Commitment To Our Community For 100 years, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System has worked hand-in-hand with a growing region. Celebrate with us Soybeans still grew out front of Spartanburg General Hospital the day it opened on August 29, 1921. From those first patients to the millions who have been served since, that general hospital has grown more than anyone could have envisioned in 1921. Today, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System employs thousands of people who follow in the footsteps of those first caregivers. They work tirelessly, day in and day out, to welcome newborns, to repair hearts, to fight cancer, to build strength. To comfort and to heal. This is the story of our first 100 years. Spartanburg Regional: 5 facts about 100 years For 100 years, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System has served communities throughout the Upstate and beyond. A century of excellence – that’s a lot of history. Here’s a few things to know. Read the story Through the years Explore Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System's history through this interactive timeline. Among Spartanburg General's supporters was Dr. Hugh Black. FEBRUARY 17, 1917 In response to lobbying efforts by residents and members of the medical community in Spartanburg, the South Carolina Legislature authorizes Spartanburg County to borrow money and levy taxes to support the construction of a hospital. TimelineJS In response to lobbying efforts by residents and members of the medical community in Spartanburg, the South Carolina Legislature authorizes Spartanburg County to borrow money and levy taxes to support the construction of a hospital. Spartanburg architect J. Frank Collins completes the plans for Spartanburg General. Ground is broken on the site. Wallace Thomson Hospital opens in Union. It would later become known as Union Medical Center when the system acquires it in 2015. The four-story, 75-bed Spartanburg General Hospital opens on Church Street on Aug. 29. The first patient is William G. Hyatt, who was admitted by local healthcare pioneer Dr. Hugh Black. Dr. Black also performs the hospital’s first surgery – on his son, Paul. The Nurses’ Residence opens next to the hospital. It houses staff nurses and students at the Spartanburg General Hospital School of Nursing. Mary Black Hospital opens at its original location on East Main Street. A registered dietitian is employed. At right: Three nurses play in the snow in the 1920s. The grounds of the hospital are used for farming vegetables and cotton. The hospital even includes a greenhouse. At right: A group of doctors gather for a portrait in the 1920s. An electric refrigerating system is installed, reducing the ice bill and eliminating waste from spoiled eggs, milk and produce. At right: A bedroom in the nurses' residence, circa 1920s. The stock market crashes, ushering in the beginning of the Great Depression. Spartanburg General remains open even as 700 hospitals nationwide close. Two nurses are assigned to a room for newborns, beginning Spartanburg General’s premature nursery. The east annex of Spartanburg General Hospital is completed and begins serving the county’s African American community. Dr. John Fleming opens a cancer clinic at Spartanburg General Hospital, one of the oldest American College of Surgeons (ACOS) Commission on Cancer-approved cancer programs in the nation. The nurses’ residence is expanded to include a new library, a classroom, laboratories and an office for the School of Nursing. A wing added to the south end of the hospital contains 63 private rooms, a new surgical suite, kitchen, laundry and central heating plant. 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1893 1896 1899 1903 1906 1909 1913 1916 1919 1923 1926 1929 1933 1936 1939 1943 Through the decades Watch Spartanburg Regional’s history unfold through this video series. A Century of Excellence Watch the entire centennial film, "Commitment To Our Community." 1920s and 1930s As long as Spartanburg General Hospital has existed, it has trained nurses ... 1940s and 1950s "Many members of the medical and nursing staff are now, or will soon be, serving in the armed forces ..." 1960s and 1970s "The 1960s were an era of change for our country, and health care was no exception ..." 1980s "We were the first in the Carolinas to bring prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of heart diseases under one roof." 1990s "It took off like nothing I ever dreamed." Name changes, the forming of a Foundation, the launch of a major cancer center and so much more. 2000s and beyond After a period of exponential growth, the system began to look to the future as it solidified its role as the Upstate's healthcare leader. © 2021 Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy