Paul Carnahan
Three general hospitals were operated in Vermont by the Army during the Civil War to provide care to wounded Vermonters away from the battle lines. One was the Sloan U.S. Hospital on the high plateau to the east side of Montpelier. The medical notebook of Henry Janes, the Waterbury physician in charge of the hospital, contains this historic photograph. After the Civil War the property was purchased by the Vermont Conference Methodist Seminary and Female College. The school removed the hospital buildings and built a seminary campus in their place.
The modern photo, taken from a drone, recreates the same scene today. There is one small house on the far side of the green at 110 East State Street that is in both photographs. The small wood frame building at the far right of the modern picture, partially hidden by the square modern building, is an old hospital building, although it was moved to this location in 1941.
To see larger versions of these photographs go to digitalvermont.org/items/show/4322 and click on the images.
