Dr. Matilda A. Evans (1872 – 1935) was a physician and philanthropist who worked tirelessly for the African American community and bridged racial and gender divides with her work. Dr. Evans was a major reformer and public health advocate and was the first black woman to practice medicine in South Carolina. A graduate of the Schofield School in Aiken and Oberlin College, Evans received her M.D. from the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1897. She then moved to Columbia and in 1901 founded the first African American hospital in the city, Taylor Lane Hospital & Training School for Nurses. After it burned in 1914, Evans soon opened St. Luke’s Hospital & Training School for Nurses, which closed in 1918. She served in the U.S. Army Sanitary Corps during World War I and later founded the S.C. Good Health Association. In 1922, Evans became the first female president of the all-black Palmetto Medical Association. 2027 Taylor Street was both her office and residence from 1928-1935.