When a small but savvy group of Doylestown women decided it was time to address some of the borough’s health concerns a century ago, they became a force to be reckoned with.
Beginning Sept. 29, the public is invited to discover the “The Dusty Road to Doylestown Hospital: The Early Years of the Village Improvement Association” when the new exhibit opens at Doylestown’s Mercer Museum.
“In this exhibition, visitors will learn more about well-educated, cultured and politically astute Doylestown women who sought to make a difference, finding a meaningful outlet for their leadership and organizational skills at a time when such abilities among women often went unrecognized,” said the museum, in a statement.
When the women of the VIA’s request for a water truck to calm the town’s dusty streets was ignored, they hired one themselves. Then they brought in a visiting nurse to visit the community’s sick, according to VIA history.
After the Spanish Flu of 1918 swept the country, it was the VIA that created the initial eight-bed hospital in 1923, said author Anne Biggs, who wrote “Through Their Eyes,” a history of the hospital’s first 75 years.
With its goal to better the community’s health and welfare, the VIA’s humble beginnings 100 years ago has grown to become what’s believed to be the country’s only wholly, women-owned health system.
The exhibition, which runs through Dec. 31, is being presented in partnership with the VIA and the Bucks County Historical Society to celebrate the centennial anniversary of Doylestown’s first hospital.
The Mercer Museum is located at 84 S. Pine St. in Doylestown. It is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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