150 



Washington was inoculated at New York, June 27, 1776. 

 In that 3'ear, small-pox raged in Boston which was occu- 

 pied by the British. A general inoculation was ordered 

 there, July 3. These general inoculations required very 

 extensive hospital accommodations. Cat Island had been 

 early recognized as a desirable site for an establishment 

 of this nature, and leading citizens of Marblehead, Salem, 

 Beverly, and Lynn, had asked the needful permission of 

 the Provincial Asseml)ly. 



The island had a sufficient area, with pure air, fine 

 views, and a natural spring of water. It was of easy 

 access, yet at a safe distance, and was at that time not 

 wholl}^ cleared of its growth of timber. It was purchased 

 in equal shares, by four of the most prominent citizens of 

 Marblehead : Col. Azor Orne, Elbridge Gerry, Esq., 

 Capt. John Glover, and Jonathan Glover, Esq., and their 

 enterprise and means secured, on a generous scale, the 

 erection during the summer of 1773 of the needful 

 buildings, at the high, rocky headland, near the spring of 

 water. Even before their completion, popular distrust 

 had begun to show itself and had so far prevailed over 

 good sense, that on Sept. 19, a town meeting had been 

 called at the instance of indignant opponents of the 

 scheme, and the license granted by the town had been 

 revoked. The projectors of Essex Hospital, however, 

 were not the men to be daunted by popular clamor. 

 Among them were the town's representatives in the gen- 

 eral assembly and on the committees of correspondence. 

 In a larger sense, they were representatives of the in- 

 dustry, wealth, and intelligence of the town. They had in 

 hand a private enterprise of great public importance, and in 

 order to demonstrate to their townsmen that a desire for 

 personal profit was not among their motives, they made 

 a public offer to the town of the whole property at cost. 



