In a state and its county where women were welcomed into history-making roles, Dr. Sarah Cole stands out. While not the first female doctor in Lincoln, she remains a cornerstone in Lincoln County medical services.
Dr. Sarah Goff was the county’s “pioneer doctor.” She was born in 1846, making her 39 when she moved to Lincoln and began her practice. She immediately became popular and successful in the county, working under the instruction of Dr. Holloway of Lincoln. In 1886 Dr. Goff graduated from Hanneman Medical College of Chicago. She practiced in Lincoln for several years and is credited for urging Sarah Cole to study medicine. Eventually she and her family moved to Canon City, Colorado, where she passed away in 1900 at the age of 54 from pleuropneumonia, inflammation of the lungs coupled with inflammation of the pleura.
Dr. Sarah Cole was born in 1855 somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, enroute to America with her immigrant Irish parents, John and Mary Jane Cole.
Sarah was a direct descendant of a family whose history dates back nearly 1,000 years, with claims to noble blood. She was one of 10 children, Sarah being the eldest. The family had a legacy of work in the field of medicine. Her cousin, Anna Mary Barr was superintendent of the Visiting Nurses Association of Kansas City, Missouri and cousin, Margaret Jane Barr was a trained nurse and Mechano-Therapeutics teacher in the leading hospitals in the Kansas City area. Sarah’s sister Hannah Rachel Cole was a nurse and eventually worked with her sister at Cole Sanitarium.
Dr. Sarah Cole practiced medicine in Lincoln for nearly 40 years.The Cole Sanitarium, owned and operated by Dr. Sarah Cole, was situated on land belonging to Anna and Capt. Walter Wait, directly south of Lincoln Elementary. When no longer serving as a hospital, the building was made into apartments. Abandoned and left for ruin, the building was razed by the city in the 2010s. (Courtesy photos)
The family settled on a farm in West Virginia. Their living conditions were very primitive. While still a girl, Sarah taught school in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
When her sister Mary Jane married William L. Barr and moved to Lincoln County, Sarrah followed, arriving in 1882.
Sarah was described as being small and petite. In Lincoln, That County in Kansas author Dorothe Tarrence wrote “she was a beautiful girl who had long blond hair that hung below her knees and clear white skin with pink cheeks.” While she had the appearance of a meek, and probably weak, girl, it was said her personality did not match her physical attributes, as she had a strong will, strong determination and physical strength.
For the next four years she taught school in Lincoln and Ottawa counties. She met Dr. Sarah Goff in 1886. Dr. Goff encouraged her to become a doctor.
In 1887, at the encouragement of Anna Wait and with Dr. Sarah Goff as her private tutor, she entered medical school at the Homeopathic Medical Department of the State University of Iowa. She graduated with a medical degree in 1889.
Following graduation, Dr. Cole practiced medicine in Port Austin, Michigan for eight years, where she became medical examiner for the Ladies of the Maccabees, as well as three years in the role as the village health officer. In 1897 she enrolled in a post-graduate course at the Hannemann Medical College of Chicago, graduating in 1898.
Upon returning to Lincoln, Anna and Walter Wait encouraged Dr. Cole to build a hospital. They gave her a corner of the Wait land directly south of Lincoln Elementary School and helped her build the Cole Sanitarium, assisting her financially until the building could be completed.
Dr. Cole’s sister, Hannah Cole, joined her as a nurse in the 16-room Cole Sanitarium. Dr. Cole’s practice grew and eventually surgeons from Salina would come to Lincoln to perform necessary surgeries. Her practice was so extensive she served not only Lincoln County but surrounding counties as well. A highlight of her career was the day she delivered four babies – one in each of the four counties she served, all within a 24-hour period.
The early days of Dr. Cole’s practice occurred during the horse and buggy days, and Dr. Cole gained a reputation for never turning down a call, no matter how bad the weather. When a snow drift was so high a horse would refuse to proceed, Dr. Cole would get out of the buggy and stomp the snow down, often coaxing the horse with a sugar cube or other treat.
Dr. Cole stayed on top of her profession as an avid reader. In the early 1900s she was already diagnosing patients with cancer and was one of the first to treat the disease by focusing the sun’s rays through colored glass on the affected area.
By all accounts, Dr. Cole was a deeply religious woman. It is said she had an enthusiastic sense of humor, a cheerful disposition and an infectious laugh. She enjoyed playing piano and singing, as well as painting in oils and watercolors. She was an active participant in the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and in Equal Rights for Women. During WWI she was chairperson of the local Red Cross. Dr. Cole remained in Lincoln for the rest of her days. She died at her home in Lincoln in 1946 at the age of 90. In her lifetime she saw the Civil War and two world wars commence and end, the end of slavery, the invention of automobiles, lifealtering breakthroughs in the field of medicine, the invention of airplanes and air travel and a plethora of other historic events. Through all this, her mission was constant – to assume the cause of humanity to make the world a better place.
