The climate and bucolic atmosphere of Napa Valley was ideal not only for resorts and relaxation. Health institutions, retirement facilities, sanitariums and asylums also began to reap the natural resources of Napa Valley early on. Three of these well-known institutions, still operating in some capacity today, are the Napa Asylum, the Veterans’ Home of California, and the St. Helena Sanitarium.
1874 | Although not a resort, the Napa Insane Asylum just south of the town of Napa took advantage of the same environmental attributes — the bucolic vistas, Mediterranean climate, and the fresh air of the Valley for the treatment of patients. Known as the “Castle,” the asylum was beautifully landscaped and self-sufficient. Patients and locals often walked the gardens. Records reveal that convalescing people would stay for up to a year and then return home. The Castle was replaced in the 1940s, but the State Hospital remains in operation today.
1876 | As the veterans of the Civil War began to age, the Grand Old Army looked for a location where the men could retire. Familiar with the healthy environment of Napa Valley, the Veterans Association purchased land west of Yountville and established a retirement home. The Home was entirely self-sufficient and access to local hot springs was revitalizing for the older veterans. Eventually, the Veterans’ Home joined the federal system and is administered today by the State of California Veterans’ Administration.
1878 | Seventh Day Adventist Dr. Merritt Kellogg, bricklayer William Pratt, and A. B. Atwood joined forces to build a two story hospital at Crystal Springs known as the Rural Health Retreat, just east of St. Helena. Renamed in 1898, the Sanitarium continued to grow eventually acquiring the Angwin Health Resort that predated the Sanitarium. The combined retreats became the Pacific Union College and St. Helena Sanitarium run by the Seventh Day Adventists. By 1891 the College graduated its first class of nurses. Both the college and hospital continue to prosper today.
