The Pest House in Stillwater Township, Minnesota, United States, is a former

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

facility used by the city of Stillwater circa 1872 to 1910. It is a rare surviving example of a

pest house A pest house, plague house, pesthouse or fever shed was a type of building used for persons afflicted with communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera, smallpox or typhus. Often used for forcible quarantine, many towns and cities had one ...

, a common public health strategy of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where people with contagious diseases were isolated. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1980 for having local significance in the theme of health/medicine. The original three-room Pest House has been converted into a private residence, with the addition of a porch on the southeast and a rear wing to the northwest.

History

In 1871 the Stillwater city council appointed a

local board of health Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environmenta ...

. One of its tasks was to prevent epidemics by isolating visitors or residents found to have contagious diseases. Thus the following year the city purchased a property on a hill outside town, on which was built the Pest House. It primarily served to isolate victims of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

, but also saw cases of scarlet fever,

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several d ...

, and

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

. Stillwater ceased use of the Pest House in 1910, as hospitals were assuming the role of treating contagious diseases. The building was later converted into a private residence.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota 1872 establishments in Minnesota Houses completed in 1872 Hospital buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Houses in Washington County, Minnesota Quarantine facilities in the United States Stillwater, Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Minnesota

History

See also

References