LOIS “BURNSIE” STEVENS, a physical therapist at the Hyde Home, works with a child afflicted by the polio epidemic that disabled so many children and adults prior to the Salk polio vaccine. She kept in touch with many of her former patients, including through the Post Polio Support Group meetings that Pine Tree Society sponsored.
Anne Marsh, executive director of Pine Tree Society, will give an illustrated talk, “A Proud History: Pine Tree Society and the Hyde Home,” at 10:30 a.m., followed by a tour of the house, now a part of the private Hyde School. Doors open at 10 a. m., and admission is free.
Pine Tree Society was founded in 1936 to provide services to disabled children throughout Maine.
“In 1947, the heirs of John S. Hyde donated his former home, Elmhurst, and its extensive estate in Bath to serve as a convalescent and rehabilitation facility for the many children disabled by the polio epidemic,” a Bath Historical Society release states. “The 21-room mansion became a 51- bed inpatient home with a full medical staff, classrooms and an elevator. The indoor swimming pool in the basement was used for hydrotherapy and the former ballroom was used for occupational therapy, while the 23 acres of grounds provided fresh air and a quiet setting.
“During the polio outbreak in 1949, the inpatient capacity was doubled. In 1956, adults were admitted and in 1960, a new wing was added to the mansion.
In 1965, inpatient care was transferred to Maine Medical Center. The Pine Tree Society relocated its offices to downtown Bath and expanded its outpatient services to disabled children and adults, while continuing to run the Pine Tree Camp in Rome. In 1966, the Hyde School, a private secondary school, opened on the Hyde Estate.
Marsh interviewed several former patients and staff members of the Hyde Home, and she hopes that others may be able to attend the program and share their recollections.
Visitors should enter by the north gate on High Street at the Hyde School sign. For more information, call 443- 5141 extension 18.
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