Longview in Gregg County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Harmon General Hospital

Gary Todd / Public Domain, March 5, 1995

1. Harmon General Hospital Marker

Inscription. Established here by the United States Army in 1942, Harmon General Hospital was named for Colonel Daniel W. Harmon (1880-1940), a medical officer in the regular army. 220 buildings were rapidly constructed on the 156-acre site, and the hospital was activated on Nov. 24, 1942, with Colonel G.V. Emerson as the first commanding officer. Harmon General had facilities for surgery, physical therapy, laboratory analysis, dental care, and medical treatment. Associated with the hospital were a post exchange, chapel, library, post office, bank, theater, gymnasium, laundry, mess halls, barracks, and living quarters for the nurses and physicians - all combined to make the facility a self-reliant community.

Major M.K. Moulding succeeded Colonel Emerson as commanding officer. 200 inmates of the prisoner of war camp at Fannin were assigned in May 1945 to work at the hospital. The facility closed when the last of the 25,000 wartime patients left in Dec. 1945.

The hospital attracted wide community support. The Garden Study Club of Longview landscaped much of the grounds. Their projects included an “allee of crepe myrtle” planted along the original main entrance.

LeTourneau College now (1976) occupies the site.

Erected 1976 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 9964.)

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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Science & Medicine • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is November 24, 1942.

Location. 32° 28.007′ N, 94° 43.778′ W. Marker is in Longview, Texas, in Gregg County. It is at the intersection of Glaske Drive and Stegall Drive, on the right when traveling north on Glaske Drive. Marker is inside the main entrance to LeTourneau University. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2100 S Mobberly Ave, Longview TX 75602, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Piney Woods.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Homestead Site (a few steps from this marker); Robert Gilmour LeTourneau (within shouting distance of this marker); Harmon General Hospital Chapel (approx. 0.4 miles away); Red Oak Missionary Baptist Church (approx. one mile away); Saint Mark C.M.E. Church (approx. one mile away); Big Inch Pipeline (approx. 1.1 miles away); Jerusalem Baptist Church (approx. 1.8 miles away); Longview Junction (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Longview.

Also see . . . Harmon General Hospital. Handbook of Texas entry on the medical complex, which pioneered treatment of syphilis. (Ken Durham, Texas State Historical Association) (Submitted on December 10, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Harmon General Hospital Main Gate image. Click for full size.

Unknown via U.S. National Library of Medicine Digital Collections (public domain)

2. Harmon General Hospital Main Gate

Harmon General Hospital - Aerial View image. Click for full size.

Unknown via U.S. National Library of Medicine Digital Collections (public domain)

3. Harmon General Hospital - Aerial View

Credits. This page was last revised on December 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 9, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,629 times since then and 116 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 9, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2, 3. submitted on December 10, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Updated and clear photo of the marker close-up. • Wide shot of marker and surrounding area in context. • Can you help?