Back when I was chasing T204’s, several of them turned up individually on eBay with a stamp on the back for the “Militant Church Hospital”. Although it’s quite common to find owner or grocer stamps on the backs of old cards, this was the first time I’d ever seen a hospital’s name. And what was the “Militant Church”? Note that this is not The Church Militant, a Catholic organization (as well as a concept) that’s still well-known today.
The little that turned up when I researched this referred to a temperance movement that opened “hospitals” where drunk patients could dry out. There was definitely one in Chicago and they may have had other locations, as well. So, why did some cards get stamped with their name? Maybe they confiscated them from patients when they were involuntarily dropped off? Maybe they actually belonged to the hospital? It’s curious.
There are 6 cards I know of with these stamps. For those familiar with T204’s, it’s interesting that one (Anderson) has a blank back, the McConnell has the scarce T.T.T. back, while the rest are Ramlys. Since these turned up, circa 2010, no more have appeared.
