Neblett Hospital and Clinic

Duane's take

Now, I'm gonna tell this one the way the official marker tells it — so settle in, because this is a story about stubbornness, service, and one man who decided if Canyon, Texas wanted a hospital, he'd just go ahead and build one himself. West of Amarillo, Canyon had been trying for years to bring a real hospital to its people. Bond elections came up, bond elections failed, and the need just kept right on growing.

Then, in 1935, folks gathered for a public meeting, and a young doctor named Robert A. Neblett started paying close attention. He was a Tennessee native, a University of Texas graduate, a specialist in infant feeding and childhood diseases — and apparently, a man who had a hard time looking at a problem without wanting to solve it.

He researched the situation. He thought it over. And then, on April 1, 1937 — yes, April Fool's Day, of all the days to make an announcement — Dr.

Neblett stood up and declared his intention to build a hospital. For Canyon. For Randall County.

For the students over at West Texas State College. A site was chosen right downtown on 16th Street. Architect Harold Walsh of Amarillo drew up the plans.

George Small took on the contracting. And by the end of that same year, 1937, a sixteen-room, six-bed hospital was standing where there hadn't been one before. Now, don't let "six beds" fool you into thinking this was some bare-bones operation.

Those rooms had private space, an operating room, a delivery room, an office — and here's the detail that must have felt downright luxurious at the time — air conditioning. The marker calls it "a new comfort," and that is putting it gently for West Texas in the summer. The latest medical equipment was brought in, much of it donated or funded by the community itself, and the citizens didn't stop there — they petitioned to get the street around the hospital paved, and that petition was granted.

Canyon had decided this hospital was going to work, and they were going to help make it so. For five years it did exactly that. People were born there.

People were healed there. College students had somewhere to go when things went wrong. And then, on October 1, 1942, the hospital closed — not from failure, not from lack of need, but because Dr.

Neblett had a war to attend to. He joined the Medical Corps of the Army and served for twenty-eight months in the Pacific Theater. Twenty-eight months.

When it was over, he came back to Canyon. And the hospital reopened. The marker calls that a testament to his commitment to healthcare, and it's hard to argue the point.

The years went on, the community grew, and the hospital grew with it, expanding in size to keep pace. But nothing lasts forever in the physical sense. After almost four decades of service, the Neblett Hospital and Clinic closed in 1975.

The building itself no longer stands. What remains is what Canyon keeps — the memory of a doctor who showed up to a public meeting in 1935, saw a community that needed something, and spent the better part of his life making sure they had it.

What the marker says

As a small community west of Amarillo, the city of Canyon worked for years to bring a hospital to its citizens. Previous bond elections to fund a public hospital had failed, and the need for quality health care persisted. After a public meeting in 1935 in Canyon, Dr. Robert A. Neblett (1902-1961), a Tennessee native, University of Texas graduate, and infant feeding and childhood diseases specialist, researched the situation. On April 1, 1937, he announced his intention to build a hospital for the community, Randall County, and West Texas State College students. A site downtown was chosen and Dr. Neblett built a sixteen-room, six-bed hospital in 1937 on 16th Street. Architect Harold Walsh of Amarillo designed the building with George Small as the contractor. A petition from citizens to pave the street surrounding the hospital was granted. The hospital included private rooms, an operating room, delivery room, and an office, and the rooms featured air conditioning, a new comfort at the time. The latest medical equipment was used, with many items donated or funded by the community. The hospital closed on October 1, 1942 so that Dr. Neblett could join the Medical Corps of the Army, serving for 28 months in the Pacific Theater. After his WWII service, he returned to Canyon and the hospital was reopened, a testament to his commitment to healthcare. Many Canyon residents were born or treated in the Neblett Hospital and Clinic, along with countless college students, and the hospital expanded in size to accommodate the growth. After almost four decades, the hospital closed in 1975 and no longer stands. However, the memory of Dr. Neblett, a doctor dedicated to affordable and quality healthcare, endures within the community. (2017)