In the 1870s in Erie, Pa., the Sisters of St. Joseph began raising money to build what would be Erie's first medical institution. On Sept. 5, 1875, Saint Vincent Hospital opened; at a cost of $7,000, it was a three-story, 12-bed hospital staffed by one surgeon and seven Sisters, who handled “everything from nursing to laundry.” According to hospital historians, “The Sisters' ministry to the sick began with an unfortunate accident in front of the St. Joseph orphanage in 1874. After caring for an injured man, other cases were soon brought to the Sisters, until demand became so great that Mother Agnes Spencer obtained permission from Bishop Mullen to build the hospital.”