(828) 526-0173 | [email protected] | Copyright 2024 – All Rights Reserved.
A History of Healing in Highlands
Written By: Tracy Foor, Highlands Historical Society | Issue: July 2024
Clean air, pure water, and compassionate care were the hallmarks of Dr. Mary Lapham’s bold tuberculosis treatments.
Long before there were tiny homes and “glamping” was a popular outdoor activity, Highlands was home to a community of tent cottages, which housed people from throughout the South who hoped to find healing in the clean mountain air.
Built in 1908 by Dr. Mary Lapham, the Highlands Tuberculosis Sanatorium included a three-story house, which was added to, and substantial grounds on which were constructed 60 of the open-sided, one room tent structures.
Each tent cottage housed patients who referred to themselves as “Lungers” hoping to be cured from tuberculosis or other diseases of the lung. The famous photograph of the camp taken by Henry Scadin shows tents in rows along the hillside, connected by a raised boardwalk.
Dr. Lapham practiced pneumotherapy, a method of treating lung disease that she learned in Switzerland, which involved collapsing the affected lung followed by extended rest. Dr. Lapham firmly believed that the clean fresh air of Highlands was the perfect climate and her patients flocked to the camp year-round – some staying over the course of several years.
Tragically, in 1918, while Dr. Lapham was working for the Red Cross in Europe following World War I, a worker started a fire attempting to thaw pipes in the sanatorium building. The few patients in the building were safely removed, but the building was a complete loss and the sanatorium was closed forever. All that remained were the tent cottages.
Nurse Bernie Durgin had 25 of the tents moved to her property on Chestnut Street and continued to treat patients for a time. Other cottages became part of a hotel on 4th Street. Still others were relocated onto private property and used as guest cottages, storage rooms or woodsheds. The tent cottage that now sits on the Highlands Historical Society’s property at 524 North 4th Street, was relocated in 2008 and has been restored to its original condition.
Museum hours for 2024 are Thursdays through Saturdays from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M.
Also, please join the Highlands Historical Society at one of these special events this season:
Dahlia Patron’s Party at High Country Wine and Provisions, Tuesday, August 27.
The 14th Annual Dazzling Dahlia Festival, Thursday, September 5 through Saturday, September 7.
The Heritage Jamboree Descendant’s Reception, Saturday, October 12.
Walk in the Park, Saturday, October 26.
For information about these events and more visit highlandshistory.com.
