Demolition of former hospital begins

The excavators showed up at the former site of the old Shore Memorial Hospital Monday. The facility, which began serving Eastern Shore residents in 1970 was vacated when the new Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital went into service four years ago. Various options have been offered to repurpose the old building but in the end it was decided to demolish it.

The first two hospitals, both of which were known as Northampton Accomack Memorial Hospital with a name change for the second facility in the 1990s, were in Nassawadox. Both facilities served Eastern Shore residents for approximately 50 years.

Back in the twenties, a group of civic leaders got together and raised money to build a hospital on the Eastern Shore of Virginia which at that time had no medical facility. The first NAM hospital was opening in 1928 and served until 1970.

There is still a generation of Eastern Shore residents living who were born there. Ironically there are many locals who still refer to the hospital being demolished as the ” New Hospital”.