Portsmouth Naval Hospital built and commissioned; oldest in the United States.
April 5, 1830
The Portsmouth Naval Hospital sits on a peninsula joining the Elizabeth River at a site that once housed Fort Nelson, a fort built during the American Revolution. To save on costs, part of the hospital was built with the bricks from the fort. The first patients arrived in 1830 as a result of the Mexican-American War. The number of patients grew in 1855 with the Yellow Fever epidemic and again with the Civil War. In 1897, the hospital received its first x-ray machine. Today, 4300 sailors and civilians take care of over 420,000 active duty military, veterans, and their families.
Portsmouth Naval Hospital built and commissioned; oldest in the United States.
April 5, 1830
The Portsmouth Naval Hospital sits on a peninsula joining the Elizabeth River at a site that once housed Fort Nelson, a fort built during the American Revolution. To save on costs, part of the hospital was built with the bricks from the fort. The first patients arrived in 1830 as a result of the Mexican-American War. The number of patients grew in 1855 with the Yellow Fever epidemic and again with the Civil War. In 1897, the hospital received its first x-ray machine. Today, 4300 sailors and civilians take care of over 420,000 active duty military, veterans, and their families.