Firland Sanatorium, Seattle’s municipal tuberculosis hospital, opened on May 2, 1911, to help combat what was at the time Seattle’s leading cause of death. Firland was located north of Seattle, on land donated by railroad magnate Horace C. Henry (1844-1928), whose son Walter had died of TB. The hospital served there until its move in 1947 to a former Naval hospital at 15th Avenue NE and 150th Street, and continued to treat TB patients until developments in antibiotics greatly reduced the number of patients and the hospital closed in 1973.

In this image Firland teacher Rose Ireland reads to eight-year-old patient Nellie Foster. Children at the sanatorium were cared for at Josef House, which could house 40-50 patients, ages 0-18. In addition to a schoolroom, supervised play, handwork, seasonal celebrations, picnics, and a large wading pool offered diversions from the business of resting, child-style.

Caption information source: "Firland Sanatorium," by Paula Becker, HistoryLink.org Essay 3928