This old fieldstone building stands in the small town of Elwell west of Alma. Built by Dr. Charles H. MacLachlan it was known as the MacLachlan Sanitarium. Dr. MacLachlan was born in Canada and studied in Cincinnati and came to Elwell in the 1880s. He was an early proponent of “physiological therapeutics,” a treatment of chronic diseases without the use of medication. He built a small wooden building to treat patients in 1883 and about two decades later in 1908 he added the two story fieldstone building.
The MacLachlan Sanitarium in 1912
Dr. MacLachlan treated chronic diseases such as tuberculosis, rheumatism, and nerve and skin diseases. The building was also used as a local hospital. After the doctor’s death in 1920 the Sanitorium Closed. After that, it was used as a boardinghouse, bar, restaurant, dancehall, and private residence. I am not sure what it is used for today but it still stands as a reminder of one doctor’s compassion to treat patients in a rural community. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1981 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
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