Dr. H.H. Milling
Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Georgia native Hugh Hartwell Milliing (1894-1984) was the son of Roscoe G. Milling, who practiced several areas of experimental medicine. He trained his son in these methods, which included magnetic treatment and the “Milling method of masseuring.” The younger Milling married Lillian Abell in 1916 and the couple moved to Mineral Wells the following year, where he purchased an existing sanitarium and began a thriving practice. He soon built a larger facility, and in 1929 constructed a final one at what is now the intersection of S.E. 23rd St. and Millsap Rd. In 1933 Milling donated property for a park named in his honor (later Pollard Park). In 1948 he sold his sanitarium to Dr. C.W. Irvine and moved his practice to Grand Prairie.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Hugh Hartwell Milling learned experimental medicine—including magnetic treatment and a "masseuring" method—from his physician father before moving to Mineral Wells in 1917 to buy an existing sanitarium. His practice thrived amid the town's fame as a mineral-water health resort, and he built ever-larger facilities, culminating in a 1929 building; in 1933 he donated land for a park that still bears a local name. He sold the sanitarium in 1948 and relocated his practice to Grand Prairie.
Why it matters
Milling's sanitarium reflects the early-twentieth-century boom in Mineral Wells and other American "health resort" towns, where mineral springs and unproven cures drew crowds seeking wellness.
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Related people
- · Hugh Hartwell Milling
- · Roscoe G. Milling
- · Lillian Abell Milling
Themes & tags
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