‘This is our history’: First NC privately-funded Black hospital honored in Charlotte

Shirley Chapman worked as a resident nurse at Charlotte’s Good Samaritan Hospital in 1963 alongside Rosa Covington. The two worked together nearly 63 years ago, forging a longtime friendship during their time as colleagues.

Chapman worked in obstetrics. She delivered babies for years, including two of her sister’s children. “It was a wonderful experience, I enjoyed working there,” she recounted.

“I love seeing their friendship and how the history of the hospital contributed to the relationship between them and me, and [Shirley’s] goddaughter as well,” Nicole Chapman, Covington’s goddaughter, said.

This is just one of many memories to spill out Thursday at Ebenezer Baptist Church as former employees, people who were born at the hospital or friends and family collected to commemorate the unveiling of a historical marker for Good Samaritan.

The first hospital built exclusively for Black patients in North Carolina was a staple for the Black community in Charlotte. Now, its memory sits almost forgotten in the shadow of the development that took over its plot — Bank of America Stadium.

“These folks came to this hospital because they had no place else to go,” Dr. Alvin Powell, chief medical officer for Triad Adult and Pediatrics, said. Powell is the founder of the North Carolina Highway Equity Initiative to increase public awareness of the history of hospitals such as Good Samaritan.

He’s familiar with the work that goes into getting historical sites such as Good Samaritan the recognition he feels they deserve.

“This is the second time leaders have pushed for the hospital to be honored in this way; they were rejected the first time because the committee felt the hospital didn’t have enough state-wide significance.”

History of Good Samaritan

The hospital opened in 1891 and was the first privately founded hospital in North Carolina. Good Samaritan was brought about during the Jim Crow era where segregation laws were being enforced. Black Americans had no other hospital where they were welcome to be treated at.

Starting out with only 20 beds, the hospital expanded to be able to treat 100 patients. It operated for 70 years before being converted into a senior living facility and eventually demolished in 1996 to make way for the construction of Bank of America Stadium.

There’s a private marker to honor the hospital inside Bank of America Stadium, but Powell said that isn’t enough, “A private marker is just that – it’s private. When that stadium gets torn down, that marker is going to be gone forever,” he said.

“What we’re trying to do is put something up that’s permanent, sanctioned by the state and it cannot be removed once it’s placed.”

‘This is our history’

John Cunningham was born at Good Samaritan in 1952 and he said this marker is only the start of a long road of history to be remembered in North Carolina.

“We are super excited, because this is our history,” he said. Cunningham is a part of a group called “Black Men With a Focus” that focuses on uplifting Black youth in Charlotte, a calling he says came to him because of the history of Good Samaritan and experiences of his community in Charlotte.

“We are a group of Charlotteans that matriculated from the three Black high schools in Charlotte: the Second Ward, West Charlotte and York Road. The members of our group pretty much represent those schools. We mentor kids in the school system as well as provide scholarships with students.”

“We’re pretty much keeping the dream alive.” Cunningham added.

“I’m really grateful to be a part of this project and this opportunity and even a part of history. It’s important to me, making sure that we do our part to have the story told,” said Rev. Quishun Jenkins of Ebenezer Baptist Church.

“How can I make sure I do my part and just keep the history going... making sure my generation and younger generations continue to learn these stories.”