History

Alvin C. York Veterans' Administration Medical Center & Nashville VA Medical Center

Since 1940, American Veterans have been treated at what used to be called the Murfreesboro Veterans' Administration Hospital, which is now part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System. It has seen the United States’ finest — those who have valiantly given service to their country — mending them from mental or physical illness, or both. 

Constructed in 1939, the historic campus once sat on 602 acres but later reduced its footprint to 321 acres. The historic buildings exhibit Classical Revival characteristics from the Late 19th and early 20th century periods — typical of Period II Second Generation VA Hospitals — but it is further enhanced by Greek Revival elements, including a two-story portico based on that of the Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson’s residence near Nashville, Tennessee. 

In 1985, the Murfreesboro Veterans' Administration Hospital earned its current namesake after Sgt. Alvin Cullium York, a World War I hero and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient hailing from Pall Mall, Tennessee. In the late 1990s, the medical center and its outlying clinics merged with the Nashville VA Medical Center and its clinics to create the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System — a health care network consisting of two VA medical centers and 21 outpatient clinics serving 141,000 Veterans in middle Tennessee, southern Kentucky, and northern Georgia. 

The Alvin C. York VA Medical Center was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 2012. 

Below is the timeline of the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center:

1936: President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the construction of a neuropsychiatric hospital in the peaceful solitude of 602 acres in rural Murfreesboro on Nov. 19, 1936.

1940: The hospital was activated Jan. 1, 1940, with a bed capacity of 600 veterans and 351 employees. Living quarters were provided for resident nurses, attendants, and officials. The medical center produced a portion of its own vegetables, beef cattle and hogs.

1947: Hospital radio station WVAH inaugurated and programs were broadcast from the hospital.

1959: Building 107, which housed the gymnasium, movie theater, bowling alley and an interior pool was dedicated, along with a ball field.

1961: Patients constructed the fountain in front of Building 107.

1981: New main entrance on Highway 231 opened.

1983: A 135-bed acute medical unit opened.

1985: The Murfreesboro VA Medical Center was renamed the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in honor of Sgt. Alvin C. York, Tennessee’s World War I hero. The facility was renovated and a new surgical and ambulatory care wing was added.

1989: To meet increasing needs of an aging veteran population, a 120-bed nursing home was added.

1999-2000: Murfreesboro’s veterans hospital became a part of the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System.