Description: Reverse reads: "Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Orphan's Home. Setting forms for curb and gutter. Greene County, Ohio, Oct. 13, 1936. State 14-29-1304, WPA 11355. 4x5 Neg., 2- 8x10 prints sent to Col., 6 to Mr. Jackson, Nov. 5, 1936.
In 1869, the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans' organization of Union soldiers who fought in the American Civil War, established the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home in Xenia, Ohio. In 1870, the State of Ohio assumed control of the home. The Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home was originally located in a rented building in Xenia, Ohio. In 1869, Xenia residents provided the GAR with one hundred acres of land to build a permanent facility.
Originally, the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home provided Ohio children who lost their father in the American Civil War with a place to live. Eventually, the State of Ohio opened this institution to orphans of all military conflicts and the children of all veterans, including ones who had not died on the battlefield.
Children at the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home received a traditional education, as well as training in various occupations. The boys also received some military training and several of them later joined the armed forces. In 1901, the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home was the largest institution of its kind in the world.
In 1978, the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home became known as the Ohio Veterans' Children's Home. In 1997, the Ohio Veterans' Children's Home ceased operation.
In 1998, the State of Ohio sold the Ohio Veterans' Children's Home's buildings to Legacy Ministries International, which leases the site to different businesses and organizations. The site now contains a retirement community, a Christian school, and the international headquarters of Athletes-in-Action, among other businesses.
View on Ohio Memory. Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F02_002_001
Subjects:
Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphans’ Home;
Building Places:
Xenia (Ohio);
Greene County (Ohio)