Healing the Wounded , ,
, the Navy drew up plans for a hospital,but the sturdy building now known as the Old Naval Hospital did not open until , a year after the war ended.It opened with beds for injured and ailing seamen as well as the car- riage house/stable and gazebo that remain today. The hospital’s front door originally was on E Street facing the nearby Navy Yard and Marine Barracks; later it opened from Pennsylvania Avenue. The hospital’s first patient was -year-old African American seaman Benjamin Drummond. Drummond was admitted in June with a gunshot wound to the leg received in a Civil War battle three years before.After escaping from a Confederate prison in Texas,Drummond returned to duty,but the old wound hadn’t healed,so he was hospitalized here.In Drummond was discharged with a government pension. By the hospital was deemed “antiquated,” and it closed briefly,then reopened as the Hospital Corps Training School,where sailors learned nurs- ing,hygiene,and anatomy.From until it was the Temporary Home for Old Soldiers and Sailors. Since the building has been leased to District of Columbia government agencies.In concerned neighbors formed the Friends of the Old Naval Hospital to promote,restore,and preserve the building and grounds. As you walk along Ninth Street to the next Barracks Row Heritage Trail sign,be sure to note the variety of architectural styles.These homes were occupied by residents of all tastes and eco- nomic levels who lived side by side in this neigh- borhood.
With thanks for research by Dan Daly and Friends of the Old Naval Hospital.
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