Condell Memorial Hospital

Condell Memorial Hospital in Libertyville came into being at the inspiration of Elizabeth Condell. Miss Condell was a private person, but her foresight and generosity have left a positive mark on the Libertyville community.

Elizabeth Condell was born in Shields Township in 1845 and lived most of her life on a farm there. In her later years she moved to Libertyville and was under the care of Dr. John Taylor. She made it known to him that she desired to leave her (considerable) estate to benefit a hospital. Dr. Taylor realized that the institution most likely to receive her funds was Victory Memorial Hospital in Waukegan and presented her with the idea of using her money to build a new hospital in her adopted home.

Miss Condell did just that. After her death on August 25, 1917, her will revealed that she had left her estate, totaling $25,000, in a trust for the purpose of building a hospital. Her heirs contested Condell’s will all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court, but the Court ruled in favor of the will and plans moved forward.

One of the stipulations of the will was that in order to receive the funds, the community would have to raise an additional $5000. A public campaign was launched, civic pride ran high, and the money was raised. Groundbreaking took place in a cornfield on land donated by Samuel Insull and on June 10, 1928 Condell Memorial Hospital was dedicated. The architect was H. V. Von Holst. The dedication took place with impressive ceremonies and much rejoicing. Read more about it in the newspaper article below: