FLORENCE YESTERYEARS: 50 years ago
OCTOBER 16, 1952
The new St. Luke Hospital in Marion will be officially opened Saturday, Oct. 18, and will be ready to receive patients Monday, Oct. 20. The hospital has been completed at a cost of approximately $450,000. At the ceremony Saturday, the hospital will officially be turned over to the Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood who will operate it. All county medical doctors probably will be members of the staff.
A letter was received this week calling attention to the fact that the Harvey House in Florence was not closed until 1901. The original Clifton Hotel was first established on April 1, 1876, by Mr. Ben Putman. He sold it to J.A. Pike and company on June 14 of the same year. Pike and company, in turn, sold out to Fred Harvey on Jan.1, 1878. The first Fred Harvey manager was Mr. M. Fisher of Leavenworth, Kansas. He was succeeded by Mr. William H. Philips who apparently named the hotel the Clifton Hotel. The letter stated that when the Harvey House was sold in 1901 it was cut up and sold to several people for houses. Bob Britton, Jack Frantz, Mr. Stinson, and Andy Price each got parts of the building.
