Historic Take | David McFarland
Beginning this month, David McFarland of the Montgomery county Historical Society will be sharing stories of historic people, events and places in the county. The column will appear in the first newspaper of each month.
At the north end of Red Oak lies Evergreen Cemetry, therein lie many past citizens of our community and with them lie countless stories. One such story is the of Iphigemia McElhiney, a diminutive lady, whose appearance belied her character, courage and resolve. Born April 1887, she was a wife, mother and Red Cross nurse. But she was more than that; she was a hero in the truest sense. Iphy was known and loved by many; now she is mostly forgotten.
In 1918, while in the grip of World War I. a horrible disease broke out in the trenches of Europe, the Spanish Flu. It claimed hundreds of lives and added to the already devastating casualties of the war. With November came the end of the War, and the flu seemed to go with it, heavy sigh of relief. But in 1919, it came back worse than ever. It is a little recognized fact that it was one of the worst pandemics to strike mankind. Estimates run everywhere from 20 million to as high as 100 million, and no part of the globe was safe. It has been stated that possibly as much as 3 to 5 percent of the world population fell victum. You have to go no further than Evergreen Cemetery to find some of those who were taken. Schools, movie theaters, and public places were closed; people went about in surgical masks in ill-fated hopes that they would protect against the virus.
The Spanish Flu was very much like the H1N1 virus, a.k.a. bird flu, that we hear of today. It often struck young adults the hardest, especially pregnant women. Red Oak had a hospital on Washington Street, but there was great fear it would be a place for the disease to spread. There was little in the way of treatment such as anti-virals. The number one treatment was aspirin. Many companies quickly jumped into the business of making aspirin. Often they had no idea of pharmacology and even less concern for the clients and quality. Exact numbers are not known, but estimates claim that tens of thousand flu patients died of poison aspirin.
In 1919, the decision was made to find a site for a seperate flu hospital. The old Masonic Building on the corner of 4th and Coolbaugh was choosen. This is where Mrs. McElhiney comes in; she was a trained nurse and she was put in charge. Iphy took charge and did something that is not often seen in the historical records of those times. She operated the hospital from 1919 until 1921 and never lost a patient, and no one can tell you how she did it.
Her photograph and story are proudly displayed at the Montgomery County History Center in Red Oak. If you find yourself in the old section of the Evergreen Cemetery and you see a headstone with the name McElhiney on it, stop and take a moment to pay your respects.