Places
There were many places where the Free Dispensary, Elizabeth General Hospital and Dispensary, Elizabeth General Hospital, Elizabeth General Medical Center and Trinitas Hospital provided care to the citizens of Elizabeth, greater Union County and states and countries all across the globe.
As communities throughout New Jersey were formulating plans to create hospitals in their cities and towns, it was readily apparent that what we now know as a hospital was not something that would happen quickly.
Free Dispensary: Broad and Jersey St.
In Elizabeth, Dr. James Green saw the opportunity and felt the need to start small and build from there. So, with the interest and cooperation of three other local physicians, Dr. Alonzo Pettit, Dr. J. Otis Pinneo and Dr. Thomas McLean, they opened a "Free Dispensary for the Treatment of Surgical Diseases of the Poor" in April, 1877. It was open two days a week, for several hours, in a storefront they rented and turned into a clinic three doors from the corner of Jersey St. and Broad St.
Original ad in Elizabeth Daily Journal
Since it was several blocks from the heart of Union County government and also a few blocks from the train station, it was a central place that gave many people access to care that amplified the need for a larger location where the caring could be expanded. Thus, a search began to find a larger location and fundraising began to underwrite the costs involved.
Other Places
Elizabeth General Hospital and Dispensary ("Jaques Folly")
Elizabeth's original hospital and dispensary on Jaques St.
Elizabeth General Hospital and Dispensary: E. Jersey St. Complex
Elizabeth General Hospital and Blake Memorial
Elizabeth General Medical Center
Elizabeth General Hospital School of Nursing
This page will surely turn out to be the largest section of this website. We have hundreds of images of student nurses, instructors, administrators and graduates of this most prestigious school from which thousands of nurses embarked on careers in nursing settings throughout the US.
Elizabeth General Nurse's Home Circa 1917
This information was last reviewed or updated on November 23, 2025. Adjustments may be made to this page as new information is added, making this a continual work in progress.
Time Capsules
The contents of five "time capsules" were embedded into cornerstones of the various capital improvement projects that were commenced over the years. The day's program, a newspaper, some coins and similar items were part of each time capsule. These time capsules were part of the collection that was donated to the Elizabeth Public Library. Also, at the Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center there is a display of slices of various cornerstones that were salvaged from the ultimate demolition of the Elizabeth General Medical Center. Click here for an article transcribed from the Elizabeth Daily Journal about the laying of the cornerstone for the original Reid St. complex.
Featured Image
The Daisy Ward photo at the top of this page was an important visual documentation of the results of a very popular campaign to show how the children of Elizabeth could contribute pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters to help support a Daisy Bed that later became the Daisy Ward at Elizabeth General Hospital and Dispensary.
The campaign was initiated by Eliza Gracie Halsey, a prominent member of Elizabeth with an illustrious family history. She wrote a letter that was published in the Elizabeth Daily Journal and featured the coin contributions of local children and was a big hit with the adults as well as the children.
Click on Eliza's name above to learn more about her, about the Daisy Ward and the people in her life who made immense contributions to life in Elizabeth, in New Jersey, and in the United States.