In 1894, a local play was organized by the Pastors’ Union to raise seed money for the construction of a city hospital. The people of Lima wanted not just any hospital, but a facility that would make Lima the center of quality medical care for miles around. Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lynn Carpenter told us that play raised $372.82. The effort to establish a hospital continued and on January 15, 1899, Lima Memorial's Board of Trustees appointed a board of 20 "Lady Managers," which later became known as the Lima Memorial Auxiliary. They began to meet three times a month to continue fundraising efforts. On April 1, the Lima City Hospital opened at the corner of East Market and Scott Streets, the present site of Lima Senior High School. The new facility provided 13 beds: $7 per week for a non-private room and $10 per week for a private room. In 1930, Lima City Hospital purchased land to build a new hospital at the current location in the 1001 block of Bellefontaine Avenue. On May 25, 1933, Lima City Hospital officially closed to new patients, and the new hospital opened on Memorial Day. Named Lima Memorial Hospital in honor of Allen County residents who served in the armed forces, the new facility was five stories tall. Lima Memorial has seen tremendous growth over the past 125 years and now includes an emergency & trauma center, heart & vascular institute, walk-in care centers, a new ICU, the Medical Park, and many other projects.
