A Legacy in Ruins

The Fall of Saint Margaret’s Hospital in Hammond

Demolition of former historic St. Margaret Hospital, Hammond, Indiana — Picture by JC Elizabeth

In 1898, three Sisters of Saint Francis Saraph arrived by train and met with Fr. H. M. Plaster, a pastor of Saint Joseph’s Church on Hohman Avenue, Hammond, Indiana. Fr. Plaster, who it is said had a “deep love and concern for the ill,” had invited the sisters because it was his dream to open a hospital in Hammond. The sisters bought a 2-story farmhouse on Clinton Street, which had 7 rooms, and officially opened Saint Margaret’s Hospital. Early operations took place on the kitchen table, and the first patient was admitted for a broken leg on February 3, 1898. In 1901, a new Saint Margaret’s hospital was built as a 4-story brick building, and a second building was added in 1908. As time went on, the hospital grew and expanded, serving the people on both sides of the state line and the surrounding areas.

Almost 2 years to the day since Saint Margaret Hospital in downtown Hammond closed its doors, only a partial structure of what once was remains. The 800,000-square-foot, 226-bed, 126-year-old hospital is, sadly, almost gone. I have worked in the Whiting/Hammond area for the last 3 years, driving past the hospital twice a day, and, for me, it is such a sad scene. Closing the doors in the first place and then letting it sit there empty for 2 years, I often thought to myself, if you’re going to tear it down…