AnMed Health got its start in 1904 when Mrs. Jennie Gilmer, a young wife and mother, made a promise to God that that if she survived the birth of her second son, she would see that a hospital was built in Anderson. Mrs. Gilmer survived, and largely due to her efforts, the Anderson County Hospital Association, a group that would oversee the construction and operation of a new hospital, was organized and incorporated in 1906. Mrs. Gilmer and other members of the Association led a spirited effort to raise the $25,000 needed to construct the original two-story, 25-bed hospital building. Anderson County Hospital, as it was first called, officially opened on April 20, 1908.

AnMed Health has been through a number of renovations and milestones during the past 100 years. The timeline below follows our journey from Anderson County Hospital to AnMed Health.  A coffee table book of AnMed Health's history, "A Century of Healing," is available at Something Special and Something Special Too, our hospital gift shops.

1939 - Anderson County Hospital opened a 66-bed addition, named the Jennie Gilmer Pavilion in honor of the hospital founder.

1943 - Anderson County Hospital was renamed Anderson Memorial Hospital, in memory of the Anderson area residents who had lost their lives in World War I and World War II.

1947 - The hospital opened the Daniel Wing, a seven-story addition named for hospital trustee Charles E. Daniel. Today, it is the oldest remaining building from the early years.

1961 - Anderson Memorial Hospital opens The North Tower, a seven-story wing that serves as the front door to the Medical Center.

1969 - An eight-story diagnostic and treatment wing was completed, bringing the total bed capacity to 460 beds.

1989- A new cancer treatment center opens, offering advanced radiation therapies.

1990 - AnMed Wellspring, a 27-bed inpatient chemical dependency treatment facility, opens in Williamston.

1991 -The Board of Trustees approved the purchase of a 125-acre tract of land about two miles north of the hospital.

1993 - Anderson Memorial Hospital became Anderson Area Medical Center, a name that reflected the hospital's status as a state-of-the-art regional medical center. The hospital was also designated as the AnMed Health system.

1994 -The AnMed Health Board initiated its community investment program. Over the following years, it provided significant support for activities designed to improve the health of communities served by AnMed Health.

1997 - AnMed Health dedicated the D.K. Oglesby Jr. Center, a 400,000-square-foot outpatient facility on the North Campus.

2001 - Anderson Area Medical Center performed its first open-heart surgery and angioplasty. AnMed Health also became the first healthcare provider in the state to install the first all-digital mammography system.

2003 - AnMed Health Rehabilitation Hospital opened. The inpatient rehabilitation hospital became the third licensed hospital in the AnMed Health system. That same year, AnMed Health broke ground on a $120 million expansion project at the North Campus. The project included a new Women's and Children's Hospital, a cancer treatment center and a cardiac diagnostic and rehabilitation center.

2005 - AnMed Health Women's and Children's Hospital opens. The board of trustees also voted to change the name of Anderson Area Medical Center to AnMed Health Medical Center. The downtown campus on Fant Street was renamed the Medical Center Campus.

2007 - A new mission, vision and building blocks were introduced to the staff. A $74 million expansion and renovation project begins at the Medical Center.

2008 - AnMed Health celebrates its 100th anniversary.

2009 - AnMed Health signs affiliation agreements with Cannon Memorial Hospital in Pickens, S.C., and Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte, N.C., creating a new health care network for the Upstate.