| Summary: | This historic marker is located at the intersection of Wildwood Park Road and Waterloo Road, Florence, Alabama.
The text on side one of the marker reads: "Following an outbreak of the dreaded plaque, smallpox (Variola), at Florence during the winter of 1865-66, the Board of Alderman adopted a resolution on January 2, 1866, that a Pesthouse be “erected at the vineyard as soon as possible.” According to tradition, this Pesthouse, believed to have been a simple two-room log structure, was located in this area where people with infectious diseases could be isolated from community. Also located nearby is a small cemetery where victims of these diseases were sometimes buried in unmarked graves."
The text on side two read: "Prior to 20th Century During its early history, this area was faced with periods of infectious epidemics. One of the most feared was the small pox plague. It became a serious threat at the end of the Civil War, believed to have resulted from the frequent movements of troops here during the war. Yellow fever, a rare plague in the northern hemisphere, appeared here in the fall of 1878, resulting in 42 deaths in Florence. Four nurses from the Howard Association, a New Orleans charity organization, were sent here to assist with the sick and the dying."
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