Bath VA Medical Center is a U.S. Veterans Administration hospital located in Bath,

Steuben County, New York Steuben County (stu-BEN) is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,584. Its county seat is Bath. Its name is in honor of Baron von Steuben, a Prussian general who fought on the American ...

. Affiliated with the

University of Rochester School of Medicine A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, it provides secondary care and operates clinics in Elmira and

Wellsville, New York Wellsville is a Town and largest community in Allegany County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 7,099. Wellsville is centrally located in the south half of the county, north of the Pennsylvania border ...

; and

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and

Wellsboro, Pennsylvania Wellsboro is a borough in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. The borough was founded by Benjamin Wistar Morris. It is located northwest of Williamsport. The population was 3,472 at the 2020 census. Early in the 20th century, Wellsboro was the shipp ...

. It was added to the

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in 2013, and designated a national historic district.

Soldiers' and Sailors' Home

The original hospital was established in 1877 by the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

. The property was transferred to the State in 1878, greatly expanded, and rededicated in 1879 as the New York State Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, Bath. It initially housed disabled New York veterans of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, but, as the men aged, it became largely a geriatric facility. The number of residents peaked at 2,143 in 1907. By 1928, the number of residents had fallen to 192. Veterans of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

also were treated at the facility. More than 32,000 veterans received treatment between 1879 and 1932. Adjacent to the home is Bath National Cemetery, where many of its residents are buried.

Veterans Administration

The federal government took over operations in 1929, and renamed it the Bath Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. The U.S. Veterans Administration was created in 1930, and the hospital and its grounds were deeded over to it in 1932. The modern medical center is mostly an outpatient facility. It has a capacity of 440 beds, and provides services to more than 12,000 veterans.

Gallery

File:Hospital - N.Y. State Soldiers' and Sailors' Home Bath, N.Y. 1910.jpg, Original hospital File:View of front of building, by Ackerman Bros..png, Barracks and Mess Hall. File:View of ward with some residents, by Ackerman Bros..png, Interior of ward. File:View of dining room, by Ackerman Bros..png, Dining room. File:Interior view, by Ackerman Bros..png, Kitchen.

References

* Robert E. Yott, ''From Soldiers' Home to Medical Center'' (2006)

External links

New York State Soldiers & Sailors Home
from Historic American Buildings Survey, HABS. {{National Register of Historic Places in New York Historic American Buildings Survey in New York (state) Hospital buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Veterans Affairs medical facilities Hospital buildings completed in 1879 Buildings and structures in Steuben County, New York Old soldiers' homes in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Steuben County, New York