CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — If you've driven around Clarksville, you've probably seen the name Robert Burt before, but you may not know the history.
"He actually established the very first hospital in Clarksville," said Frank Lott, executive director of the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center in Clarksville.
Lott hopes to change that with a new exhibit.
"He was actually born to freed slaves in Mississippi in 1873, became a graduate then in 1897 of Meharry Medical College in Nashville," said Lott.
In 1906, Dr. Robert T. Burt founded the Home Infirmary, officially Clarksville's first hospital, on a hill overlooking Riverside Drive.
"He had a whole staff. His wife was his lead nurse," said Lott.
Initially, the hospital only served Black patients, but expanded to all ethnicities, primarily because of Dr. Burt's skills.
"His procedures were so highly regarded, people, other physicians would visit here just to observe his practices, particularly in obstetrics. He was apparently just an amazing obstetrician and one of the earliest to perform Cesarean sections," said Lott.
For a time, Dr. Burt even did all of the births for military wives, before Fort Campbell got their own hospital.
While the hospital Dr. Burt started no longer stands, the school named in his honor still does. Burt High School graduated the likes of Olympian Wilma Rudolph before being transformed into an elementary school in the 1980s and remains open to this day.
"He not only brought that level of medical care to this community, he really just became a very inspirational figure in life," said Lott.
Which is why the Customs House Museum is so passionate about sharing Dr. Burt's story. Because in this case, the history is just as important as the name.
"His legacy lives on today because people recognize that he was indeed a giant in his profession and in his community life," said Lott.
If you'd like to see the exhibit for yourself, it runs until April 17 at Clarksville's Customs House Museum and Cultural Center.
