MaineHealth Maine Medical Center History

Doctors travel by horse and carriage as they visit hospitals and private homes in the early 1900s. In addition to attending patients in their offices, physicians often have privileges at facilities such as The Children’s Hospital, Maine Eye and Ear Infirmary, and St. Barnabas Hospital, as well as Maine General Hospital. From more widespread use of the x-ray to the medical advances made during the horrific combat of World War I, this is a time of significant improvement in diagnosis and treatment. New surgical procedures are developed, and physicians begin to specialize in areas such as orthopedics, obstetrics, and pathology. Medicine at Maine General Hospital moves from the “horse and buggy” days into an era of rapid clinical and technological progress.

In 1906, Webber Hospital was incorporated and opened on Pool Road in Biddeford. Moses Webber, who was associated with the Laconia and Pepperell Mills, left a large sum of money to establish a hospital in Biddeford. The early Webber Hospital was in the renovated Freeman House at 143 Pool Road. The hospital had a training program for nurses and was the first Allopathic hospital (which means staff physicians held the traditional medical degree, or MD). In 1911, Webber care team members moved to a new, larger Webber Hospital on Elm Street.

The establishment of Webber Hospital represents the beginning of our history in Biddeford.  

The 1920s and 1930s are a time for considerable expansion at Maine General Hospital. New medical and surgical services are offered for X-ray, cardiology, and cancer, while a clinic is opened on India Street to care for patients. The hospital is rapidly outgrowing the original facility. A third pavilion is added in 1931 to provide private patient rooms and the latest advances in medical technology and treatment. The rest of the hospital is renovated to create space for special clinics and the various clinical disciplines. There are additional operating rooms and a new emergency department located directly behind the original hospital building. Among the new equipment are adjustable beds and an “iron lung” for the treatment of polio.

In August of 1928, Henrietta D. Goodall Hospital in Sanford opened its doors. Built to exacting standards with the very best materials, the hospital was considered one of the most advanced health care facilities in Maine. The familiar copper-domed cupola and classic brick buildings sitting on the rise high above Mousam River Valley came to symbolize outstanding health care throughout the 20th century. 

Established by industrialist George B. Goodall, a principal owner of Sanford Mills and the Goodall Worsted Company, in memory of his wife, Henrietta, the hospital was built for about $500,000, a substantial sum at that time. Their daughter, Marion, who married William Marland in 1903, helped her father plan the hospital, which opened as a 55-bed facility. William took over the leadership of the Goodall enterprises as President of the Sanford Mills after George Goodall died. 

The establishment of Goodall Hospital represents the beginning of our history in Sanford.  

The outbreak of World War II is followed by the departure of many of our nurses and physicians as officers in the 67th General Hospital Unit. During the War, the hospital suffers shortages in resources and personnel, resulting in a dramatic increase in the need for the services of volunteers. The visiting Board of the Children’s Hospital, founded in 1910, continues fundraising activities at Maine General Hospital after the young patients are moved here in 1948. Years later, members help support the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital through sales from The Flower Box. In 1951, Maine General Hospital, the Maine Eye and Ear Infirmary, and Children’s Hospital merge to become Maine Medical Center.

The need for additional space requires several construction projects as we enter our second century of service. Nuclear medicine is available at Maine Medical Center with the completion of the Cobalt Unit in 1963. Eleven years later, the joint efforts of several hospitals, banks, and other organizations result in the opening of the Southern Maine Radiation Therapy Institute. Advances in cardiology lead to the first implantation of a miniature pacemaker here in 1963, the development of a cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) in 1967, and coronary bypass surgery in 1972. Ten years after the purchase of its first artificial kidney, Maine’s first kidney transplant is performed at Maine Medical Center. Home dialysis treatment is a possible option for some patients.

The Marland Memorial Wing opened at Goodall Hospital in 1967, increasing the size of the hospital to 100 beds. 

In March of 1977, Webber Hospital begins construction on their new facility in Biddeford. Nearly two years later in February of 1979, Webber Hospital officially moves from its Elm Street location to the new facility at One Medical Center Drive. 

Completion of the L.L. Bean Building in 1985 provides expansion space for the Hatch Pavilion, a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, operating suites, and specialty departments. The Gibson pavilion for cancer patients and the inpatient unit of The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital are added to the Bean Building in 1998. In 1991, the Maine Medical Center Research Institute is established to support the bench research that has been conducted at Maine Medical Center for decades. Ten years later, a new MMCRI facility is built on the Scarborough campus, creating a contemporary environment for bench, outcomes, and translational research. During the 1980s and 1990s, Maine Medical Center establishes associations with hospitals from Sanford to Farmington, and a merger between the medical center and Brighton Medical Center is completed. Our parent organization, the Maine Medical Center Foundation, evolves and becomes MaineHealth, the state’s largest integrated health system. Special centers and clinics open around Greater Portland, allowing Maine Medical Center to offer expanded services in more convenient settings.

In Biddeford, Webber Hospital changes its name to Southern Maine Medical Center on October 1, 1985. In Sanford, the Woodbury Building is dedicated in 1986, named for longtime Goodall nurse Dorothy “Dot” Woodbury, RN.