“The Cedars” Maternity Sanitarium, Oak Cliff — ca. 1923-1944
by Paula Bosse
A “seclusion home for unwed mothers”…
by Paula Bosse
The rather blurry photo above shows a “maternity sanitarium” for unwed mothers, where “unfortunate women” could spend their days in seclusion until their babies were born there on the premises. The home/sanitarium was called “The Cedars” and was located on N. Ravinia Drive in the Beverly Hills area of Oak Cliff; when it opened, it was just outside the Dallas city limits. (It has nothing to do with The Cedars area south of downtown; its name may have had something to do with the name of a nearby street which intersected Ravinia. …Or it might have been located near a cedar grove. …Or it might have been used to subliminally suggest famed Cedars-Sinai Hospital.)
The sanitarium was opened around 1923 by Mrs. Lillie Perry (1876-1929), a woman who might have had some personal experience with the “fallen women” she cared for, as it appears she might have had a child out of wedlock herself. When she died in 1929, her daughter Lillian Hanna took over the running of the sanitarium. Lillian died in 1938, and that seems to have been around the time that the home became part of the Volunteers of America organization, which, among its many social services, provided maternity care for women and also assisted in adoption placement. The last mention I saw of “The Cedars” was in 1944.
The photo above appeared in an ad placed in the Oct., 1933 issue of the Texas State Journal of Medicine with the accompanying text (for larger images, click pictures and clippings):
1933
Another ad, featuring friendly-looking nurses, appeared in the same issue, a few pages earlier:
1933
Below are a few discreet newspaper ads for The Cedars which appeared over the years in the “personals” section of the classifieds.
1923
1924
1929
1931
1934
Listing from the 1937 Dallas city directory
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Sources & Notes
Ads from the Texas State Journal of Medicine appeared in the October, 1933 issue, which can be found scanned in its entirety on the Portal to Texas History site, here.
Homes for “unwed mothers”/”unfortunate girls”/”fallen women” were generally places families sent their daughters in order to avoid the social stigma that unmarried girls and women faced when pregnant. They just kind of “disappeared” for several months and had their babies in secret, often feeling pressured to put their children up for adoption. An interesting Salon article on the topic is “The Children They Gave Away” by Sarah Karnasiewicz.
More on the Beverly Hills neighborhood of Oak Cliff can be found in articles from Heritage Oak Cliff and Preservation Dallas.
Thanks to Patricia M. who wrote to ask me a question about this place. I’ve learned a lot of interesting things about Dallas I would never have thought to look into were it not for obscure questions from readers. Like this one! Thanks, Patricia!
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Copyright © 2018 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.
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This is fascinating to me; I would have supported such a clinic in its day. As an aside, I was told my grandfather was in a sanitarium in the Beverly Hills area of Dallas late 1944. I’ve had a hard time locating info on this sanitarium. I’ve reached out to Heritage Oak Cliff to see if they know about the sanitarium.
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Hi, I was told my grandfather was in a sanitarium in Beverly Hills in Dallas late 1944. I was told that electric shock was done on him. I think that was common. Can anyone advise if a sanitarium existed and if so, where those records might be today? Also if there are any pictures I’d appreciate that too. Thank you.
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The Beverly Hills Sanitarium, a private “psychopathic hospital” for patients with mental and nervous disorders, was founded in the late 1920s by Dr. Arthur Schwenkenberg; it was originally located at 210 N. Westmoreland (this was its location at the time your grandfather was a patient there). It was later expanded and became “Beverly Hills Hospital.” It seems to have been in business through at least the late 1970s.
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I was a patient there in December 1977 when I was 20 years old as a condition of probation for drug charges. I am now 62 and found some old records my mother had kept all these years…did some research and found this page. Interesting!!
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I am trying to find any information about my uncle who was born at the Cedars on Nov. 9th, 1927. I have his original birth certificate but it doesn’t help me in finding his adopted family name or what happened to him. Is there anyone who might be able to help me locate him or any of his relatives?
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Sondra, I learned that my mother was born at the Cedars in 1931. She was admitted to the Gladney Home in Forth Worth at birth and adopted from there. I believe that the Gladney Home was called the Texas Children’s Home and Aide Society at that time. Might be a good idea to check with The Gladney Center. postadoption@gladney.org
Rhonda
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Thanks for the helpful into, Rhonda.
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I just found my mom’s birth certificate and it says she was born at “The Cedars” Maternity Sanitarium in 1935. She thought she was born at St. Paul’s. It doesn’t make sense though. Her parents were married and she was #8 of 14. They did live in Oak Cliff at the time. When my grandmother was coming out of anesthesia, the nurse asked what she wanted to name my mom, and when my grandmother didn’t quickly respond, the nurse suggested Lillian. Even though Mom was renamed, it’s fun to know where Lillian came from!
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