Hammond General Hospital

Hammond General Hospital, was a large US Army medical treatment facility during World War 2. Hammond General Hospital operates on 267 acres of land in Modesto, California purchased from the County of Stanislaus. Hammond General Hospital is named after Brigadier General William A. Hammond (1828-1900). William A. Hammond was appointed US Army Surgeon General by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. William A. Hammond also founded the American Neurological Association in 1875. The general hospital opened in 1942 with 2,540 beds to serve wounded servicemen. By the end of war, in 1945, the Hospital had 2,556-beds. The Hospital had 240 buildings that included 78 wards, convalescent wards, clinics, barracks, offices, warehouses, 6 mess halls, water treatment pump houses, laundry houses and utility shops. To move supplies and troops a rail station off the Southern Pacific Railroad's Fresno Line was installed at the Hospital. Hammond General Hospital was closed in December 1945. Hammond General Hospital became the Modesto State Hospital on October 20, 1947. On August 10, 1970 the Modesto State Hospital became the West Campus of Modesto Junior College, a Community college, part of the Yosemite Community College District. Part of the land also became a juvenile justice center. [1][2][3][4]

Hammond General Hospita in 1943

Vernalis Reconditioning Center and Vernalis Prisoner of War Branch Camp

The Hammond General Hospital a subcamp, near the town of Vernalis, California on 52 acres. The Army built 938 temporary buildings that were used for the Vernalis Reconditioning Center, a large convalescent center for the wounded serviceman and to house prisoner of war at the Vernalis Prisoner of War Branch Camp. German POWs picked tomatoes, guayule, and worked in the farmland in the area. The camp held 757 prisoners who volunteered to work in agricultural jobs for better treatment. The POW camp had 250 trusted POWs work at the Reconditioning Center. The POW camp opened in June 1945 and closed in March 1946. [5] The camp and center were near the Naval Auxiliary Air Station Vernalis, which gave some support to the center. [6]

Modesto State Hospital

Modesto State Hospital was purchased from the US federal government in November 1946. The Hospital operated as a temporary state mental Hospital. When Modesto State Hospital opened it took in patients from other overcrowded State Hospitals. The Modesto State Hospital took in the mentally ill and the mentally deficient patients. By September 1951 the Hospital started an admissions department and receive new patients. In 1951 the Hospital had its most patients 2,369, which it maintained till 1963. In 1963 the patient population declined and was closed in 1972. [7]

See also

References
  1. "Historic California Posts: Hammond General Hospital". www.militarymuseum.org.
  2. Modesto Junior College West Campus map
  3. "Maps and Parking - MJC". www.mjc.edu.
  4. "Photo of Modesto State Hospital".
  5. Matthews, Sam. "German POWs picked tomatoes and worked in Tracy warehouses 75 years ago". Tank Town Media.
  6. "Historic California Posts: Naval Auxiliary Air Station, Vernalis". www.militarymuseum.org.
  7. "Inventory of the Department of Mental Hygiene - Modesto State Hospital Records". oac.cdlib.org.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.