On November 18, 1876, Governor Horace Fairbanks signed his name to the incorporation papers for a non-profit public hospital to be built in Burlington.

Mary Fletcher had made known her wish, and Fairbanks’ signature put the project in motion.

Fletcher donated $25,000 to procure the land, $50,000 to build a hospital building, and she donated an additional $100,000 to establish a permanent endowment. At that time, it was the single largest donation in Vermont’s history.

The hilltop estate owned by H.W. Catlin was purchased, providing the hospital with views of Camel’s Hump, Mount Mansfield, and Lake Champlain.

Historic postcard image from the Vermont Book Of Days collection