 In May 1895 Judge Solomon Hicks Bethea purchased land for $3,500 and gave it to the City of Dixon for the establishment of a hospital in the memory of his wife, Katherine Shaw Bethea, who in her short lifetime had been deeply interested in the establishment of a hospital for Dixon, and during her last illness frequently expressed the wish that such work might be accomplished in the near future.On May 27, 1895, Mayor Charles H. Hughes informed the City Council of this gift.An ordinance was passed to establish and maintain a hospital for the use and benefit of the citizens of Dixon.