Molly Stark Sanatorium

On August 23, 1929, Molly Stark Sanatorium opened its doors to the public, providing care to residents  of Stark County suffering from tuberculosis. Named in honor of the wife of General John Stark, for whom  Stark County is named, Molly Stark was built under the prevailing medical philosophy of the time that  sunlight and fresh air were good for patients in need of compassionate care. Molly Stark stood as one of  25 tuberculosis hospitals in the State of Ohio. Beyond structural improvements, other changes affected Molly Stark beginning in 1956. As medical  science had allowed for great advances in identifying and treating tuberculosis, the need for Molly Stark  to operate solely as a tuberculosis facility diminished. In 1956, the name changed from Molly Stark  Sanatorium to Molly Stark Hospital, as the county run hospital began the treatment of medical cases  other than tuberculosis. Throughout the years Molly Stark provided care to those in need of physical  rehabilitative therapy, those with drug and alcohol abuse issues, and aging adults in need of care. The  last of the remaining tuberculosis patients were transferred to the newly built J.T. Nist nursing home in  1970, which today is the adjoining Green Meadows facility. The hospital continued operating until 1995,  when due to aging infrastructure and a diminished need the doors of Molly Stark were shuttered. The  building sat abandoned, left alone but not forgotten.  April of 2009 brought a new life to the old Molly Stark property. Purchased from the Stark County  Commissioners for the sum of one dollar, Stark Parks opened the new Molly Stark Park as a publicly  accessibly county park on the former hospital site.