Places for Healing

Gibson Grove is a historical African American community, located in Cabin John, Maryland, and was established in the 1880s. Named for the African American Gibson family who relocated there after the Civil War, the community was home to ten core families, a church, and an African American school. Learn more about the lives and work of the Gibson Grove residents and how the community endured well into the twentieth century.

The Greenbrier is a luxurious resort located in rural West Virginia, established in the early 19th century. During World War II, The Greenbrier “went to war” for the United States, serving as an internment center for enemy diplomats, a general hospital for US troops, and a Cold War-era bunker location.

Though not yet a state, the Alaska Territory served as both America’s home front and front line during World War II. While the Aleutian Islands became a battleground, war-weary soldiers took refuge in the breathtaking landscape beneath America’s tallest mountain.

This article highlights five well-documented examples of hotels that were transformed into US Army General Hospitals during World War II. Hundreds of buildings were taken over by the military for use as hospitals and other purposes for the duration of the war.

Wartime NPS Director Newton Drury wrote 'In wartime, the best function of these areas is to prove a place to which members of the armed forces and civilians may retire to restore shattered nerves and to recuperate physically and mentally for the war tasks still ahead of them.' During World War II, parks across the United States supported the morale of troops and sought to become places of healing for those returning from war.

The “U.S. Naval Convalescent Hospital Yosemite National Park, California” was commissioned on June 25, 1943. Originally thought of a the perfect recovery spot for those suffering from shell-shock or battle fatigue (now known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Treatments at the later-renamed Yosemite Special Hospital experiment focused physical and mental health. It proved to be a watershed event in the development of U.S. military medical rehabilitation techniques.

Fort Des Moines is a military installation in Des Moines, Iowa. During World War I, the fort served as the first and only training site for African American officers. During World War II, Fort Des Moines was the first training site for the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), and the only training site for WAC and WAAC officers.

Assan Beach, the 2,500-yard shoreline stretching between Punta Adilok (Adelup Point) and Punta Assan (Asan Point), which the Marines in World War II called a "pair of devil horns," is a poignant symbol of the Guam's complex history, blending indigenous CHamoru traditions, wartime struggle, and ongoing military presence. In many ways, the story of Guam can be read through the story of Assan Beach. Talk a walk through history at Assan Beach.