Anna Scheper - the First Hospital Administrator

Anna Scheper- The First Hospital Administrator, “She Cared for the Indigent When Few Did"

by Sandra Wilhoit, Museum Historian

Anna Scheper was born in Walsten, Germany, in 1834, and immigrated to the United States in 1868. By 1873, she and her young daughter had moved to San Diego. On June 27, 1873,

she purchased the (now Davis-Horton) house from Mary Mountain for $1,500. The house had been moved from its original location on State and Market Streets to 227 11th Street.

Ms. Scheper immediately obtained a contract from the County Board of Supervisors to provide care and boarding for indigent patients. At the time, hospitals did not exist, and if family members could not care for patients, they were sent to private contractors. A physician would also be contracted to supervise patient care. In the case of Anna Scheper, the physician was Dr. Thomas C. Stockton, a highly regarded doctor in the area. Anna had

no formal medical training, but she was hardworking, and intent on providing

conscientious care for her patients. She wore a white apron over a dark dress as her

uniform and employed other young women to assist her. As she was paid $1.00 per day

per patient, she also used most of the rooms in the house as hospital rooms. Her usual

census was 6-8 patients, but at one time she recorded as many as nineteen. The

majority of the illnesses were tetanus, bumps, bruises and consumption (tuberculosis.)

Medicine was primarily cod liver oil and various “tonics” that contained alcohol as their

main ingredient.

On November 11, 1875, Anna married Capt. Amos Pendleton Knowles, a local rancher,

widower and Civil War veteran. The marriage was performed by District Judge W.T.

McNealey, and was witnessed by Dr. Peter C. Remondino, another well-known

physician, and Miss Wilhelmina Brockman. Although she married Capt. Knowles, the

ever-shrewd Anna maintained title to her property in solely her name. In 1877, Anna

gave birth to a second daughter, Clara. Anna continued her care of the sick and

indigent, still without running water or electricity, for eight years, until the County

lowered the daily rate for patient care to $.40 per patient. On February 1, 1881, she

sold the house/hospital to Mary T. and James F. Jones for $2,500.00. With her profits,

Anna purchased a small hotel in El Cajon, where she, her husband and her family

moved. Capt. Knowles died on January 24,1892 at the age of 63. As Anna was now a

military widow, she received a pension until her death on May 13,1924 at the age of 90.