Old soldiers' home

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Many of the original old soldiers' homes were constructed in high Victorian style, like the New Hampshire Soldiers' Home in Tilton, New Hampshire.

An old soldiers' home is a veteran's hospital or an institution devoted to the care of the widows and orphans of a nation's soldiers, sailors and marines, etc.

[edit] United States

The first national old soldiers' home in the U.S. was established in Washington, D.C. in 1851. The Old Soldier's Home (Washington), now known as the Armed Forces Retirement Home, was the site of President Abraham Lincoln's summer home during the Civil War and is adjacent to National Cemetery, the first federal military cemetery in the U.S. President Lincoln's Cottage has been designated a National Monument, and recently underwent renovation. It reopened to the public on President's Day, February 18, 2008.

The Home has remained in continuous use since its establishment in 1851. It is funded through a small monthly contribution from the pay of members of the U.S. Armed Services. It is located on a beautiful 250 acre wooded campus overlooking the U.S. Capitol in the heart of D.C. and continues to serve as a retirement home for U.S. enlisted men and women.

Within the United States, most old soldiers' homes were established following the Civil War with state monies. The old soldiers' home system was not replaced by the Veterans Administration. The VA is federal and the old soldiers' homes are run by states. Confederate soldiers were supported entirely at the state level with no funds from the federal government against which they had rebelled.

[edit] List of old soldiers' homes within the United States

It was not unusual for old soldiers to live out their old age and die under the institutional care of the home, including at the Soldiers' Home in Sawtelle, Los Angeles, California.