Holmes Medical Museum In Alabama Will Leave You Speechless

What was once Sibley Holmes Memorial Hospital (Baldwin County’s first hospital), is now Holmes Medical Museum. Located in Foley, Alabama, above a quaint pharmacy, Holmes Medical Museum features a collection of old medical instruments, in addition to a recreated operating room, patient rooms, an x-ray room and a pharmacy from that time period (1936).

Baldwin County’s first hospital was open from 1936 to 1958. When it closed, the rooms were never updated. They were well preserved, and today they still look like they did during the early 20th century. At this unique museum, you can explore the old operating room, in addition to the patient rooms—which also haven’t changed since the late 30s-50s.

Many utilitarian steel instruments are also on display at Holmes Medical Museum. These instruments are laid out on metal trays waiting to be used, much like they were decades ago. If these types of medical instruments were used today, many of us would describe it as cruel and unusual torture. Simply put, the medical instruments used by doctors during the early 20th century were HORRIFYING! After viewing the medical instruments at Holmes Medical Museum, you’ll definitely appreciate how far medical equipment has come.