A Place of Hope and Healing



                                                             
Welcome to a history of the South Mountain Restoration Center. This story will take you across ground that has been walked by thousands of “tuberculosis patients, undernourished children, World War I veterans, mentally retarded woman, geriatric patients, and troubled youth.”[1] For over a century this has been a place of hope and healing and this impressive complex stands as a symbol of our society’s enduring battle to care for those too ill to take care of themselves.

[1] Kathryn Yelinek, The History of South Mountain Restoration Center 1901-2001 (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 2001), 35.

     The purpose and history of this center is deeply connected to the land, climate, and geography of this area. Located on top of the South Mountain ridge, in south central Pennsylvania, at an elevation of 1,600 feet, the 500 acres of the Restoration Center has offered a perfect setting for those in need of a healthy place to live, heal, and find hope.[1]

[1] “Mt. Alto Sanatorium Started From a Tent Near Present Site,” The Record Herald, 1947.