Groundbreaking for Woodrow Wilson General Hospital took place on June 26, 1942. Named for Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States and a native of nearby Staunton, the hospital occupied 652 acres acquired by the federal government from private landowners. About 135 single-story brick buildings connected by 2.5 miles of sheltered walkways served as a military hospital for sick, injured, and wounded World War II soldiers. Soldiers returned to the U.S. by ship to Norfolk, Virginia, then traveled by train to nearby Fishersville and by ambulance to the hospital. From the arrival of the first patients in June 1943 until the spring of 1946, more than 4,000 soldiers were cared for there. The hospital also provided rehabilitation services for disabled soldiers so they could return home and lead productive lives. After the war, the property was declared surplus and repurposed with the dual vision of rehabilitation and education. Half the site became the first state-owned and operated comprehensive rehabilitation facility in the nation, known today as the Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center. The other portion, under the Augusta County School System, now includes Wilson Memorial High School, Wilson Middle and Elementary Schools, Valley Career and Technical Center, and other local government facilities. Most of the original structures were demolished during the 1960s and 1970s.