Draft:Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital

Professor Frank E. Clark (Occupied the Hollyhurst Mansion from 1897,1904,1929,1930)

History
In 1896, Frank E. Clark, musician and composer, wanted to build the "most beautiful residence in town," and built a three-story, castellated style mansion that he called "Hollyhurst." The mansion was completed in 1897. Not long after this, his life began to deteriorate. His father and mother died and his finances dwindled. And the bride he wanted, refused him. The beautiful sandstone dwelling perched on a hill, intended to have been his honeymoon palace, became a self-built prison for the musician. For many years, Frank Clark secluded himself in two rooms. His only companion was a dog. When the dog died, Mr. Clark buried it under one of the trees at the rear of the mansion and had a monument erected over the dog's grave. Old-times residents had recalled how the musician, now-grown eccentric, used to pedal an old-fashioned high bicycle around town and how he would appear in the streets wearing a little skullcap beneath his hat, and in the winter-time, a "fascination" over his cap, tied under his chin, Professor Frank E. Clark died in 1930 at the age of 77. At the time of his death, the property was in possession of Henry H. Hayes. Henry H. Hayes (1846-1930) worked on a family farm with his father, Calvin Hayes (1810-1867) and mother, Susan B. Mills (1810-1890) and 5 siblings. Mr. Hayes handled his money exceptionally well and was able to make a loan to Frank Clark. When Mr. Hayes died in 1930, that same year, his housekeeper, Miss R. Ellen Green, bought the mansion, and renamed it the Baughman House. She closed it in 1930 and Hollyhurst was given to the community. On August 20, 1933, R. Ellen Green held a special dedication for the opening of the new community hospital housed in Hollyhurst, was held on the lawn of Hollyhurst. The hospital was called Hayes-Green Community Hospital(1935). Over the years, the need for a larger facility prompted Henry Martin of Dimondale and many other County members to apply for a Federal grant and solicit matching funds from the community. Fitch H. Beach, Charlotte philanthropist, contributed $25,000 to the community hospital. The community raised $600,000 including the said $25,000 donated by Fitch H. Beach. The wills of Henry Hayes and Ellen Green stated that if money from their estates were to be used, the hospital had to be built on the land of the Hollyhurst Mansion. The hospital's name was changed from Hayes-Green Community Hospital to Hayes-Green-Beach Community Hospital to include Mr. Fitch's last name, Beach. A three-story modern hospital structure was constructed in the early 1950s and opened in 1954. In 1972, Eaton County sold the hospital and it became a non-profit named Hayes-Green-Beach Memorial Hospital, with the slogan "We're your hospital." Located at 321 East Harris Street, the hospital went through multiple major expansions through the 1980s and 1990s-I am still working on this.