Ad-:-st the p-ope-;y
rat a07 Twelfth Street, st.l! the main
3 building & The hospital. and number
Il of years later the corner property ad-
q Joining. now the site Q. the nurses
dorm:tory On this corner 10, the first
ground Will De broken Tor ,ha initial
\ unit OF the new hospital once me $3.50
u 600 building fund IS completed. In this
way, one wing Q: the new structure
n can be completed and occupied before
Y the old main building is vacated. elm
! mating the necessity Of closing tho
Il Retreat during rebuilding
MRS. JENKINS TELLS
/ OF FIRST MEETING
1 In her fret report. in 1878. Mrs. Jen-
|; kins tells OF the inception of the enter
1 prise:
I'm October. Of 1876" she writes. ~
was applied TO By an eminent physician
TO found an instituted. witch wa.
4 greatly needed in oat st,y. whcre the
3 sick and afflicted of all classes could
be nursed and provided for The care
4 OF sick people under some such crcum-
stences had been a llfc-dream TO me,
and, without cent tina, tcl, certain
Il a 4
n obtaining the loan OF the building from
ysthe college.
Ss Some ladies upon whom called
became interested and assisted me. fur
3Mu mr. -l~r~ 9. ---