Although he’s been dead for nearly 90 years, Dr. Abraham Groves’ name continues to be synonymous with Fergus.
He is likely now known as the namesake behind Groves Memorial Community Hospital (GMCH), both the former site on Union Street in Fergus and the new building at Wellington Place which now bears a plaque commemorating his influence in the medical field and to the region.
Gary Bryant, a local historian who has acted as Groves at Wellington County Museum and Archives (WCMA) events, described Groves as a larger than life character.
“He was not hesitant about listing his accomplishments,” Bryant said.
His pride in what he achieved could be the reason his name has endured for so long, Bryant thinks, but Groves accomplishments are impressive.
Bryant added he wasn’t always successful, but he certainly tried a lot of things.
Among these are records of him performing x-rays as a cure for all sorts of things and Bryant said he has been accused of being a bit “knife happy,” but that aside, he appeared to be an excellent surgeon.
Bryant explained Groves may have been the first surgeon in North America to perform an appendectomy, which is reported to have happened in Fergus in the mid-1880s.
He was also an early adopter of clean surgical procedures like sterilizing instruments and using gloves.
“He might even say he was the first, but I don’t think that’s true,” Bryant said. “He was one of the first to practice that and no doubt it saved lives and certainly was a model for some of his medical students as well.”
Groves had a lot of land in Fergus and ended up with his own hospital, called the Royal Alexandra Hospital, which opened in 1902 and added a school of nursing a few years later.
Bryant said this was a 32-bed hospital, which was rather large for Fergus having a population of just a few thousand at the time.
Groves also dabbled in local politics, wrote poetry and had a hydro-electric plant on the Grand River which powered Fergus and Elora.
Groves donated the hospital land to the village in the 1930s, a few years before he died in 1935 at 87. The hospital would eventually be torn down and rebuilt as the Groves Memorial Community Hospital in the 1950s.
This hospital too would go on to close as a new GMCH was built between Fergus and Elora near the WCMA.
A historical information plaque dedicated to Groves was placed outside of the former hospital in the 1980s and was recently moved to the new hospital location with the assistance of the Wellington County Historical Society.
“It kind of didn’t make sense that the plaque was on the empty building and it ties in Dr. Groves to the hospital so people know why it’s called Groves Memorial Hospital,” said Nikki Logan, historical society board member.
“I’m sure lots of people are new to the area or younger generations probably don’t know why it’s called Groves.”
Bryant said he thinks part of Groves’ notoriety and association with Fergus is because he stayed in the area for decades and seemed happy to do so.
“He didn’t do what a lot of other people did, other people who’ve gained a certain amount of fame would leave town and seek fame and fortune elsewhere. Groves never did that,” Bryant said.