Our History
Providing quality healthcare to the Shelby County community has been a tradition of Shelby Memorial Hospital for over 90 years. Shelby Memorial Hospital was established in Shelbyville, the county seat, in 1916. During that year, a campaign was launched by Senator George D. Chaffee to bring healthcare services to the area. After residents and organizations worked tirelessly to build contributions for a hospital fund, work on the hospital building was started in 1917 and the new building, built on land that was formerly an old Lutheran Cemetery on South Cedar Street, was dedicated on July 4, 1918. The day the country celebrated its Independence, Shelby County residents also celebrated their Independence to have quality healthcare services in their own backyard.
Shelby Memorial Hospital is the county’s only hospital, featuring 30 inpatient beds and a wide variety of outpatient services – a big step from the hospital’s early beginnings.
About Shelbyville
Shelbyville, located along the Kaskaskia River, has a population of almost 5,000 people. Founded in 1827, Shelbyville was named in honor of Isaac Shelby, hero of the Revolutionary War and Governor of Kentucky. In 1835, Barnett Bone, a Tennessean, built a log cabin along the Kaskaskia River. This early settlement became the first and only county courthouse.