Montgomery General Hospital began serving the residents of the upper Kanawha Valley in 1918 under the name of Laird Memorial Hospital. The hospital was named after John Laird subsequent to a large sum of money offered by his family to assist with the development of the facility. Dr. William Laird was an integral part of Laird Memorial Hospital for many years and continued the Larid family name. In 1939 the hospital name was changed to Montgomery General Hospital and established as a free-standing, non- profit corporation. The hospital had numeros additions and renovations from the original building and grew to include four buildings consuming the entered block between Washington Street and Adams Street in Montgomery WV. In the booming years of coal, Montgomery General (MGH) served as a full-service hospital offering medical and surgical care to patients of all ages.

The decline of coal and the population decrease in West Virginia brought changes to Montgomery General and the population of the Upper Kanawha Valley. The pediatric and obstetrics programs closed in the decade between 1987 and 1995, and other downsizing followed. However, the hospital leaders and board recognized the need for long term care in the region and opened Montgomery General Elderly Care in 1985 as a free-standing 60 bed nursing facility and in 1987 converted one of the inpatient areas of the hospital to a 44 bed long term care unit. In 2006 MGH reduced its bed size further and applied for Critical Access Hospital status.

The hospital has maintained inpatient, outpatient and surgical services to meet the basic needs of the citizens, including a full -service radiology program, laboratory services, respiratory care services, an emergency department, outpatient therapy services and two rural health clinics for the adult and pediatric population. The secret to longevity and independence for Montgomery General has been the ability to adapt to changes in the community and technology. Within the past three years MGH has added an outpatient pharmacy, Diabetes education services and a pulmonary rehabilitation program. MGH partners with CAMC to provide tele-health specialist services to the community. The key to the future for MGH is being adaptive to the ever-changing healthcare landscape.