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"Just Keeping Up With the Jones" 

Home Page for JONES MEMORIAL HOSPITAL INFORMATION & THE JONES FAMILY, as related to Hospital 

(The official website of Jones Memorial Hospital is: http://www.jmhny.org/index.php?home ; Historical information on this page is credited to that website. rt) 

This area is provided to share all the available photos, postcards and information related to the Jones Memorial Hospital as well as the family.

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Above photo researched by Mary Rhodes from archives, David A. Howe Public Library.  Photo dates between 1942 & 1952, as evidenced by the timeline below.  Visible here also is the Lutheran Church (white building at right) on W. Genesee Street.  Everything pictured here is gone including the two position street light! 

History Timeline

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Jones Memorial Hospital began when Gertrude Fassett Jones fulfilled the dream she shared with her late husband, William, and left their home, land, and an endowment to the Village of Wellsville for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a hospital in their memory.  

On the day it was dedicated, July 1, 1921, throngs passed through the refurbished Jones mansion to see the finest hospital in the state to be found in a community the size of Wellsville. Soon after the Hospital opened, the barn on the property was remodeled as a laundry and nurses home.

The first expansion to the Hospital occurred in 1928, when the Tullar Memorial Maternity Annex was built through a generous gift from Mrs. Angie Tullar. The new maternity area was furnished through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. George Rosa. The ten bed maternity annex was attached to the rear of the main building in place of the porch and conservatory and greatly enhanced the space deficiencies of the original hospital.

In 1942, the Harry Bradley family deeded the old Samuel Carpenter property to the village, connecting the Hospital grounds with West Genesee Street. A new home for the nurses was built there, with furnishings provided by members of the Hospital board.  

These buildings stood until 1952, when both the Hospital and the community outgrew the existing structure. After an intense fundraising campaign and tremendous support from the entire community, a modern 75 bed hospital was built around the Jones mansion. Very soon afterwards, the original hospital buildings were torn down. The front parking lot and circle with flagpole were placed where the Jones house had stood facing Main Street.

The Hospital and the community continued to grow and in 1968, a third floor was added to the center of the existing building. A three story west wing was added, adjacent to the Genesee River, and a two story addition was constructed between the existing building and the new wing. All this construction increased the size of the Hospital to 120 beds.

Then came Hurricane Agnes. In 1972, the rain swollen Genesee River overflowed its banks and undermined the new wing. While this did get the Hospital national newspaper headlines, it also caused the collapse of the west wing. No life was lost and much equipment was saved, but the new wing was gone. A two year rebuilding project began right away on the north side of the Hospital to replace those areas affected by the flood, including the Intensive Care Unit, patient care rooms, administration offices, and medical staff areas. It was completed in 1974.  

The Hospital remained a village entity until January 1988, when it divested from the Village of Wellsville and became a private, not for profit hospital.

In 1991, the Hospital broke ground on a 44,000 foot addition on the east side of the building. With the concept of realigning outpatient services in a centralized core area, the new area is now home to the emergency services department, the inpatient and outpatient surgical suites, and the medical imaging department. Also located in this most recent addition are the main entrance, lobby, and the JMH Gift Shop, which is run by the Auxiliary. The project also included renovation of the Hospital dietary and cafeteria facilities within the existing building.  

Our maternity department underwent significant changes in 2002. The new area includes three birthing suites which reflect the LDRP concept (labor delivery recovery postpartum in one room), some with jacuzzi tubs. The Hospital also kicked off a $1.5 million capital campaign to finish the proposed changes to the unit, Eventually, the OB unit will consist of six LDRP rooms, an outpatient assessment area, a new nursery with infant warmers, and an enhanced infant security system.  

 

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"The man is Dr. Francis F. Comstock & the auto belongs to him. He conducted business at 22 West State Street at his home."  Photo submitted by Mary Rhodes; from David A. Howe Public Library Archives.

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1972 Photo by Dick Neal, Photographer.  Shows 2 year old 3-story wing of Hospital before collapse.  From Photo Album of Don MacFarquhar.

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Classic 1972 Photo by Dick Neal, Photographer.  At left, Johnson/Dean Cemetery, Parish Hall & Trinity Lutheran Church, Hospital and the damage to all!  From Photo Album of Don MacFarquhar.