Date of Award
6-5-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Heritage Studies, Ph.D.
First Advisor
Gregory Hansen
Committee Members
Brady Banta; Lauri Umansky
Call Number
LD 251 .A566d 2023 R43
Abstract
The Arkansas Tuberculosis Sanatorium opened in 1910 in rural Logan County, Arkansas in response to the devastating effects of tuberculosis. Designed exclusively for white Arkansans, the small group of wooden frame buildings grew into the largest tuberculosis sanatorium in our nation by the 1940s. The success of anti-tuberculosis medications and community outpatient treatment led to its closure in 1973. The Tangible Cultural Heritage (TCH) of the institution is evident in the remaining structures on the site of the former sanatorium. The Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of the facility, however, is more difficult to commemorate because it is diverse and ubiquitous. An important aspect of ICH is memory. The co-memories of six individuals shared in an oral history project I conducted shaped this written commemoration of the sanatorium. Each participant had a close association with the hospital and provided a range of experiences, some shared and some dissimilar. The conversations revealed events and topics valuable and meaningful to the narrators. Overlapping themes became evident through the shared memories, interpretation, and compilation of the interviews. The institution as a site of memory also emerged through the co-memories of the contributors. Ultimately, a community, consisting of the six participants and myself, was formed around the sanatorium as a site of memory.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Reddig, Anita Ellyn, "The Arkansas Tuberculosis Sanatorium: Co-Memory and Intangible Cultural Heritage" (2023). Student Theses and Dissertations. 193.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/193
