Over the next few weeks, in honor of National Woman’s Month, Milford Times will feature the women who built Milford. The first in the series is Mary Louise Donnell Marshall who led the efforts to bring a hospital to Milford.
Mary Louise Donnell was born on March 14, 1853, the daughter of Andrew and Rosa Mathewson Donnell. Her brother, Samuel Matthewson Donnell was born in 1849; her sister Susan in 1856 and her sister Sarah Alice in 1861. Her brother, Samuel, became mayor of Newark.
While living in Dover, she met a student at Delaware College, Dr. William Marshall. In 1878, the couple wed, and they had three children. William Marshall Jr. was born in 1880; Chester Marshall was born in 1882; and Samuel Mathewson Donnell Marshall in 1884.
The Marshall family was prominent in Milford and Mary Louise was known for her desire to help others. She was active in the Delaware Chapter of the American Red Cross, serving as a member of the executive committee. During World War II, she organized and directed units for making sweaters, bandages and other necessities. Mary Louise was one of the pioneers in the fight against tuberculosis, helping to create the first Anti-Tuberculosis Society in lower Delaware.
In addition, Mary Louise was an active member of the New Century Club in Milford and was often mentioned in the society pages of local newspapers. However, it was not her volunteer service she is most remembered for in Milford.
Two of her sons, William “Wid,” and Samuel, became doctors. Dr. Wid practiced for 66 years, and his brother became known as a specialist in the treatment of eye, ear, nose and throat diseases. Before the turn of the century, there were no hospitals in Milford. Most illnesses were cared for in the home although there were women in town who had gained a reputation as nurses. In most cases, births, illnesses and deaths were left to the care of family members.
If a person was severely ill, they may be sent to a hospital in Wilmington for treatment, but the trip was long and arduous. Mary Louise began to recognize the need for a hospital in Milford. In her husband’s practice as a doctor, she saw firsthand how having a hospital in town would be beneficial.
In 1905, while visiting her son, William, during his internship at the Delaware Hospital in Wilmington, Mary Louise realized that it was time to bring a hospital to Milford. She spearheaded a campaign to bring hospital equipment to the town, creating the initial hospital auxiliary. By 1907, equipment had been purchased.
The first hospital was located in the ballroom on the top floor of the Central Hotel on Northwest Front Street. Because most patients could not afford to pay for services at the hospital, sufficient financial support was necessary. At the beginning, many doctors and nurses provided services free of charge, reducing financial problems, but the hospital still struggled. Mary Louise also realized that recruiting trained nursing staff was a problem.
In 1910, the hospital was moved to the second floor of the Masonic Building on Northwest Front Street until Dr. Wid purchased a home at 110 Northwest Front Street specifically for the new hospital. The hospital was incorporated in 1918 but was unable to function due to a lack of funds. In 1923, the hospital reopened in what has become known as the Banking House at 112 Northwest Front Street thanks to funds provided by the American Red Cross, likely at the urging of one of their charter members, Mary Louise, the State of Delaware and public donations.
Known then as the Marshall Hospital or the Milford Emergency Hospital, the facility served Milford well for about a decade until the growth of the town led to a consistent shortage of beds. The hospital closed in 1935, and a financial drive undertaken by Dr. G. Layton Grier. This effort led to the construction of Milford Memorial Hospital in 1938.
Mary Louise passed away on April 27, 1933, at the age of 80. According to her obituary, she had been ill for “several weeks.” In addition to her sons, she was survived by her grandchildren Donald, Samuel and Barbara, as well as a sister, Sarah Drennan.
Her legacy, however, lives on. In 2019, Milford Memorial Hospital moved to southeast Milford and was renamed Bayhealth Sussex Campus. Mary Louise is still recognized as the founder of the hospital and paintings of her, along with her two sons are proudly displayed on the campus.
