Fort Ord war hospital placed on National Register of Historic Places

The Fort Ord Station Veterinary Hospital has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The vet hospital, completed in 1941, was one of the last-built Army medical facilities for mounted, horse-drawn and mule-packing units. It was one of 12 such facilities built in the lead-up to World War II and it’s the only one remaining.

After the Army activated Fort Ord in 1940, the horse-drawn 76th Field Artillery Battalion, stationed at the Presidio of Monterey, became the first unit of the 7th Infantry Division at the new base. Horse stables and the veterinary hospital were erected for field artillery and cavalry use, but the Army mostly stopped using horses in warfare in the early 1940s.

The buildings are situated in the Marina Equestrian Center Park.

Tours of the facility will be given during the 5th Annual Veterans Day Celebration on Saturday, Nov. 8. For more information, call 224-4534 or email fortordhistory@gmail.com.