may 3, 1867 - One of four "National Asylums" for disabled soldiers opens

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As the Civil War dragged on, more and more casualties of the conflict limped home to Wisconsin. For those without family or friends to support them, the result was often destitution, and the figure of the tramp veteran was all too common in the North. The women of Milwaukee - the Yankee Protestant women of Milwaukee - decided to do something about it. Their "Great Fair" of 1865 netted more than $100,000 to build a Soldier's Home to replace the row of storefronts on the west bank of the Milwaukee River which they had outgrown. With the major boost from funds raised by the women, federal officials purchased a wooded, rolling tract just west of the city and erected a cluster of Cream City brick buildings. It first opened in May 1867, and the National Soldiers' Home - a scenic, self-contained community with its own theater, post office, and even swan pons - became a must-see attraction for Milwaukee visitors. The original buildings, their graceful slate roofs still intact, are the focal point of the present Veterans Administration Center.

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