A Brief Look Back

Bishop Hill is the site of a Swedish communal society established in 1846. The first Swedish immigrants had to endure harsh conditions: lack of food, inadequate shelter and crowded and unsanitary living conditions. One-fourth of the colonists died during the first winter (96 of 400). It became apparent that proper medical care was needed to tend to the sick (although the colony leader, Eric Janson “insisted that people became sick because they lacked faith ”). So a hospital building that served as a first aid station and dispensary was one of the first frame buildings erected by the colonists in 1848. It also served as their spinning and weaving center. Dr. Blomberg was in charge of the original hospital facility.

In 1855, a dedicated hospital building was erected at the current site on Olson Street, just one block west of the Colony Park. It overlooked the colony orchards and tannery located to the west of the property. The Colony Hospital is a 2½ story wood structure built in the Greek Revival architectural style.

The interior of the hospital was designed to facilitate the medical practices of the period: isolation, fresh air and herbal medicine. There were 8 single-access rooms that were used for isolation of patients and 2 large west-facing porticos to provide fresh air. There was also a barrel-roofed medical cellar located under the southwest wing of the building that was used to store the herbs and other perishables. A picture of the medicine vault now hangs in the front hall. The nurses’ quarters were located on the third floor. The hospital was run under the supervision of Dr. Olof Nordstrom.

The existence of a hospital this large on the Illinois prairie was a testament to the medical hardships that the early colonists struggled through and also to the prosperity that the colony had achieved. It served colonists and noncolonists alike and was also used to house Union soldiers during the Civil War. The Hospital remained in service after the breakup of the colony and until the death of Dr. Nordstrom in 1868. It was divided among the former colony members at that time.

Dr. Vannice was the third doctor that practiced medicine in Bishop Hill during the latter part of the 19th century and during the early years of the 20th century. He traveled by horse and buggy in all kinds of weather at all hours of the day or night to his patients that needed him in Bishop Hill and the surrounding area. He also served as a dentist. Dr. Vannice was of Dutch descent and was greatly cared for by his patients, especially the children.