As I was reading the current edition of The News-Gazette this passed Wednesday, I reflected on the fact that these stories will one day be collected, bound, and become history. What is happening now will become our past. How incredibly important it is for the news and events to be written and published so that years later we can look back, like we do now, to see what life was like long ago and see how far we've come. We can see how our community has evolved by searching the newspaper archives. We have reporting that dates back to the 1800s. We wouldn't have that if we didn't have newspapers.
So this week, I wanted to find something that made history in our community that is still relevant today: the opening of the new hospital in Lexington. This was such a major addition to our community, and surrounding communities, that the January 21st edition of the Rockbridge County News in 1954 was basically just reporting about the hospital! The entire issue talks about the facilities, the staff, the journey to opening, and the future of the previous hospital - The Jackson House.
The photo after the front page is from 1950, when the plans for the new hospital were proposed. After that, the page of the 1954 issue has the final, official layout for the hospital.
You will notice that there are also very few ads in the paper. That's because there were so many congratulations and well-wishes from local businesses. It shows how much support the new hospital had from the community.
Bonus content: If you read the interview this week with Gay Lea Goodbar, you'll see why there is a ad for Leggett's from the next week included in this week's flashback.
