Before the 1954 construction of Crosby Memorial Hospital on Goodyear Boulevard, Picayune residents were born and treated for medical conditions at Martin Sanatorium.
This year, Picayune Main Street is paying homage to the former facility with their newest 2015 Christmas collectible ornament.
Martin Sanatorium was founded in the early 1920s by Dr. John Van Buren Martin, historian John Hawkins Napier III said. It was located on West Canal Street and served as forerunner to the Crosby Hospital, he said.
“A lot of people were born, healed and died there,” Napier said. “Doctors also performed general surgeries there.”
According to documentation in the “Laws of the State of Mississippi,” the legislature designated $4,000 for the maintenance of a charity ward in Martin Sanatorium in 1922.
Of that sum, $2,000 was designated for 1922 and the remaining $2,000 for 1923, Senate Bill No. 297 states. The ward could not contain less than 10 beds.
The hospital closed in the 1950s, Napier said.
The site was home to Hancock Bank until 2012, and is presently the home of Mississippi Power’s customer service center, according to Picayune Main Street.
Last year, Main Street paid homage to Cruisin the Boulevard, which was made popular in the 1960s when young adults drove up and down Goodyear Boulevard.
The 2015 collectible ornament is available for purchase at Glass Porch, located at 335 West Canal Street, and Bre’s Clothing and Accessories, located at 113 West Canal Street, MeLinda’s Fine Gifts, located at 1 Sycamore Road, Barze´Antiques and Collectibles, located at 213 Highway South and Picayune Main Street Office, located at 200 Highway 11 South.
The cost of an ornament is $15. For more information, contact staff at Picayune Main Street at 601-799-3070.