I recently found a historic pamphlet that I had heard about a while ago and always wanted: Centennial 1842 1942, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Racine, Wisconsin. This pamphlet has some excellent written history and also many photographs.
Dr. Meachem Sr.’s son, John Jr., was born in New York on June 10, 1846. He moved to Racine with his parents when he was 16 years old. He graduated from Rush Medical College two years later, again the youngest member of the class.
John Jr. was especially interested in obstetrics and was considered one of the best physicians in Racine.
When his father began the push for St. Luke’s Hospital in 1871, John Jr. jumped on the bandwagon. It was his responsibility to find a building for the hospital. He found a double house on Park Avenue and Tenth Street, which the hospital rented for $200 a year.
He served 12 years as president of the Racine Board of Health. He initiated the installation of the city’s first sewers and artesian wells, after studying the lax sanitation and polluted streets.
He married Eliza Smith in December 1870. They had two children, John III and Florence Eliza, who died at the age of 6.
The second Dr. Meachem served Racine for more than 70 years, quitting his practice only when he lost his sight near the end of his life. He died in 1942 at the age of 96.
I had never heard about a fire engine house, though. I heard about a stable on 7th Street.
