An old soldiers' home is a

military veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

retirement home A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Typically, each person or couple i ...

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...

, or

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

, or sometimes an institution for the care of the widows and orphans of a nation's soldiers, sailors, and marines, etc.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom the Royal Hospital Chelsea was established by King Charles II in 1682 as a retreat for veterans.Guidebook, p. 3 The provision of a hostel rather than the payment of pensions was inspired by

Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as ...

in Paris. The Royal Hospital Chelsea, often called simply Chelsea Hospital, is a

and

for some 300 veterans of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. It is a 66-acre site located on

Royal Hospital Road Royal Hospital Road is a street in Chelsea, London, England. It runs between Chelsea Embankment on the north bank of the River Thames to the southwest and a junction with Lower Sloane Street, Pimlico Road and Chelsea Bridge Road to the northeas ...

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

. It is an independent charity and relies partly upon donations to cover day-to-day running costs to provide care and accommodation for veterans. Any man or woman who is over the age of 65 and served as a regular soldier may apply to become a

Chelsea Pensioner A Chelsea Pensioner, or In-Pensioner, is a resident at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a retirement home and nursing home for former members of the British Army located in Chelsea, London. The Royal Hospital Chelsea is home to 300 retired British sold ...

(i.e. a resident), on the basis they have found themselves in a time of need and are "of good character". They must not, however, have any dependent spouse or family and former Officers must have served at least 12 years in the ranks before receiving a commission. The site for the Royal Hospital was an area of

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

which held an incomplete building "Chelsey College", a theological college

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

founded in 1609. The Royal Hospital opened its doors to the

Chelsea Pensioners A Chelsea Pensioner, or In-Pensioner, is a resident at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a retirement home and nursing home for former members of the British Army located in Chelsea, London. The Royal Hospital Chelsea is home to 300 retired British sold ...

in 1692 for "the relief and succour" of veterans. Some of the first soldiers admitted included those injured at the

Battle of Sedgemoor The Battle of Sedgemoor was the last and decisive engagement between the Kingdom of England and rebels led by the Duke of Monmouth during the Monmouth rebellion, fought on 6 July 1685, and took place at Westonzoyland near Bridgwater in Somerse ...

. The hospital maintains a 'military-based culture which puts a premium on comradeship'. The in-pensioners are formed into three companies, each headed by a Captain of Invalids (an ex-Army officer responsible for the 'day to day welfare, management and administration' of the pensioners under his charge). There is also a Secretary who traditionally was responsible for paying the Army pensions, but today they look after the annual budget, staff, buildings and grounds. Further senior staff include the Physician & Surgeon, the Matron, the Quartermaster, the Chaplain and the Adjutant. A Board of Commissioners has governed the Royal Hospital since 1702. The ex-officio chairman of the board is HM Paymaster General (whose predecessor Sir Stephen Fox was instrumental in founding the Hospital in the seventeenth century). The purpose of the Board is 'to guide the development of The Royal Hospital, ensuring the care and well-being of the Chelsea Pensioners who live there and safeguarding the historic buildings and grounds, which it owns in trust'. Royal Hospital is also a ward of the Kensington and Chelsea Council. The population at the 2011 Census was 7,252. Greenwich Hospital was a permanent home for retired

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

s of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, which operated from 1692 to 1869. Its buildings were later used by the

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equiv ...

and the

University of Greenwich The University of Greenwich is a public university located in London and Kent, United Kingdom. Previous names include Woolwich Polytechnic and Thames Polytechnic. The university's main campus is at the Old Royal Naval College, which along with it ...

, and are now known as the

Old Royal Naval College The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as being of "outstanding ...

. The word "hospital" was used in its original sense of a place providing hospitality for those in need of it, and did not refer to medical care, although the buildings included an infirmary which, after Greenwich Hospital closed, operated as Dreadnought Seaman's Hospital until 1986. The foundation which operated the hospital still exists, for the benefit of former Royal Navy personnel and their dependants. It now provides sheltered housing on other sites. The hospital was created as the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich on the instructions of

Queen Mary II Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife A ...

, who had been inspired by the sight of wounded sailors returning from the

Battle of La Hogue The Battles of Barfleur and La Hougue took place during the Nine Years' War, between 19 May O.S. (29 May N.S.) and 4 June O.S. (14 June N.S.) 1692. The first was fought near Barfleur on 19 May O.S. (29 May N.S.), with later actions occurring ...

in 1692. She ordered the King Charles wing of the palace—originally designed by architect John Webb for King Charles II in 1664—to be remodelled as a naval hospital to provide a counterpart for the

Chelsea Hospital The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for some 300 veterans of the British Army. Founded as an almshouse, the ancient sense of the word "hospital", it is a site located on Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea. It is an i ...

for soldiers. Sir

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...

and his assistant

Nicholas Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor (probably 1661 – 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the principa ...

gave their services free of charge as architects of the new Royal Hospital. Sir

John Vanbrugh Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restora ...

succeeded Wren as architect, completing the complex to Wren's original plans. Construction was financed through an endowment, financed through the transfer of £19,500 in fines paid by merchants convicted of smuggling in 1695, a public fundraising appeal which brought in £9,000, and a £2,000 annual contribution from Treasury. In 1705 an additional £6,472 was paid into the fund, comprising the liquidated value of estates belonging to the recently hanged pirate

Captain William Kidd William Kidd, also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd ( – 23 May 1701), was a Scottish sea captain who was commissioned as a privateer and had experience as a pirate. He was tried and executed in London in 1701 for murder a ...

. The first of the principal buildings constructed was the King Charles Court (the oldest part dating back to the restoration), completed in 1705. The first governor, Sir William Gifford, took up office in 1708.

United States

Federal homes

The first national veterans' home in the United States was the United States Naval Home approved in 1811 but not opened until 1834 in the

Philadelphia Naval Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...

. The Naval Home was moved to

Gulfport, Mississippi Gulfport is the second-largest city in Mississippi after the state capital, Jackson. Along with Biloxi, Gulfport is the co-county seat of Harrison County and the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan ...

in 1976."US History Encyclopedia: Soldiers' Home" in Answers.com at http://www.answers.com/topic/old-soldiers-home (Retrieved 4 January 2010), and Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL), "Views of the U.S. Naval Asylum and Hospital, Philadelphia" in ''Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries'' at http://archives.pacscl.org/shows/navalhome/index.html (Retrieved 4 January 2010). It was subsequently opened to veterans of other services and is now the Gulfport Campus of the Armed Forces Retirement Home. The first Army national old soldiers' home in the U.S. was established in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1851.

General Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

founded the Soldier's Home in Washington, D.C. and another (since fallen into disuse) in

Harrodsburg, Kentucky Harrodsburg is a home rule-class city in Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 9,064 at the 2020 census. Although Harrodsburg was formally established by the House of Burgesses after Boonesbo ...

with about $118,000 in leftover proceeds of assessments on occupied Mexican towns and the sale of captured tobacco in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. The Old Soldier's Home, now known as the

Armed Forces Retirement Home The Armed Forces Retirement Home refers to one of two facilities, one in Gulfport, Mississippi, the other in Washington, D.C., that house veterans and active duty members of the United States Armed Forces. Current status In 1991 Congress incorp ...

, was the site of

President Lincoln's Cottage President Lincoln and Soldiers’ Home National Monument, sometimes shortened to President Lincoln's Cottage, is a national monument on the grounds of the Soldiers' Home, known today as the Armed Forces Retirement Home. It is located near Br ...

, a 34-room Gothic Revival cottage, which served as Lincoln's summer home during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. It is adjacent to

National Cemetery The following is a partial list of prominent National Cemeteries: Africa Algeria * El Alia Cemetery, Algiers Burundi * Mausolée des Martyrs de la Démocratie, Bujumbura Ghana * Asomdwee Park, Accra * Burma Camp Military Cemetery, Accra L ...

, the first federal military cemetery in the United States. The Home has remained in continuous use since its establishment. It is located on a wooded campus overlooking the U.S. Capitol in the heart of Washington, D.C., three miles from the White House, and continues to serve as a retirement home for U.S. enlisted men and women. Both the Washington, D.C. and Gulfport soldiers' and sailors' homes are funded through a small monthly contribution from the pay of members of the U.S. Armed Services. Following the

the federal government increased the number of National Military Homes, and took over a few formerly state-run old soldiers' homes. By 1933 there were 17 federally managed veterans homes. All except the first two of these homes were eventually combined with other federal government agencies to become part of what is now called the

Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...

, or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs established in 1930.

State homes

Caring for the disabled and elderly, and the widows and orphans of men who died in the war became a concern even before the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

ended. For example, in 1864 Fitch's Home for Soldiers and Their Orphans was opened with private donations in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. Various female benevolent societies pushed for the creation of a long-term care federal or state soldier home system at the end of the war.Trevor K. Plante, "Genealogy Notes: The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers" in ''Prologue Magazine nline' Spring 2004, Vol. 36, No. 1 at https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/spring/soldiers-home.html (Retrieved 17 December 2009). Large veterans organizations like the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

and

United Confederate Veterans The United Confederate Veterans (UCV, or simply Confederate Veterans) was an American Civil War veterans' organization headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was organized on June 10, 1889, by ex-soldiers and sailors of the Confederate Sta ...

eventually also worked for the creation of federal and state homes to care for disabled or elderly veterans. In a few cases veterans organizations on their own raised the money to buy property and build veterans homes. Most of these were quickly turned over to the state government to fund and manage. The majority of state legislatures established veterans homes paid for by state monies from the start. 43 states managed 55 functioning state veterans homes before 1933. Fourteen of those states also had a federal veterans home open at the same time as their state veterans home. Eleven states had two or more state veterans homes in operation at the same time (two of which also had a federal home). Some states simply had several homes at once. A few states admitted veterans' widows, and a few other states established separate homes for the widows and orphans. A few states had separate

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

and

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

old soldiers' homes. The first of 16 Confederate homes was opened in 1881 in Georgetown, Kentucky. Confederate soldiers' homes were supported entirely by subscribers or by the states, with no funds from the federal government against which the Confederates had fought. A few state-run old soldiers' homes were eventually folded into the federal veterans home system. As their last few Civil War veterans were dying in the 1930s, some states chose to close their old soldiers' homes, and other states began admission of veterans from more recent wars. Several of these state old soldiers' homes have been modernized and stop serve veterans.

City homes

Soldier homes in major cities were among the earliest, usually starting more as hotels for men passing through town, but increasingly taking on disabled servicemen. These were usually operated as paying businesses rather than being fully funded by the government.

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

had two soldiers' homes which were associated with nearby

saloons Saloon may refer to: Buildings and businesses * One of the bars in a traditional British pub * An alternative name for a bar (establishment) * Western saloon, a historical style of American bar * The Saloon, a bar and music venue in San Francisc ...

and got their start as a part of the refreshment and lodging business. Women activists also helped establish disabled soldiers' homes in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, and

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, or in conjunction with the U.S. Sanitary Commission in 25 other cities. The Boston home closed in 1869, the Philadelphia homes closed in 1872, the Chicago Soldiers' Home lasted until 1877, and Milwaukee turned into a federal home.

US Sanitary Commission homes, lodges, and rest

During the Civil War, the US Sanitary Commission provided Union servicemen " mporary aid and protection,—food, lodging, care, etc.,—for soldiers in transitn ic chiefly the discharged, disabled, and furloughed." By 1865 the Commission operated 18 "soldiers' homes," 11 "lodges," and one "rest" in 15 states north and south (for a list se
Commission bulletin, 3:1279
. Most of their homes were war-time facilities and were closed at war's end. They are not included in the following list.

List of historic old soldiers' and sailors' homes in the United States

(By state) *

Alabama Confederate Soldiers Home Confederate Memorial Park is an Alabama State Park located in Mountain Creek, in rural Chilton County, Alabama, United States. Its address is 437 County Road 63, Marbury, Alabama 36051. It is sometimes found with the same address in Verbena, A ...

a.k.a. Jefferson Manly Falkner Soldiers' Home,

Mountain Creek, Alabama Mountain Creek is an unincorporated community in southeastern Chilton County, Alabama, United States. Confederate Memorial Park Mountain Creek was the site of the Alabama Confederate Soldiers Home Confederate Memorial Park is an Alabama State ...

* Tuskegee Home a.k.a. Veterans Administration Hospital and Nursing Home,

Tuskegee, Alabama Tuskegee () is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. It was founded and laid out in 1833 by General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, and made the county seat that year. It was incorporated in 1843. ...

*Arkansas Confederate Soldiers' Home,

Sweet Home, Arkansas Sweet Home is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 849 at the 2010 census. It is part of the 'Little Rock-North Little Rock- AR Metropolitan Statistical Area'. Geography Sweet Home is l ...

* Los Angeles Disabled Veterans Home a.k.a. Pacific Branch National Military Home, Sawtelle,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California * Veterans Home of California Yountville,

Yountville, California Yountville ( or ) is a city in Napa County, in the Wine Country of California, United States. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, the population was 3,436 at the 2020 census. Almost a third of the town's population lives at the Ve ...

*Colorado State Soldiers and Sailors Home, Homelake, Colorado *Fitch's Home for Soldiers and Their Orphans,

Darien, Connecticut Darien ( ) is a coastal town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. With a population of 21,499 and a land area of just under 13 square miles, it is the smallest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast. It has the youngest population of any n ...

* United States Soldiers' Home a.k.a.

*Florida Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

*St. Petersburg ationalHome (Bay Pines),

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

Confederate Soldiers' Home The first Atlanta Confederate Soldiers' Home (also called the Old Soldiers' Home) was built in 1890 with the support of Henry W. Grady at a cost of $45,000. Grady proposed the idea first in 1889, and began to raise funds through "subscriptions". ...

a.k.a. Georgia Soldiers' Home,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia *Idaho State Soldiers Home,

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

Soldiers' Home The Soldiers' Home is an historic Italianate style building in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Located at 739 E. 35th Street, the Home was built in a series of phases from 1864 to 1923, designed by William W. Boyington and other architects. ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois *Danville Branch National Military Home,

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...

Ancestry.com, "U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866–1938" in Ancestry.com at http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1200 (Retrieved 29 December 2009). *Logan Home a.k.a. Maywood Home for Soldiers' Widows,

Maywood, Illinois Maywood is a village in Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was founded on April 6, 1869, and organized October 22, 1881. The population was 23,512 at the 2020 United States Census. History ...

*Illinois Soldiers and Sailors Home a.k.a. Illinois Veterans Home,

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ), known as Illinois's "Gem City", is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Illinois, United States, located on the Mississippi River. The 2020 census counted a population of 39,463 in the city itself, down from 40,633 in 2010. ...

*Soldiers' Widows' Home, Wilmington, Illinois * Marion Branch National Military Home,

Marion, Indiana Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 United States Census. The city is the county seat of Grant County. It is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from South Carolina in the ...

*Indiana State Soldiers Home,

West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister city, ...

*Iowa Veterans Home,

Marshalltown, Iowa Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States, located along the Iowa River. It is the seat and most populous settlement of Marshall County and the 16th largest city in Iowa, with a population of 27,591 at ...

Kansas Soldiers' Home The Kansas Soldiers' Home (KSH), located at Fort Dodge, Kansas, was established February 7, 1890. It is under the authority of the Kansas Commission of Veterans' Affairs. It has grown since its inception to include a variety of services. History ...

Fort Dodge, Kansas Fort Dodge is an unincorporated community in Grandview Township, Ford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community and nearby areas was 97. It is located on U.S. Route 400 southeast of Dodge City. Fo ...

*Kansas State Soldiers' Home a.k.a. Western Branch National Military Home,

Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,351. It is located on the west bank of t ...

*Confederate Soldiers' Home and Widows' and Orphans' Asylum,

Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the 6th-largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was originall ...

* Kentucky Confederate Soldiers' Home,

Pewee Valley, Kentucky Pewee Valley is a home rule-class city in Oldham County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,456 at the 2010 census. History The site of present-day Pewee Valley was first settled as a stop on the Louisville and Frankfort Railroad in 1 ...

*Soldiers' Home at

*Soldiers' Home of Louisiana a.k.a. Camp Nicholls Soldier's Home,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, Louisiana * Eastern Branch National Military Home,

Togus, Maine Togus, formally known as the Togus VA Medical Center, 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 veterans of the American Civil War prior ...

*Maryland Line Confederate Soldiers' Home,

Pikesville, Maryland Pikesville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Pikesville is just northwest of the Baltimore city limits. It is the northwestern suburb closest to Baltimore. The population was 30,764 at the 2010 cens ...

*Discharged Soldiers' Home,

, Massachusetts *Soldiers' Home,

Chelsea, Massachusetts Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. As of the 2020 census, Chelsea had a population of 40,787. With a total area of just 2.46 s ...

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

*Grand Rapids Home for Veterans,

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

Minnesota Veterans Home The Minnesota Soldiers' Home, later known as the Minnesota Veterans Home in Minneapolis, is an old soldiers' home near Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota. History After the American Civil War and the devastation that it caused, there wa ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota * Beauvoir Confederate Soldiers' Home a.k.a. Jefferson Davis Beauvoir Memorial Soldiers' Home,

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

* Biloxi Home ational Homea.k.a. VA Medical Center,

* Missouri Confederate Home,

Higginsville, Missouri Higginsville is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri, Lafayette County, Missouri, within the United States. The population was 4,797 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History Higginsville was founded in 1869 and named after Harvey Hi ...

*Missouri State Federal Soldiers' Home,

St. James, Missouri St. James is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,216 at the 2010 census. History The settlement was originally known as Big Prairie because of its location on the natural prairie of that name in the area. In 1 ...

National Archives, "The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers-State Run Homes (in 1922)," in ''Prologue Magazine'' Spring 2004, Vol. 36, No. 1 at https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/spring/nhdvs-sidebar3.html (Retrieved 25 November 2009). *Montana State Soldiers' Home,

Columbia Falls, Montana Columbia Falls is a city along the Flathead River in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,308 at the 2020 census. Columbia Falls has been ranked as one of the best and safest places to live in Montana. History The ...

*Soldiers and Sailors' Home,

Grand Island, Nebraska Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 53,131 at the 2020 census. Grand Island is the principal city of the Grand Island metropolitan area, which consists of Hall, Merrick, ...

*Soldiers and Sailors' Home,

Milford, Nebraska Milford is a city in Seward County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,090 at the 2010 census. History Milford was platted in 1866. It took its name from a mill at a f ...

*New Hampshire Soldiers' Home,

Tilton, New Hampshire Tilton is a town on the Winnipesaukee River in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,962 at the 2020 census, up from 3,567 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of Tilton and Lochmere and part of the village ...

* Home for Disabled Soldiers,

Kearny, New Jersey Kearny ( ) is a town in the western part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Newark. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 40,684,Menlo Park, New Jersey Menlo Park is an unincorporated community located within Edison Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. In 1876, Thomas Edison set up his home and research laboratory in Menlo Park, which at the time was the site of an unsucces ...

*Home for Disabled Soldiers,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Vineland, New Jersey Vineland is a city in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 60,780. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 61,156 ...

* New York State Soldiers' and Sailors' Home a.k.a. Bath Branch National Military Home,

Bath, New York Bath is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States, with an area of 96.3 square miles (249 km2) and a population of 11,426 in 2020. Its largest settlement is the Village of Bath, which has an area of 2.9 sq mi (7.5 km2) and a population ...

* State Women's Relief Corps Home a.k.a. New York State Veterans Home,

Oxford, New York Oxford is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Chenango County, New York, Chenango County, New York (state), New York, United States. The town contains a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village also named Oxford (villa ...

*Confederate Woman's Home,

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America C ...

*North Carolina Soldiers' Home,

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

*Soldiers Home,

Lisbon, North Dakota Lisbon is a city in and the county seat of Ransom County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 2,204 at the 2020 census. History Lisbon was founded in 1880 by Joseph L. Colton, who named the new city after Lisbon, New York, his wif ...

Central Branch National Soldiers' Home, Dayton, Ohio
ref name="Ancestry"/> *Soldiers' Home,

Sandusky, Ohio Sandusky ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Erie County, Ohio, Erie County, Ohio, United States. Situated along the shores of Lake Erie in the northern part of the state, Sandusky is located roughly midway between Toledo, Ohio, Toledo ( wes ...

*Oklahoma Confederate Home a.k.a. Oklahoma Veterans Center,

Ardmore, Oklahoma Ardmore is the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. According to the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,283, with an estimated population of 24,698 in 2019. The Ardmore micropolitan statistical area had an estimated ...

*Oklahoma Union Soldiers' Home,

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, Oklahoma *Oregon State Soldiers' Home a.k.a. Roseburg Branch National Military Home,

Roseburg, Oregon Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is in the Umpqua River, Umpqua River Valley in southern Oregon and is the county seat and most populous city of Douglas County, Oregon, Douglas County. Founded in 1851, the population was 23,683 a ...

*Soldiers' and Sailors' Home,

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

*Cooper Shop Soldiers' Home,

, Pennsylvania *Soldiers' Home of Philadelphia,

, Pennsylvania * United States Naval Home,

, Pennsylvania *Rhode Island Soldiers' Home,

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US as well as the historic county seat. The town is built on the traditional territories of the Pokanoket Wampanoag. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. The population of B ...

*Confederate Home for Soldiers and Sailors a.k.a. South Carolina Confederate Infirmary,

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

*Battle Mountain Sanitarium National Military Home,

Hot Springs, South Dakota Hot Springs (Lakota: ''mni kȟáta''; "hot water") is a city in and county seat of Fall River County, South Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 3,395. In addition, neighboring Oglala Lakota County contracts the ...

*South Dakota State Soldiers' Home a.k.a. Michael J. Fitzmaurice Veterans Home,

Mountain Branch National Military Home, Johnson City, Tennessee
ref name="Ancestry"/> *Confederate Soldiers' Home a.k.a. Tennessee Soldiers' Home, Hermitage (Nashville), Tennessee *Texas Confederate Home for Men,

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

*Texas Confederate Woman's Home, north of

*Vermont Soldiers' Home,

Bennington, Vermont Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 ...

*Southern Branch National Military Home,

Hampton, Virginia Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...

*Virginia Confederate Soldiers' Home a.k.a. Lee Camp Soldiers' Home,

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

* Washington State Soldiers' Home, and Washington State Soldiers' Colony,

Orting, Washington Orting is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,041 at the 2020 census. History The first recorded claims for land in Orting were made in 1854 by William Henry Whitesell, Thomas Headley, Daniel Lane, and D ...

*Washington Veterans' Home, Retsil, Washington *Grand Army Home, a.k.a. Wisconsin Veterans' Home,

King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin King is a census-designated place in Town of Farmington, Waupaca County, Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,750. Before 2010, it was part of the Chain O' Lakes-King, Wisconsin CDP. History In 1887, the area was select ...

* Milwaukee Soldiers Home, in the Milwaukee Soldiers Home

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

District— Northwestern Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers Historic District, on the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center grounds in

, Wisconsin. The most intact Soldiers Home in the country and the only one with the majority of its surrounding recuperative village remaining. *Wyoming State Home for Soldiers and Sailors,

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistical ...

(1895–1903), It was relocated to

Buffalo, Wyoming Buffalo is a city in Johnson County, Wyoming, United States. The city is located almost equidistant between Yellowstone Park and Mount Rushmore. The population was 4,415 at the 2020 census, down from 4,585 at the 2010 census. It is the county s ...

in 1903, where it continues to serve in the present day.Mary and Don Saban, "Fort McKinney" in ''U.S. Army Frontier Posts in Wyoming'' at http://genealogyalongtherockies.com/wyoming/Veterans/wyarmy.htm (Retrieved 16 December 2009), and Grace Raymond Hebard,
Government of Wyoming: The History, Constitution, and Administration of Affairs, 8th ed.
' (San Francisco, Calif.: C.F. Weber, 1919; Digitized by Google Books), page 265 footnote (a).

References

External links

Armed Forces Retirement Home(s)National Association of County Veterans Service OfficersNational Association of State Veterans Homes
*VA's explanation of long term care availability
VA Long Term Care Services
*Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivor, Chapter 1 VA Health Care Benefits, section o
Nursing Home Care
*The VA has a section of its website devoted t
geriatrics
which includes information about long term care options *P.J. Budahn,
Veteran's Guide to Benefits, 4th ed.
' (Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, 2005; Digitized by Google Books), 193–240.

(scroll down for the list) (site charges fees for pension information: alternatively browse the VA's page explaining th

State Veterans Homes with Approved Sharing AgreementsLocating Old Soldiers Home Records
in the United States before World War II, showing the name of each home, years of operation, some Internet links to related sites, and in some cases the known manuscript collections of their records.
Home For Heroes
Documentary produced by

Twin Cities Public Television Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. (abbreviated TPT, doing business as Twin Cities PBS) is a nonprofit organization based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that operates the Twin Cities' two PBS member television stations, KTCA-TV (channe ...

The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Soldiers' Home American military personnel Veterans' affairs Widowhood in the United States