Our History

Memorial Medical Center History

Calhoun County, Texas, was formally organized in 1846 with fishing and farming as its primary industries. The first recorded physician, Dr. William G. Peterson, traveled by horseback across 536 square miles between 1897 and 1901 to care for roughly 1,110 residents. By 1950, the county’s population had grown to more than 9,000.

The idea for a county hospital was first conceived by Dr. Stanley W. Lester in the late 1930s. Although World War II postponed the plan, Dr. Lester and Dr. Truman Melcher opened a small clinic in 1947. Later that year, Calhoun County voters approved a bond election to purchase land for a hospital. In December 1947, the county acquired a 2.573-acre tract of land on FM 234, and architect Wyatt Hidrick was hired to design the new facility.

On March 17, 1949, the Commissioners’ Court appointed the first Board of Directors: D.D. Boyd, T.A. McDonald, Sam C. Tisdale, John Sterling, Thomas G. Harris, Jr., and Earl Sessions. Mrs. Clara Burke of Victoria was appointed the hospital’s first Administrator in July 1949.

The building permit was filed in May 1949 for $202,000, though the total construction cost including equipment reached $254,193.80. The hospital was dedicated to the memory of deceased veterans on February 3, 1949, and officially opened to the public on April 10, 1950, as Calhoun County Memorial Hospital.

The hospital began with 20 beds, 8 bassinets, 4 physicians, and 14 employees. That same day, the first baby was born: Benjamin F. Newton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Newton of Seadrift.

Through the decades, the hospital expanded to meet the needs of the growing community. Additions and renovations in the 1960s, 1990s, and early 2000s modernized the facility. The hospital’s name also evolved over time: County Memorial Hospital (1961), Champ Traylor Memorial Hospital (1962), and finally Memorial Medical Center in 1986.

Today, Memorial Medical Center is a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital owned and operated by Calhoun County. It is the only hospital in the county and continues to provide compassionate, high-quality care close to home.

Key Milestones

February 3, 1949 – Hospital dedicated to the memory of deceased veterans
May 1949 – Building permit filed for $202,000; final cost including equipment $254,193.80
July 15, 1949 – First Administrator appointed: Mrs. Clara Burke
April 10, 1950 – Official opening with 20 beds, 8 bassinets, 4 physicians, 14 employees
April 10, 1950 – First baby born: Benjamin F. Newton at 10:25 a.m.
June 27, 1950 – Formation of the “Pink Ladies” auxiliary (now MMC Volunteers)
January 4, 1952 – Nursing School opened
1960–1961 – Expansions added 33 beds, a third story, and remodeled the original building
1961 – Name changed to County Memorial Hospital
1962 – Name changed to Champ Traylor Memorial Hospital
March 1986 – Name changed to Memorial Medical Center
1993 – Major new addition completed (construction began in 1991)
February 17, 1995 – Memorial dedication area opened (donated by VFW and Ladies Auxiliary Post 4403)
August 1997 – Recognized as a Level 4 Trauma Center by the State of Texas
August 1, 2004 – Designated as a Critical Access Hospital
March 2013 – Memorial Medical Clinic opened on the 2nd floor of the hospital
2014 – Received Texas Hospital Association Quality Gold Award
October 30, 2014 – Groundbreaking for new Memorial Medical Clinic building
September 23, 2019 – Second clinic location opened (Memorial Medical Clinic Hospital Campus)
April 2025 – Memorial Medical Center celebrates 75 years of service to Calhoun County