Jackson Sanitarium, 1901.
Source: Medical Missionary, p. 422. Shared by Michael W. Campbell.
Jackson Sanitarium (1900–1909)
By Michael W. Campbell
Michael W. Campbell, Ph.D., is North American Division Archives, Statistics, and Research director. Previously, he was professor of church history and systematic theology at Southwestern Adventist University. An ordained minister, he pastored in Colorado and Kansas. He is assistant editor of The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia (Review and Herald, 2013) and currently is co-editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Seventh-day Adventism. He also taught at the Adventist International Institute for Advanced Studies (2013-18) and recently wrote the Pocket Dictionary for Understanding Adventism (Pacific Press, 2020).
First Published: November 2, 2026
The Jackson Sanitarium was a privately owned Adventist health institution located at 106 First Street at Jackson, Michigan.
Missionary work began in the summer of 1899 when students participated in a Bible school tent and began a children’s story hour program (similar to a Vacation Bible School). 1 The initiative was coordinated by E. A. Sutherland (1865-1955) and H. R. Salisbury (1870-1915) who, through support from the Michigan Conference, developed this interest into a Mission with headquarters at 245 E. Main Street. The purpose was to provide practical experience for ministerial students.2 Dr. Andrew Jackson Harris (1861-1947) joined this effort the following winter, and he stayed on to help develop a sanitarium.
The new health institution opened in April 1900 as a private, self-supporting medical Mission. It was soon announced as a Branch of the Battle Creek Sanitarium located about 47 miles west. Under the direction of Dr. A. J. Harris and his wife, Dr. Clara E. Harris (1862-1929), who served as matron3, and with support from J. G. Hanna, the health facility began work in the red brick building at 106 First Street. There were two suites of treatment rooms available on a “pay as you go” basis.4 With an investment of only $500 by the Harrises, it attracted some of the elite from the Jackson community who spread the word about its healthful treatments and, by extension, reduced prejudice in the community toward Adventists.5 Some local grocers began to stock health products from the Battle Creek Food Company.
The institution remained privately owned, and not much is known about this short-lived health institution, especially as the conflict with Dr. J. H. Kellogg developed with denominational leaders. Dr. H. F. Rand was listed as the physician with Dr. Andrew Jackson Harris as the manager/superintendent. The Harris family moved to Tennessee to assist with the Nashville Sanitarium about 1906. In 1909, the “small sanitarium” was listed for sale.6
Superintendents: A. J. Harris (1900-1906), Louis A. Kaun (1906-1909).
Sources
"Dr. A. J. Harris Rites Tomorrow.” The Tennessean, January 30, 1947.
Strayer, Brian E. “Advent Waymarks in Jackson, Michigan, Part I,” revised edition. Unpublished manuscript, 2012.
Notes