In October 1877, future Fort Worth mayor John Peter Smith deeded five acres of land at what is now 1500 South Main Street to provide a place where individuals from Fort Worth and Tarrant County "could have the best of medical care." It would be many years before his vision for a facility on that location would be realized, but not so long before the first public hospital for the community was established.

In 1906, a hospital affiliated with the Fort Worth Medical College was opened in Fort Worth "free to all accident cases and any other cases which the authorities will accept," and the foundation for JPS Health Network was laid. Seven years later, county commissioners agreed to match city funds for the operation of a "city and county hospital," which soon opened with 25 beds.

By 1938, the downtown location was well past adequate for the demands of the region, and construction of the new hospital, on the land donated by John Peter Smith, began. The 166-bed City-County Hospital rose to many challenges, including the polio epidemic, and served as the main trauma center for Tarrant County.

In 1954, the name of the hospital was officially changed to John Peter Smith Hospital, and in 1959 the Tarrant County Hospital District was created to give the organization a sound financial footing.

The 1970s and '80s saw tremendous expansion as John Peter Smith Hospital continued to grow. By the 1990s, the need for expansion into the community was apparent, and health centers were established across the county.

Today, JPS Health Network continues to serve the needs of the families in Tarrant County, working to improve health status and access to health care. The facilities at 1500 South Main have grown to a hospital licensed for 459 beds along with a freestanding outpatient care center and a dedicated facility for psychiatric services. The new patient tower currently under construction across from John Peter Smith Hospital and our new hospital in Arlington take us into our next era.

We're proud of our history, and are looking forward to the next 100 years of caring and serving.

Download the complete JPS 100 Year History

Download the JPS Milestone Timeline