BEDFORD — The Lawrence County Museum of History will dedicate and celebrate the preservation of the St. Vincent Dunn Hospital stained-glass windows during a special dedication and reception on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the Lawrence County Museum of History, on the north side of the square.
The public is invited to join the Museum in honoring the important place Dunn Hospital—and later St. Vincent Dunn Hospital—has held in the lives and history of Lawrence County.
A Window Into Our History
For more than a century, Dunn Hospital was woven into the fabric of the Lawrence County community. Generations of residents passed through its doors during some of life’s most important moments—birth, illness, surgery, recovery, and loss.
It was also a place of service. Physicians, nurses, employees, volunteers, and community leaders devoted their time and talents to caring for their neighbors.
“Everyone in this community has a connection to Dunn Hospital in one way or another,” said Marla Jones, Lawrence County Historian and Museum Curator. “Perhaps you were born there, worked there, volunteered there, visited a loved one there, or received care there. Dunn Hospital was part of the lives of generations of Lawrence County families.”
The hospital’s philosophy of “treating the patient, not just the disease” reflected its commitment to caring for people as individuals and responding to the changing needs of the community.
The Story in the Glass
The stained-glass windows were part of the St. Vincent Dunn Chapel. An announcement published in the May 11, 2013, edition of the Times-Mail noted that the chapel’s blessing had taken place on April 22, 2013.
Today, the windows have a new home at the Lawrence County Museum of History, where they will continue to offer beauty and reflection while helping tell the story of Dunn Hospital and its place in Lawrence County.
For centuries, stained glass has been used to bring color, light, beauty, and storytelling into important spaces. The Museum believes these windows can serve a similar purpose in their new setting.
“These windows will provide a beautiful and calming presence in the Museum while helping us tell the story of Dunn Hospital and its importance to our community,” Jones said. “They remind us that our history is found not only in famous events and extraordinary people, but also in the everyday places that touched our lives.”
The windows also carry their own story of craftsmanship. The names Eichhorn Art Glass and Blanton Art Glass are incorporated into the windows themselves. Eichhorn Art Glass designed the stained-glass windows, while Blanton Art Glass produced the ecclesiastical art glass in Louisville, Kentucky.
Preserving More Than an Object
For the Lawrence County Museum of History, preserving these windows is about more than preserving beautiful pieces of glass.
It is about preserving the stories connected to them.
“An object can appear ordinary until we know its story,” Jones said. “The glass is beautiful, but when we understand where it came from and the people and memories connected to it, it becomes something much more significant. The glass is beautiful—but the memories are priceless.”
The Museum hopes the windows will encourage former patients, families, physicians, nurses, employees, volunteers, and community members to remember and share their own Dunn Hospital stories.
“History isn’t preserved only in documents and photographs,” Jones said. “It also lives in people’s memories. We want these windows to help bring those memories forward so they can be shared with present and with future generations.”
Dedication and Reception
The St. Vincent Dunn Hospital Stained Glass Windows Dedication and Reception will be held:
Saturday, October 3, 2026
Reception 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Program at 10:30 a.m.
Lawrence County Museum of History Meeting Room
The event will include a short program, remarks about the history of Dunn Hospital and the stained-glass windows, followed by a reception.
Former Dunn Hospital employees, physicians, nurses, volunteers, patients, families, and members of the Lawrence County community are especially encouraged to attend.
The Lawrence County Museum of History is honored to preserve these windows as a lasting reminder of an institution that touched generations of Lawrence County lives.
A beautiful piece of glass has become a window into our history.
Admission is free, and the public is warmly invited.
