Dr. Samuel Hiatt Burnside, Mary Margaret Grice Burnside
Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Kentucky native Samuel H. Burnside, an 1882 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, opened a medical practice in Wichita Falls in 1883. Mary Margaret Grice, a native of Philadelphia, moved to Wichita Falls in 1885 at the invitation of her uncle, George Fox, and was treated for tuberculosis by Dr. Burnside. A romance ensued, and the two were married in 1887. Mary purchased land on Seventh Street where the couple built a large home, which also housed the doctor's office. Dr. Burnside built a hospital, the Wichita Falls Sanitarium, next door to the house in 1907. Well respected in medical circles, Dr. Burnside was a renowned physician who also served as chief surgeon for two railroad companies and medical examiner for twenty-four insurance companies. He performed innovative surgeries and often treated Comanche Indians from the nearby reservations in Oklahoma. Mary Burnside was a leader in local and state civic organizations, including the daughters of the American Revolution and the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs. Both Dr. and Mrs. Burnside were active in the First Presbyterian Church. They were the parents of five children, two of whom lived to adulthood. (1994)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Kentucky-born physician Samuel Burnside opened his practice in Wichita Falls in 1883, and it was as his tuberculosis patient that Philadelphia native Mary Margaret Grice met him — a courtship that led to marriage in 1887. Mary bought the Seventh Street land where they built a home and the doctor's office, and Burnside added the Wichita Falls Sanitarium next door in 1907. A respected surgeon who served railroads and treated Comanche patients, he practiced alongside Mary's leadership in the DAR and women's clubs.
Why it matters
The Burnsides embody how frontier doctors and civic-minded women together built the medical and social institutions of a growing Texas town.
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Related people
- · Samuel Hiatt Burnside
- · Mary Margaret Grice Burnside
Themes & tags
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