Marie L. Hidell

This is the first in a series of digital tours of The Woodlands.  See this blog post for more details. 

In September 1918, Philadelphia was struck by the influenza pandemic known as the "Spanish flu". At the front lines of the outbreak was Navy Nurse Marie Louise Hidell, who treated afflicted soldiers and sailors at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Philadelphia.

Marie was a Navy Nurse at the Naval Hospital when a ship from Boston carrying influenza docked at the Navy Yard. City officials were slow to take precautions to curtail the spread of disease, and the epidemic quickly swept through the city. Marie worked fearlessly and tirelessly as the growing number of influenza patients overwhelmed hospital staff. In one night, Marie was personally responsible for admitting 188 patients. Unfortunately, Marie herself soon contracted the flu. Her condition rapidly declined, and she succumbed to the illness on September 28th.

Marie L. Hidell was buried at The Woodlands with full military honors, including a 21 gun salute. On Veterans Day in 1920, Marie was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, a decoration second only to the Medal of Honor. She is one of only four women in history to receive this honor.

If you have a GPS enabled device, you can also  view this map in Google Maps  to track your current position.