The Catawba Sanatorium, founded in Virginia in 1908, was a public institution for the treatment of tuberculosis. It was known as one of the most organized and best equipped institutions of its kind. W.W. Baker, born October 20, 1844, founded the sanatorium after he experienced the disease himself. He introduced a bill passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1908 that made the sanatorium a possibility. Apparently many contented patients stayed at Catawba. Visitors commented on the cheerful atmosphere and smiling faces. The Catawba Sanatorium of the Commonwealth of Virginia stayed open until the late 1940s and 50s, when better methods were found for the treatment of tuberculosis. The sanatorium became the Catawba Hospital, which is still being used today.