Dana Olden Baldwin

Dana Olden Baldwin, M.D. (March 20, 1881– November 9, 1972) was a prominent African American physician in Martinsville, Virginia. He served in World War I as a medical officer until he was honorably discharged in 1918. In addition to his medical practice, Baldwin was a successful African American businessman, with ventures including the Baldwin Business Center, St. Mary's Hospital, and Sandy Beach Resort. His businesses operated under the racial segregation of Jim Crow laws, which prevented Black customers from entry to white establishments. Baldwin Memorial Park was named in his honor.

Early life & education Baldwin was born on March 20, 1881, in Belvoir, North Carolina, and was the oldest child of Reverend James Hayes and Mary Crutchfield Baldwin. His father was a Methodist priest. Baldwin's paternal grandfather, Jerry Baldwin, and maternal grandmother, Margaret Crutchfield, were both enslaved. Baldwin worked as a farm laborer from a very young age while learning at home and eventually attending school. He graduated from the Apex Normal and Industrial Institute at the age of 16 in 1897. who founded the first area hospital and helped modernize medicine in Henry County. Baldwin assisted Shackelford as an anesthesiologist, especially when making house calls to the surrounding area,

Military service Upon entry into the military, Baldwin was commissioned to the Medical Reserve Corps and sent for basic training at Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School. Military service was racially segregated during WWI. Following an influx of African American volunteers and ongoing advocacy by the NAACP and Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), the first officer candidate class for African Americans was held at Fort Des Moines in 1917. Baldwin was awarded the rank of First Lieutenant. However, there was still some discontent at the facility as many soldiers found that he had been unfairly assessed for merely being Black. This or friction with his superior may have been a factor in Baldwin submitting his resignation from the 368th Ambulance Company of the 92nd Division, 317 Sanitary Train post he had been assigned. Despite this resignation request, the Army deployed Baldwin to France, where he served the remainder of WWI. However, Baldwin found himself mostly concerned with the outbreak of influenza which came in September 1918 (see Spanish Flu). A large portion of the Baldwin's patients mostly consisted of illness. The war came to a close in 1919, and Baldwin was honorably discharged on April 2.

Fayette Street in Martinsville had long been a local center of Black society, including churches, schools, and businesses. perhaps acting as an entry point for travelers to the local African American community, as well as recommending the safe lodgings to be found at the Douglas Hotel on Baldwin's Block or the Sandy Beach Resort on the Smith River .

Public spaces like doctor's offices and hospitals operated under strict racial segregation at this time. Recognizing this need in Martinsville, Dr. Baldwin opened a small hospital over the pharmacy owned by his younger brother, Sam Baldwin, in 1926. It was named St. Mary's, in honor of his mother who had encouraged him to study of medicine, and treated the poor African American population unable to afford or enter other hospitals. When Baldwin's Block suffered a devastating fire in 1928, St. Mary's was rebuilt and expanded to a 27-bed facility, and operated until 1952. where Baldwin grew up. The Martinsville June German Ball was first held in 1938 and continued as an annual celebration for nearly thirty years, with recent efforts to restart this tradition.

Death & legacy Dana Olden Baldwin died of a stroke on November 9, 1972. He was buried in Wake County, North Carolina, in the Baldwin Burial site, where a number of his family are also interred. Baldwin's brother Sam inherited the businesses, but died soon afterwards. Fayette Street is now home to the New College Institute, providing educational opportunities from K-12 programs to specialized trades to degree programs; the main building on their campus is the Baldwin Building, completed in 2014. Baldwin was honored as one of the Strong Men & Women in Virginia History by the Library of Virginia in 2018.