Togus , Maine Togus is a facility operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in Chelsea , Maine . The facility was built as a resort hotel , and housed Union veteran s of the American Civil War prior to being converted to a veterans hospital . Togus Springs Hotel . Springs on the site were originally described by Native Americans as " worromontogus " ( sometimes translated as " place of the mineral spring " ) . The 134 - room Togus Springs Hotel was built on the site in 1858 by Rockland granite dealer Horace Beals . Beals constructed a stable , large pool , bathing house , race track , and bowling alley on the site in an effort to duplicate the success of the Poland Spring Hotel . Beal ' s investment of one - quarter - million dollars failed to attract the anticipated number of visitors , and the facility closed when receipts failed to cover expenses . Soldiers ' home . The hotel was purchased by the federal government for US $ 50 , 000 in 1866 . Togus began operations on as the Eastern Branch of the National Asylum For Disabled Volunteer Soldiers . The first veteran admitted was James P . Nickerson of Company A , 19th Massachusetts Volunteers . Two - hundred veterans were living at Togus during the summer of 1867 , and a new barracks , hospital , and chapel were under construction . Two - hundred - seventy residents were displaced by a fire in main building on January 7 , 1868 . Three 3 - story brick dormitories and an amusement hall recreation building were built in 1868 . Togus resembled a military establishment where the men wore surplus blue army uniform s and were subject to military discipline including confinement in the guardhouse for infractions of the rules . The residents signed over their federal pension in return for their care . Those who were able to work could earn money working at the shops or farms raising much of the food consumed at Togus . Three Holstein dairy cattle were imported from the Netherlands in 1871 to form the first registered herd of the breed in Maine . In 1872 the name was changed to the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers . New buildings included a bakery , a butcher shop , a blacksmith shop , a brickyard , a boot and shoe factory , a carpentry shop , a fire station , a harness shop , a library , a sawmill , a soap works , a store , and an opera house theatre . President Ulysses S . Grant visited Togus on August 13 , 1873 to review the men who had served with him during the Civil War . There were 933 men living at Togus in 1878 . Most were Civil War veterans , but some had served in the Mexican - American War or the War of 1812 . The narrow - gauge Kennebec Central Railroad offered transportation to Gardiner beginning on July 23 , 1890 . The interurban Augusta and Togus Electric Railway offered transportation to Augusta beginning on June 15 , 1901 . The number of veterans living at Togus peaked in 1904 at just under 2800 . Most men lived in dormitories , but some resided in small cottage s they constructed on the grounds . The men in cottages drew their rations from the commissary and cooked their own meals . Grand Army of the Republic post Cutler No . 48 was based at Togus and named for major Nathan Cutler . Togus became a popular recreation center for civilians from the surrounding area . Large crowds arrived on weekends to observe baseball games , military band concerts , opera house performances , and a zoo including antelope , bear , buffalo , deer , elk , chimpanzee s , and pheasant s . Special military ceremonies were held on Memorial Day , Flag Day , and Independence Day . Veterans Administration hospital . Additional buildings were constructed to convert the site to a Veterans Administration hospital .