Monday, August 5, 2019

The Willows Maternity Sanitarium


The stately building on a hill near Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, was The Willows Maternity Sanitarium

It was one of the Kansas City institutions where unwed, pregnant, young women were sent to give birth to their babies in secret.

Over 100,000 women came by train from around the nation. Mothers returned home; their babies remained in Kansas City for adoption.

Kansas City was a good choice because it was in the middle of the country, and well-served by the railroad.

I visited the site, now an apartment complex, and this retaining wall was the only thing I could find that might be original.

Photograph © 2019 Larry F. Levenson.




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