Arkansas Tuberculosis Sanatorium – Booneville

Join PSNWA at Akansas’ largest facility on the National Register of Historic places for a photography only tour of the Arkansas Tuberculous Sanatorium in Booneville. Rachel Silva of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program will be leading a tour and “re-photographic survey” of the facility – using historical postcards dating from the early 1900s. The facility has generously offered to help publicly display images which historically capture the exact vantage point from which the antique images were taken. Our photography only tour of two hours lasts from 8:00AM to 10:00AM, and will be followed by a public walk and historical discussion on the thousands of patients and residents who made “the Hill” thier home. The combined activities conclude at noon.

Tuberculosis was considered incurable until the emergence of the first oral drug in 1952 and quarantine was the only known means to combat the spread of infection. Accordingly the Sanatorium was self-sustaining, housing nearly 300 staff members at the height of its use, and the total population at the Sanatorium was greater than the city of Booneville in the valley below.

This is a meet-up event, starting at the Sanatorium Administration building at 256 Carey Road in Booneville. A small donation is requested of each participant and will be donated by PSNWA to the Sanatorium Historical Museum, which also on the grounds of the facility.

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For historical background on the Sanatorium, read the Arkansas Encyclopedia or the fascinating article from the Arkansas Times, called “The Hill“. After our tour, one may also visit the local library in Bonneville and read Sanatorium bulletins dating back 100 years.

Don’t miss this opportunity to relive Arkansas history and participate in PSNWA’s first re-photographic survey project.