Traveling on the way to work every day, it is easy to miss the beauty and the history that surrounds me as I drive by. I have been meaning to stop by and take pictures of some of the areas on Fort Leavenworth, but am often prevented from doing so by a better idea at the time. Days turned into weeks and months. Fall turned into Winter, and Winter, Spring. And during my last weeks here at Fort Leavenworth, I am once again seeing the buildings that I have driven or run by on a daily basis. It took a scavenger hunt in search of a correct office that led me to explore the early hospitals on the historic Fort Leavenworth Army Post.
Deep behind trees and other building is the current Fort Leavenworth Judge Advocate General (JAG) Headquarters stands the “Second Post Hospital” building. Built in 1883, the building was the hospital of the post until 1902. The building has a historic wooden porch wrapped around the entire building and the inside still has the feel of an old hospital with its long hallways and many doors.
Closeby to the “Second Hospital” is the “Station Hospital”, which now houses the family resilience and Army Community Services (ACS). This old hospital was the hospital used by Soldiers and their families through two World Wars and Korea. One notable feature that stands out to me are the strong trees that where placed in its front lawn many years ago. These trees are now fully grown and provide a heavy canopy of shade to the buildings from lawn. Another notable feature is the additions that where made to the rear of the building through the years. While the front of the building looks much like it did when the hospital was built, the back of the hospital has severaldifferent added buildings and walk ways that were built as the medical science advanced and the post grew in size. Looking at the additions to the building helps one understand the need to build a newer hospital in 1961, in time for the Vietnam War.
Keith Andrews says
One thing you may not know that you saw was one of my favorite aspects of Fort Leavenworth and that was the Trolley Line along the trees. I wrote about it here: Trolley Line
Richard Muniz says
Despite having been an MP, I only got to visit Ft. Leavenworth once. Two investigators and myself attended a course on “Occult crimes investigations” help by the State of Kansas there. While there, I got to talking with an LT who turned out to be heavily involved with the detention facility there. I asked her that since she was who she was, and we were who we were, if she could arrange a tour.
She got us in, and it was most definitely an education. Unfortunately, that and the Commissary was all I ever saw of this historic post. Wish I’d seen more.
Thanks for the photos, Sir, and God bless!