Members of the Fort Bayard Fire Department in 1924The Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society will present a program to celebrate the 159th birthday of the facility, on Saturday, August 2, at 2:30 p.m. in the New Deal Theater, on the grounds of Fort Bayard National Historic Landmark.
The program will feature a presentation about the history of the Fort Bayard Fire Department. John Baker, who currently serves as a volunteer fire fighter, and is a member of the FBHPS Board of Directors, will present the keynote talk, which will touch on the evolution of the department from 1866 to the present.
Fort Bayard was officially established on August 21, 1866 by Company B of the 125th Colored Infantry regiment. The fort was an active military post until 1899, and typically housed a contingent of several hundred soldiers, including both cavalry and infantry companies. The mission changed in 1899 when Fort Bayard became the first Army hospital dedicated to the treatment of tuberculosis. In 1920 the facility was transferred to the U.S. Public Health Service, who then turned it over to the Veterans Administration in 1922. From then until 1964 it was known as Veterans Hospital No. 55, and still specialized in the treatment of tuberculosis.
The VA sold Fort Bayard to the State of New Mexico in 1964, and the State continues to own the site today. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2004. The Historic Preservation Society was created in the early 2000's to keep the stories of Fort Bayard alive.
This year's celebration will include a birthday cake and other refreshments. Admission is free, and donations are welcome. More information is available at www.historicfortbayard.org and on the Society's Facebook page.