August 25, 2012 11:56PM
At a glance
History of Porter Memorial Hospital
A 155-bed general hospital, built in 1939 and had two enlargements since.
Porter Memorial Hospital opened on December 9, 1939, after the citizens of Porter County voted to approve the construction of a publicly funded hospital to serve the county.
Previous elections in 1924 and 1926 to approve a county appropriation of $100,000 to construct a new hospital failed to garner enough support.
The family of Dr. D.J. Loring provided a $25,000 trust to Porter County on the condition that it was to be used for the construction of a new public hospital. The total cost of construction of the original 48-bed facility was $263,000, which was funded by the Loring funds, county bonds and a federal grant.
In 1891, Loring constructed and operated Porter County’s first hospital, which was located on East Jefferson Street.
The Loring Hospital was later purchased by the National Benevolent Association and the local Christian Church in 1906 and renamed the Christian Hospital. The Christian Hospital ceased to operate in 1939.
Porter Memorial Hospital, after serving nearly 70 years as a public, county-owned hospital, was sold in 2007 to Community Health Systems of Brentwood, Tenn., a for-profit hospital chain.
Source: Steven R. Shook/Indiana GenWeb project
