Providence St. Mary Medical Center History

Providence St Mary dates back to 1864, when Mother Joseph and Sr. Catherine, the first Sisters of Providence, opened up the St. Vincent Academy in Walla Walla to train the young and treat the wounded.  The need for the hospital in the community was great, and grew larger as the town itself did the same, and so on January 27, 1880, the first dedicated St Mary Hospital building opened its doors to the thousands of citizens of Walla Walla.

The story of St Mary over the next few decades is one of service and expansion, with the development of a dedicated on-site Nursing School in 1907 and the onrush of new patients working on the Northern Pacific Railroad at the turn of the Century.  The Sisters of Providence experienced many hardships, both logistical and financial, but persevered through community support and a commitment to work.  From uniform bedding and equipment to onsite vegetable gardens, St. Mary’s was a true community treasure.

After 35 years of service, tragedy struck the St. Mary’s building as a fire swept through the wooden structure, eventually burning it to the ground.  The staff was brave and professional throughout the ordeal, with doctors finishing a delicate surgery as fires raged through the building, and the Chaplian rushing to save the Sacred Sacrament on the top floor before flinging it and himself from a window to safety.

Within 12 days of the tragedy, the doctors and nurses were back to work, operating out of abandoned buildings in Ft. Walla Walla.  It took just over a year for the new St. Mary’s building to be built, this time out of stone and brick and five-stories high, and on October 8 1916 the doors opened on the building that would serve the community for over five decades while withstanding floods, storms, and a dozen more fires throughout its life.

By the 70’s, it was becoming clear once more that the need of the community was outgrowing the space of the building, and in 1971 a community drive began to raise funds for the next St. Mary’s.  March 26, 1976, the new St. Mary’s Community Hospital (now named Providence St. Mary Medical Center in honor of the Sisters of Providence) was opened, which still serves the Walla Walla community to this day.  It held 142 beds, and was completely state of the art in hospital design and implementation.  Since then, it has expanded many times, in size and technology, but its core mission of saving lives and serving the community is as strong a drive now as it was in 1864.