Our History
In 1922, two Sisters of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary traveling
door-to-door to sell embroidered cloths to support the Order's
missionary work met up with a benefactor they would never forget.
Carlos Munson, a local Quaker and owner of the famous Munson
Steamship Lines, offered the Sisters more than they could hope to earn
in handicrafts. He presented them with a donation of a home and 15 acres
of land, known as Elderfields, which he requested be used as a summer
camp for inner-city children.
The orchards and meadows of the Munson property were
home to many children throughout 15 summers which followed.
In 1936, the Sisters had been asked to accept children
who were afflicted with rheumatic fever, and they agreed,
converting Mr. Munson's horse and carriage stable into a small Sanatorium.
With very little money and few alternatives for treatment,
the Sisters managed to care for the sick children.
As word spread about the Sanatorium, the Sisters were forced to turn
away some children because of limited resources but grants from a
Protestant Welfare Agency, the Martha Hall Foundation, miraculously
enabled the Sisters to expand. By 1949, St. Francis Hospital and
Sanatorium was the largest hospital in the country devoted to cardiac
care for children.
St. Francis Hospital has remained on the leading edge of technology,
as pioneering open heart operations were conducted in the 1950's.
Techniques such as the heart massage proved to have life saving value.
In 1956, adults were accpted for care. In the 1960's and 1970's,
the Hospital added a full range of general medical services to complement
its cardiac program and, in the 1970's, St Francis became the state's
only specially designated Heart Center.
The Highest Quality Cardiac Care
St. Francis Hospital is committed to providing responsive medical care in
an environment that meets the multi-faceted needs of each patient.
Preventing, detecting and treating cardiovascular disease is at the heart
of St. Francis Hospital's mission.
One of the nation's leading cardiovascular centers, St Francis Hospital performs more cases of open heart sugery and cardiac catheterization than any other hospital in New York State.