Pesthouse and Cemetery / Pestilences

Pesthouse and Cemetery / Pestilences (HMIXZ)

Location: Florence, AL 35630 Lauderdale County
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Country: United States of America
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N 34° 48.322', W 87° 41.899'

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Inscription

1866 / "Prior to 20th Century"

Side 1
Following an outbreak of the dreaded plaque, smallpox (Variola), at Florence during the winter of 1865-66, the Board of Alderman adopted a resolution on January 2, 1866, that a Pesthouse be "erected at the vineyard as soon as possible." According to tradition, this Pesthouse, believed to have been a simple two-room log structure, was located in this area where people with infectious diseases could be isolated from community. Also located nearby is a small cemetery where victims of these diseases were sometimes buried in unmarked graves.

Side 2
Prior to 20th Century During its early history, this area was faced with periods of infectious epidemics. One of the most feared was the small pox plague. It became a serious threat at the end of the Civil War, believed to have resulted from the frequent movements of troops here during the war. Yellow fever, a rare plague in the northern hemisphere, appeared here in the fall of 1878, resulting in 42 deaths in Florence. Four nurses from the Howard Association, a New Orleans charity organization, were sent here to assist with the sick and the dying.
Details
HM NumberHMIXZ
Tags
Placed ByFlorence Historical Board Florence Alabama
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, September 8th, 2014 at 2:18pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 436126 N 3851681
Decimal Degrees34.80536667, -87.69831667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 34° 48.322', W 87° 41.899'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds34° 48' 19.32" N, 87° 41' 53.94" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)256
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 6990 Wildwood Park Rd, Florence AL 35630, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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