FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) -On Thursday, Nov. 17, McLeod Health will conclude a year-long celebration of 110 years of providing care to the region with two free public events in downtown Florence:  a Historical Marker Dedication Ceremony at the Florence County Museum, and a Commissioned Choral Symphony presented at the Francis Marion Performing Arts Center.

At 5:30 p.m., a marker from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History will be unveiled on the 100 Block of West Cheves Street, adjacent to the Florence County Museum, at the site of the original McLeod Infirmary established by Dr. F.H. McLeod in 1906.  The two-sided marker will bear the inscription:The McLeod Infirmary was located here in 1906, inspired by the need to provide access to local medical and surgical care for the people of the region.  Frank Hilton McLeod was born in Richmond County, N.C. in 1868 and graduated from the University of Tennessee Medical School. In 1891, he moved to Florence and chartered the Florence Infirmary. By the 1920s it was the third largest hospital in the state. In 1930, with the assistance of the Duke Endowment, McLeod Infirmary became a non-profit institution. A new building opened in 1935 and expanded capacity to 190 beds. Renamed McLeod Memorial Hospital in 1971, expansion continued when 14 blocks of Urban Renewal land were acquired just east of this location. The McLeod Regional Medical Center opened in 1979 with over 300 beds and improved acute care facilities.

This marker is the first to be placed in the core of the revitalization of downtown Florence.

At 7:30 p.m., the Florence Symphony Orchestra, The Masterworks Choir, and Soloists will present “It Is Well – A Healing Suite”, a commissioned choral symphony at the Francis Marion Performing Arts Center. The four movement work is composed by Dr. Brandon D. Goff, Professor of Music at Francis Marion University, and uses familiar hymns with texts centered on healing and comfort: There Is a Balm in Gilead, Abide With Me, Stand By Me, and It Is Well with My Soul.  The symphony will be conducted by Dr. Terry Roberts and features soloists Roger Kirby, Gracie Myers, and Rebecca Thompson, and speaker David Hamilton.  The auditorium will open at 7:00 p.m. for general admission seating.

These events are gifts to the community from McLeod Health and have no admission charge.Information above was taken from a press release