Cresson Tuberculosis Sanatorium
Cresson Township, Cambria County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Pennsylvania's anti-tuberculosis campaign, led by Dept. of Health Commissioner S. G. Dixon, included three state-run sanatoria. Est. 1913, Cresson was a model for the nation. It was first to be racially integrated, run a school of nursing, and offer an elementary school. Its high elevation was considered beneficial for providing therapeutic fresh air to patients. Built on land donated by Andrew Carnegie, 40,000 patients were treated from 1913 to 1964.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In the early twentieth century tuberculosis was a leading killer, and Pennsylvania fought back with a network of state sanatoria where fresh air, rest, and good food were the main treatments. Opened in 1913 on mountain land donated by Andrew Carnegie and guided by health commissioner S. G. Dixon, Cresson became a national model. It was notable for being racially integrated and for running its own nursing school and elementary school, treating some 40,000 patients before it closed in 1964.
Why it matters
Cresson shows how the Progressive Era mobilized public health as a civic mission, and its integrated wards stood as a quiet exception in an age of widespread segregation.
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Related people
- · S. G. Dixon
- · Andrew Carnegie
Themes & tags
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