Sprott Hospital
Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1944, African American physicians and brothers Dr. Edward D. Sprott, Jr. and Dr. Curtis B. Sprott founded Sprott Hospital in order to provide quality care for Black patients of Beaumont often denied care in other local hospitals due to Jim Crow era laws. Their brother, Dr. Maxie Sprott, joined them in 1955. The doctors, along with other family members, lived nearby. The hospital provided a wide variety of care including laboratory and X-ray services, and obstetric and pediatric care, along with minor surgery and urgent care. In 1951, the hospital was accepted as a member of the Texas Hospital Association per the American Medical Association's requirements. In order to promote careers in the medical field, the hospital offered nursing courses and training. Located in the Cartwright Addition in southwest Beaumont, construction on the hospital began on June 19, 1944. The one-story rectangular plan building was designed by local architect Wallace B. Livesay and erected by contractor H.B. Neild for a cost of $25,900. It opened on October 1, 1944. Originally a flat-roofed building of brick with a wide stuccoed frieze band, the hospital features a central entrance along with twenty single and paired windows spaced across the facade. Today, the brick has been stuccoed, a gabled roof added, and the double entry doors have been replaced with a single glass door with narrow sidelights. As discrimination in healthcare diminished, the need for segregated hospitals and clinics like Sprott Hospital decreased. The facility transitioned in 1969 to housing Dr. Maxie Sprott's private medical practice. The site has continued to serve the community as a healthcare facility. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2023
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1944, at the height of the Jim Crow era, African American brothers Dr. Edward D. Sprott, Jr. and Dr. Curtis B. Sprott opened this Beaumont hospital so that Black patients turned away from segregated facilities could receive real medical care. A third brother, Dr. Maxie Sprott, joined in 1955, and the small brick building offered everything from X-rays and obstetrics to nurse training. As legal segregation in healthcare receded, the need for such institutions faded, and by 1969 the site had become Dr. Maxie Sprott's private practice — yet it has served the community's health ever since.
Why it matters
Sprott Hospital is a tangible reminder that Black communities built their own parallel institutions to survive and thrive under segregation, and that quality care for all was won locally, doctor by doctor.
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Related people
- · Edward D. Sprott, Jr.
- · Curtis B. Sprott
- · Maxie Sprott
Themes & tags
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