The Homeopathic Hospital, courtesy of the Newburyport Public Library Archival Center
Homeopathic Hospital
The land was originally owned by Joshua Pillsbury, Captain Charles Lunt built a mansion on the Pillsbury Hill and it eventually became the Homeopathic Hospital before it was demolished for a housing development.
The Homeopathic Hospital, courtesy of the Newburyport Public Library Archival Center
Joshua Pillsbury and Captain Charles Lunt
Edward Rawson came to Newbury in 1637. He was only twenty-three years old when he was chosen to be the town clerk, notary public, and registrar for the town of Newbury. In 1650 Rawson was chosen Secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, an office which he held for thirty-six years. When he moved to Boston in 1651 he sold his house and forty acres of land in Newbury to William Pillsbury of Dorchester. The house is now 267 High Street. On the 1851 map, the Pillsbury house and a good portion of the land was still in the family, it belonged to Joshua Pillsbury, who is listed in various censuses as a “farmer.”
In 1864 Joshua Pillsbury sold a large part of that land to Elizabeth Wills, wife of Charles Wills,* and in 1879 Elizabeth Wills sold that land to Captain Charles Lunt.* Lunt was a ship owner and captain, president of one of the local banks and an investor in railroad stock and was of the city’s wealthiest men. He built a mansion on the land in 1882 and lived there until his death in 1896.^* He also built the granite wall with the stately pillars at the driveway entrance on High Street at the corner of Rawson Avenue, which still exist today.**
City and harbor of Newburyport, Mass. as seen from Pillsbury’s hill (taken from the cupola in Captain Lunt’s home), The Snow Collection, The Museum of Old Newbury
Massachusetts State Atlas 1909, Walker Lithograph & Publishing Company
The Charles H. Lunt (one of the ships owned by Captain Lunt), The Snow Collection, The Museum of Old Newbury
The Homeopathic Hospital, courtesy of the Newburyport Public Library Archival Center
The Homeopathic Hospital
The Homeopathic Hospital Association of Newburyport purchased the former estate of Captain Lunt in 1903. The property included the large, three-story brick house, a large barn also of brick and small outbuildings on more than six acres of land. On May 28, 1906, the Homeopathic Hospital opened, after a period of planning and fundraising and renovating the house to fit their needs.**
In 1910, an addition was built to the rear of the hospital to allow for an increase in patient capacity. The large brick barn was used for maintenance and storage purposes. In the years following World War II, the small hospital’s business began to decline and on May 21, 1957, it was announced that the facility would be closing. Later that year it merged with the Anna Jaques Hospital.**
Anna Jaques Hospital sold the property in 1959 to Emery P. Todd, a builder, and David Checkoway, a realtor. They demolished the house and the surrounding building and created what was called a “first class residential development named Rawson Hill.”
Memories from the Newburyport History Buffs
“My great grandfather from Ireland was the gardener/caretaker for Capt. Charles Lunt, and my grandmother was born in the house long before it was the homeopathic hospital.”
“I had Dr. Johnson. I loved that man he was the best doctor, he of course did house calls, when I was sick I remember him coming to the house to check on me. He was my doctor until he retired.”
“I too was born there! Grew up in the neighborhood right next to the property and played on the hospital grounds.”
“My grandfather, Dr. Arthur Hewett, delivered many babies and helped many people get well at this hospital.”
“When I was kid play in the yard where house was and found sea shells on the old road to house.”
Footnotes and References
* Salem Deeds
**Joe Callahan, Newburyport Daily News, May 17, 2010
^* The Newburyport Daily News, March 9, 1896
Check Out The Interactive History Map
More information about Newburyport and its history can be found on the interactive history map, “Newburyport – Keeping the Story Alive.”
Solve The Homeopathic Hospital Puzzle
Press the icon to play the puzzle on a full screen or tap here to expand the image.