Togus, Maine
Togus, formally known as the Togus VA Medical Center, is a facility operated by the
Togus Springs Hotel
Soldiers' home
The hotel was purchased by the federal government for US$50,000 in 1866.[1] Togus began operations on October 6, 1866 as the Eastern Branch of the National Asylum For Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.[1] The first veteran admitted was James P. Nickerson of Company A, 19th Massachusetts Volunteers.[2] Two hundred veterans were living at Togus during the summer of 1867, and a new barracks, hospital, and chapel were under construction.[2] A fire in a main building on January 7, 1868, displaced 270 residents.[2] Three 3-story brick dormitories and an amusement hall recreation building were built in 1868.[2] Togus resembled a military establishment where the men wore surplus blue army uniforms and were subject to military discipline including confinement in the guardhouse for infractions of the rules.[3] The residents signed over their federal pension in return for their care.[3]
Those who were able to work could earn money working at the shops or farms raising much of the food consumed at Togus.
The
Veterans Administration hospital
Additional buildings were constructed to convert the site to a Veterans Administration hospital. The facilities, along with the adjacent Togus National Cemetery, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. The Governor's House, the oldest building in the complex and the oldest veteran-related facility in the country, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973.
On July 8, 2010 a veteran, with ongoing health issues, had an armed confrontation with police and a Maine game warden in a wooded area of the campus after calls were placed to authorities regarding gunshots. The veteran was shot and killed by police.[12]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Jones (1999) p. 4
- ^ a b c d Jones (1999) p. 5
- ^ a b c d e Jones (1999) p. 6
- ^ Jones (1999) pp. 8–9
- ^ Jones (1999) pp. 4–5
- ^ Jones (1999) pp. 5–6
- ^ a b c d e f Jones (1999) p. 7
- ^ Jones (1999) p. 18
- ^ Jones (1999) p. 28
- ^ Jones (1999) p. 32
- ^ Jones (1999) p. 9
- ^ Martinez, Edecio. "Armed Veteran Shot, Killed by Officers Outside Maine VA Hospital". CBS News. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
References
- Jones, Robert C. (1999). Two Feet to Togus. Evergreen Press.
- Barney, Peter S. (1986). The Kennebec Central and Monson Railroads. A&M Publishing.
- Moody, Linwood W. (1959). The Maine Two-Footers. Howell-North.