MOUNT VERNON — Nearly 140 years after her death, Dr. Jane Payne received the recognition she deserved as one of the first women doctors in Ohio.
Questors Chapter 159 of Mount Vernon, Ohio History Connection, and Dr. Lorle Porter unveiled the historical marker for Payne during a ceremony Friday afternoon. The marker is located in Buchwald Plaza, near to where Payne once practiced medicine in the building now housing Knox Community Hospital’s Hull Business Center.
“It has taken the work of dedicated individuals to make this day happen,” said Questers Chapter 159 President Gail Milligan. The project to establish a historical marker to honor Payne began in 2015. “We have 19 hardworking members who decided to try to win approval from the Ohio History Connection to erect a marker honoring Dr. Payne and to raise the necessary funds to do so.”
A fundraising campaign began in January, 2017, and the chapter obtained a $750 grant to help pay for the marker.
The Questors invited Porter, a retired history professor from Muskingum College and author of “Unexpected Healer: The Story of Jane Payne, M.D. in 19th Century Mount Vernon, Ohio,” to the ceremony.
“If it had not been for her relentless research, this important part of our history might never have been discovered,” Milligan said.
Porter gave a brief history of the hardships Payne would have faced as a woman entering not only the male-dominated realm of education, but also taking her place in the medical field.
“She was a successful teacher, but she wanted to be a doctor,” Porter said.
Payne always held an interest in medicine and apprenticed with Mount Vernon’s Dr. J.W. Russell. She graduated from Woman’s Medical College in Philadelphia in 1861 as valedictorian of her class. Payne returned to Mount Vernon to begin her practice.
Payne faced many struggles, not only in a male-dominated society and profession, but also in her life. A dislocated hip when she was a child left her lame and unable to walk unless it was for short distances at a time. She lost the sight in her left eye as a child when she contracted the measles and the sight in her right eye was impaired. She would have been considered legally blind.
Payne practiced medicine in Mount Vernon for 20 years, helping to serve the poor, women, and children. During that time, she also raised her brother’s and sister’s children. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1868 and underwent two surgeries. Payne continued practicing, but as the cancer returned and got progressively worse, she was forced to step away from medicine. She died on March 17, 1882.
Payne went down in Knox County’s history as a male, constantly referred to as a “he” under the name Dr. J. Payne, until Lecky Harper, editor of the Democratic Banner, wrote her obituary.
“This is the single most important source we have of this woman’s history,” Porter said of the obituary.
Payne was buried in Mound View Cemetery on Wooster Road alongside her family.
“In 1882, the citizens of Mount Vernon honored Dr. Payne for her courage and her compassion,” said an emotional Porter. “Today, June 1, 2018, Mount Vernon Questers 159, Mount Vernon Nazarene University are proud to honor Dr. Jane Payne for her courage, her compassion.”
“It’s an honor for us to host this dedication and this marker,” said Justin Nowicki, Director of Development at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. “In reading about the life and legacy of Dr. Jane Payne, I couldn’t help but highlight a few things. First, I was reminded of the profound barriers women had to overcome to obtain education and join the workforce.
“I was struck by the way Dr. Payne, an individual who had overcome and continued to deal with health challenges, provided free healthcare to children and women in our community,” Nowicki continued. “MVNU is honored to recognize and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Jane Payne at MVNU’s Buchwald Plaza right in the heart of the community.”
“This is an inspiration. We’re proud as Knox Community Hospital to be a part of what’s taking place today,” said Bruce White, CEO of Knox Community Hospital.
David Simmons, senior editor of Ohio History Connection’s TIMELINE magazine, presented commendations to the Questors Chapter 159 and Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Gov. John Kasich also provided a proclamation honoring Dr. Payne and the work of the Questors to establish a historical marker.
Payne’s historical marker brings the total in Knox County to 10. The first marker was established in 1976 to commemorate the Christ Church at the Quarry. That was followed by markers honoring Little Indian Fields, Mary Ann “Mother Bickerdyke” Ball, Johnny Appleseed’s early landholdings, Vallandigham’s speech, John Crowe Ransom and The Kenyon Review, Colonel Lorin Andrews “First to Fight,” Kenyon College, and Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s Lakeholm Administration Building.
