Sexsmith Maternity Home

From 1921 to 1958, several structures housed the Maternity Hospital for Sexsmith and area. These buildings were operated by Johanna Haakstad, a native Norwegian whose family had settled near La Glace. Already proficient in midwifery, Johanna resumed her calling in Sexsmith in 1921 with Dr. Robert Shaw. Johanna moved three times over the years as her busy practice outgrew each residence. Finally, in 1941, she purchased this dwelling which had been constructed a few years earlier for Roy and Mabel Roberts. It would serve as the district Maternity Hospital until Johanna’s retirement in 1958. By this time over 3,000 children had been brought into the world under her care, earning her the title “Nightingale of the North”. Johanna passed away in 1963, leaving many of “Jo’s babies” as her legacy. Artifacts from the Maternity Home can be viewed in the Paszkowski House (see item #24).