A Silent Yountville Jewel, the Verterans Home of California at Yountville

An article by Howard Yune in Sunday’s Napa Register, Yountville: Where old vets go to live, reminded me of the many visits I have taken up there. Granted its only one quarter mile away and approximately 100 feet in elevation above my office, but every time I go there I feel as if I am be elevated. Some of visits have been to the Napa Valley Museum, the local Greek Festival at Greek Easter was held there for three years, the wonderful Lincoln Theater and the very thoughtful Verteran’s Home Historical Museum of the facility and of many of the Members.

Here are a few facts about the Home:

• Operated by the California Department of Veterans Affairs
• It was founded in 1884
• Currently there are 1,011 residents as of June which includes 186 (79 are veteran’s spouses)
• Members who served in World War ll ….353
• Members who served in Vietnam ……….256
• Members who served in Korea …………..240
• Members who served in the Gulf War ……..8
• Members who served in peacetime……….75

The Home provides living accommodations, intermediate care, residential care for the elderly and skilled nursing care. It has it own hospital, mess hall, moving theater,

bowling alley, swimming pool and more. Members must be a California resident, at least 62 years old and have been honorably discharged from active duty in the U. S. armed forces. The Home’s web site is Veterans Home of Yountville.

Here a few excerpts from Howard’s article:

For 127 years, the Veterans Home of California at Yountville has been the final home for thousands of U.S. service members. The center houses more than 1,000 veterans and their spouses, and another 5,500 service members are buried there.

In 1884, two veterans’ societies opened a building on what had been a farm to care for 55 disabled and indigent former soldiers who had fought in the Mexican and Civil wars.

After California took over the home in 1900, a series of mostly Mission Revival structures gradually replaced the original Victorian-style buildings to house a hospital, dining hall, offices and a recreation center.

Shuttle vans carry residents to Napa and Fairfield for shopping and restaurants or to San Francisco for museum visits and baseball games.

On the Veterans Home grounds, the social calendar includes nightly movies, two hours’ exclusive use of the pool and a variety of performances — some by the Jammers band, a 14-piece ensemble of mostly veterans.