"The Martin’s Brook Sanatorium: The History of Care in North Reading and the Commonwealth"

Dr. Clarisse A. Poirier, of  Merrimack College, will give a presentation on “Martin’s Brook Sanatorium:  The History of Care in North Reading and the Commonwealth,” Tuesday, November 12 at 7PM at the Flint Memorial Library, 147 Park Street, North Reading.

Dr. Poirier  has been an Associate Professor at Merrimack College since 1985. She has a Master’s and PhD from Boston University in American and New England Studies. Prior to becoming a professor she was the Preservation Planner in the Community Development Department in Lawrence. 

The Martin’s Brook Sanatorium, also known as the North Reading State Sanatorium, opened in 1909; it was one of four hospitals in the state for tubercular patients.  In 1926 it became a facility caring solely for children with tuberculosis.  After the Sanatorium closed, the buildings housed the J.T. Berry Rehabilitation Center, from 1962 until 1995.  The land was sold in 2006 to Lincoln Properties.  Part of the 87-acre site is now the Edgewood Apartments.

After the program there will be an opportunity for questions and discussion.

The program is part of the 300th Anniversary of North Reading.  It is sponsored by the North Reading Historical and Antiquarian Society, the Mary Rubenstein Legacy Fund and the Friends of the Library.  It is free and open to the public. For further information, please call 978-664-4942.