October 26, 2017 – The Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission is pleased to announce that on October 10, 2017, the Board of Supervisors accepted the Commission’s recommendation and designated as a historical landmark, the Dr. W.C. Jones Memorial Hospital, now the Swan Levine House.
Originally built in 1867 by the Faheys, owners of the Allison Ranch Mine, the property was later sold in the 1870’s to a prominent financial tycoon and investor, William Campbell. The building was later sold in 1905-1906 to Dr. John Taylor Jones of Grass Valley for use as Nevada County’s first private hospital. The hospital was named after Dr. Jones’ father, a prominent local doctor and surgeon, and its grand opening was attended on January 30, 1907, by over 2,500 people. Dr. Jones installed the County’s first x-ray equipment, and the hospital served more than twenty patients with a staff of five. Following Dr. Jones’ death, his brother, Dr. Carl Jones, took over the hospital in 1917 and went on to promote the advancement of medical technologies and public nursing, including development of the Jones-Painter splint for broken pelvises.
Dr. Carl Jones and Idaho Maryland Mine owner Errol MacBoyle founded the nonprofit organization that eventually became Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital. The Dr. W.C. Jones Memorial Hospital remained open as a private hospital until 1968, when it was purchased by the Geist family, who used the facility to raise funds to restore the Nevada Theater in Nevada City. Howard Levine, Grass Valley’s current mayor, and his wife Peggy Swan Levine, purchased the house in 1975, and the Swan Levine House now serves as a teaching studio, a classroom for Sierra College students and a bed and breakfast inn.
The Jones Hospital will be added to the Commission’s interactive map and e-guide.
The e-guide is an electronic book available for any smartphone or tablet from Apple, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble. Go to You Bet Press (www.youbetpress.com) to find clickable links.
Prefer paper? There are still copies of the last edition available from Comstock Bonanza Press (http://comstockbonanza.com/products/exploring-nevada-county-an-illustrated-guide-to-local-landmarks-and-historic-sites-by-the-nevada-county-historical-landmarks-commission)
The purpose of the Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission is to promote the general welfare of Nevada County and its citizens through official recognition, recording, marking, preserving and promoting the historical resources of Nevada County. For more information, please call 530-272-9977, ext. 210.