Did
you know that Whittemore once had its own hospital? When I was doing research on hospitals in
Algona, I came across an article mentioning a hospital there and made up my
mind that someday I was going to dig a little deeper. I have discovered that it all came about
because of well-loved physician J. W. McCreery.
 |
| From "Whittemore, Iowa 100 Years 1878-1978" |
John
W. McCreery was born near Dana, Iowa in 1877 to Scotch-Irish parents. While still a young boy his family moved to
Churdan where he grew up. He received
his medical degree from Drake University in 1898. That same year he married Elizabeth Chalus
who was described as a “petite French beauty” from Clare, Iowa. He practiced medicine in Pioneer for one year
before moving to Whittemore in 1900. It
would be his home for the next 49 years.
 |
| Whittemore Champion December 7, 1906 |
A
doctor had to be prepared for almost anything.
On call 24 hours a day, he often delivered babies by the light of a
kerosene lamp and performed surgeries such as appendectomies and
tonsillectomies in his office or the homes of patients. Winter travel could be
harrowing and was often by sleigh or bobsled.
Dr. McCreery covered a territory that extended in a ten mile radius
around Whittemore. He often saw patients
in Fenton, Lotts Creek and Fairville. In
1911 he purchased a Model T to replace the horse and buggy which made his
traveling much easier.
On
November 16, 1901, the McCreerys welcomed a daughter, Ruth Aileen, into the
world. Ruth grew to be a happy and
cheerful child with a ready smile. The summer following her fifth birthday, she
contracted measles from which it seemed she could not recover. Despite the best medical care obtainable, she
died from tubercular meningitis on August 9, 1907. Shortly thereafter, the McCreerys moved to
another house. The memories of the home
where Ruth had grown up must have been too much to bear. This would not end up being their last move.
In
1912, the residence of Thomas Carmody came on the market. Carmody was a cashier for the Whittemore
State Bank and active in the community.
This spacious dwelling was built in 1901 at a cost of $2,000. It was teasingly referred to as the “Blarney
Castle” due to its size. The elegant
home contained all the most modern conveniences including steam heat and gas
lights. Located at the corner of Broad
and Third Street in Whittemore, it was within very easy walking distance of Dr.
McCreery’s office.
 |
| The Carmody/McCreery house in 2018 |
By
this time the McCreerys had added another daughter to their family. Born in August of 1911, Catherine brought new
joy to the couple. Their house was once
again filled with the sounds of growing, happy little girl.
To
help care for Catherine and the large home, the McCreerys employed area girls
as domestics. The Roeber family had come
to Whittemore from Germany. One of their
daughters, Anna, came to live with the McCreerys as a housekeeper. At around 6 a.m. on Sunday, June 20, 1915,
Anna rose and began to start a fire in the kitchen stove. Mrs. McCreery and young Catherine were out of
town and Dr. McCreery was asleep upstairs.
Anna was using kerosene to start the fire. When the fire flared, flames caused the can
to explode suddenly, scattering blazing oil over the girl’s clothing and the
kitchen around her.
Anna
ran from the home with her clothing ablaze and down the street, apparently
headed to her own home. A neighbor saw
her, grabbed a horse blanket and smothered the flames, but not before she
incurred horrible burns. Meanwhile, Dr.
McCreery, hearing the commotion downstairs, hurriedly dressed and ran
downstairs to find the kitchen on fire and Anna nowhere to be found. Paying no heed to the fire, he ran from the
house to find her. The firemen were
called once Anna had been found. Dr.
Cretzmeyer was called from Algona to assist McCreery in ministering to the
patient whose pain and suffering was intense.
There was little they could do due to the severity of her wounds and she
died shortly after three o’clock that afternoon.
 |
| Headline from Kossuth County Advance June 23, 1915 |
Sadness
once again filled the McCreery household.
They considered the young woman a member of their own family and her
loss from an accident that occurred in their home was devastating. As for their house, damage had been contained
to the kitchen. Although the entire room
was charred, it was theorized that it did not spread to other areas of the
house because with all the windows and doors shut there was little or no
draft. Dr. and Mrs. McCreery remained
close to the Roeber family and another daughter, Emma, would work for them for
over 40 years.
It
was the next year that Dr. McCreery decided to build an office with a garage on
the lot adjacent to his house on the west.
By 1917 he realized that there was a true need for hospital beds in the
community and so he converted the garage to a 3-bed hospital. Nurse Ella Burke was placed in charge of the
facility. He installed the latest
equipment including an x-ray machine.
The newspapers are filled with articles of patients who spent time in
McCreery’s hospital. There was seldom a
time when the beds were not occupied.
 |
| The McCreery office/hospital in 2018 |
The
most difficult years of the physician’s practice were 1918 to 1920 during the
flu epidemic which swept across the nation.
McCreery later recalled that he often went 24 hours without meals and 36
without sleep in order to care for his patients.
Dr.
McCreery was known to be utterly honest.
If he felt he could not help a patient he quickly referred them to a
specialist. A physician from Mayo Clinic
stated that they had never known the doctor to make an error in diagnosis of a
patient. Quite a recognition for a small
town doctor.
Once
again tragedy visited the McCreery home.
In November of 1924 Catherine became ill with gastro-enteritis, also
known as intestinal flu. Despite the
care and consultation of many area physicians, she died at the age of 13. Her obituary stated, “No death ever upset this community in such a manner as did the death of
this estimable child. She had a very
keen insight into what was right and wrong and always to be found in the
right. There was not a selfish thing
about the girl, in fact, she was generous to a fault. She always wanted to do something for those
who were in need. She was very fond of
little children and usually had a few of them around her wherever she happened
to be, in her home, on the street, at school.”
On
the morning of her funeral, her classmates at the Presentation Academy marched
to her home and accompanied the body to the church. Other pupils lined the three blocks from her
home to the church. Following services
at St. Michael’s church, Catherine was buried next to her sister Ruth at the
parish cemetery. It must have been particularly
heartbreaking for the doctor who saved so many others but was unable to save
his own daughter.
The
good doctor was known for his generosity.
He did little to collect what he was owed by widows or young couples
with money troubles. It was estimated
that he had over $40,000 on the books during the years of the Great Depression,
most of which was forgiven and forgotten.
He had a special love for children.
Every child who left his office received a nickel to buy an ice cream
cone.
As
years passed, Dr. McCreery’s own health began to fail. Diabetes and heart disease took their
toll. In 1944 he suffered a heart
attack. His recovery took four months
after which he returned to answering calls any time of the day or night. His dedication to the community did not go
unnoticed.
 |
| Whittemore Champion September 25, 1946 |
In
1948 a celebration of his 50 years was hosted by the Whittemore Community
Club. Over a thousand friends and
patients turned out to reminisce and congratulate the doctor. The highlight of the evening was the presentation
of a new Buick automobile to him. During
his comments, he stated that he felt as though he could continue practicing
another 50 years.
McCreery
kept the same pace with office hours from 8 to 6. He continued to deliver babies and was on call
24/7. On Tuesday, February 1, 1949, even
though he himself was not feeling well, he kept all his appointments and saw
all patients who needed his attention.
The following day his own illness forced him to remain in bed. His faithful nurse, Ella Burke, who had
worked for him for over 30 years stopped in to see him. He sent her to the office for some
medicine. As she approached his bedroom
on her way back she heard him breathing heavily and then entered the suddenly
quiet room. Dr. McCreery had breathed
his last.
His
funeral service was held the following Saturday morning with four priests
presiding. A huge crowd attended with the
overflow mourners being seated in the Presentation Academy hall.
Dr.
McCreery was the last resident physician for the town of Whittemore. The hospital closed along with his
office. His wife continued to live in
their large home with Emma Roeber as her housekeeper. Mrs. McCreery quietly
passed away on April 23, 1956 after suffering a stroke.
The
good doctor left quite a legacy behind.
He delivered over 5,000 babies during his career and lost only five
mothers in childbirth. He was a member
of the Knights of Columbus, a director of the Whittemore State Bank and served
as a city councilman. He was also a
staunch supporter of the new St. Ann’s Hospital which he did live to see
completed.
His
obituary contained the following tribute: “Those
who profess to know say that no man is irreplaceable. They are so wrong. No one will ever replace Doctor McCreery in
the affections of the people of this community, nor will a finer physician and
friend ever be found in a country doctor.”
Until
next time,
Kossuth
County History Buff
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