Finney General Hospital, named in honor of Brigadier General John M.T. Finney, was authorized on September 30, 1942, and dedicated on June 16, 1943, on this site. It was one of sixty Army hospitals across the country built to care for sick and wounded World War II soldiers. Under Colonel Samuel M. Browne, Finney grew to two hundred buildings, including hospital wards, a theater, gymnasium, chapel, bowling alley, and barracks for German prisoners of war. Numerous celebrities visited to entertain patients and staff. Citizens of Thomas County provided support through the Grey Ladies Corps, plantation picnics, use of the YMCA, and lodging for soldiers’ families in private homes. Finney General closed on December 15, 1945, having treated 23,055 World War II veterans.