Great Lakes Dismukes project

Preserving Black history in Appalachia

An old, neglected house with peeling white paint, surrounded by greenery, under a clear sky. It appears abandoned and in disrepair, with overgrown bushes.

Dr. Henry Dodford Dismukes, a Black doctor in Kimball, West Virginia, started a hospital in the 1930s that faced injustice and was forced to close. After discovering MCC-owned land once held the hospital and nurses’ home, MCC began working to tell Dr. Dismukes’ story. MCC is in the process of rehabilitating the remaining nurses’ home to create a learning center to support the community. MCC is working to share not only the story of Dr. Dismukes, but also to preserve other stories of Black history in Appalachia.