Alice Scott
Community leader.
Born March 30, 1887

Registered nurse Alice Scott left an indelible mark in Sandys. The second Bermudian to train as a nurse at the Lincoln Hospital School for Nurses in New York, she became a legend in the west end after co-founding Sandys Secondary School in 1927. She was its driving force for many years, even mortgaging her home during its early years to raise funds to keep the school open.

Scott also threw herself into the battle for women's suffrage, led by Gladys Misick Morrell. She was one of the few black members of the Bermuda Woman Suffrage Society (BWSS) and served on its executive committee.

After women won the right to vote in 1944, the BWSS evolved into Bermuda Women's Civic and Political Association with the goal of getting women elected to Parliament. Scott was one of four women who ran for Parliament in the 1948 general election.

While she did not win a seat, she paved the way for future female Members of Parliament. 

Cottage Hospital opens
March 11, 1894

The Cottage Hospital, Bermuda’s first civilian hospital, opened on Happy Valley Road, Pembroke with eight beds: six for men, two for women. 

It was the brainchild of British-trained Bermudian physician Dr. Eldon Harvey, who encountered significant opposition when he cited the need for a hospital eight years earlier. 

Resistance eventually died down and by the end of 1894, eight patients had been successfully treated there.

The hospital was run by a board of governors and funded with public contributions. It was staffed by three nurses with three physicians overseeing medical care. 

Additions were made to the hospital until 1920 when it was replaced by King Edward VII Memorial Hospital on Point Finger Road, Paget.

From 1936 to 1956, the building housed the Cottage Hospital Nursing Home. It provided employment for black Bermudian nurses, who were not allowed to work at KEMH until 1958, and was also a nursing school. 

From 1965 to 2011 the building was headquarters for the Prison Service. 

It is currently unoccupied and in a run-down condition.  

Source: CARE—100 Years of Hospital Care in Bermuda by J. Randolph Williams