Home visits by country doctors began to disappear after the turn of the century when centralized health care developed. Dr. Powles’ house, made of local brick, became Shawville’s first hospital between 1916 and 1920.Marks on the floor of the upper tower room show where the operating table stood. This was the first of four hospitals in Shawville; the latest, Pontiac Community Hospital, built largely by English-speakers, serves the whole county as a bilingual institution.