Angel Medical Center's mission of providing healthcare to the community can be traced back to 1923 when Dr. Furman Angel returned home to set up a clinic in some rooms on the second floor of the old Cunningham Building, in historic downtown Franklin, North Carolina.

To further the cause, in 1924 he purchased the Cope Elias house located on the present hospital grounds and started Angel Hospital. The Cope Elias house served as the hospital until 1926 when a new hospital building was completed. Subsequently, the Cope Elias house served as a residence for nurses until it was destroyed by fire several years later. The growth and demand for hospital services was so intense in 1927 that a new wing was added to the hospital.