July 23, 1888
An Act to authorize the Location of a Branch Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Grant County, Indiana, and for other purposes
(Statues, 1889, p. 341)
REACTION BACK IN MARION
The telegram
Washington D.C., July 23
Mrs. G. W. Steele,
You may tell the people that the President has signed the house bill locating the Soldiers' Home in Grant county. I will arrive home via Indianapolis Saturday
Geo. W. Steele
The word quickly spread once the telegram from Washington D.C. arrived to Marion. The town was in high spirits and a spontaneous celebration erupted.
In an article titled "Jollifying: Twenty one guns, music, fireworks, tin horns and all the devices of discord", an unnamed Chronicle writer recorded the events of the evening of celebration.
The article begins:
"the people of Marion were feeling very jubilant last evening over the signing of the Soldiers' Home bill and their delight was expressed in the most demonstrative manner. The celebration of last evening was entirely spontaneous, and therefore without method or system. On the heels of the telegram announcing the signing of the bill the hat went round and money was easily raised to buy all the fireworks in town and to hire the bands." (Jollifying, 1888)
At one point, a marching band led the crowd to Congressman Major G. W. Steele's home in North Marion. Mrs. Steele emerged from their home and welcomed her many visitors taking up much of the lawn and street. (Jollifying, 1888)
In a touching speech on behalf of the crowd, Hiram Brawnlee said they had "come without regard to party affiliations, as citizens with a common interest and a common pride to express their gratitude for the great boon that had been conferred upon Marion through the untiring zeal and industry of Major Steele. (Jollifying, 1888)"
how it started
What set Marion apart? There are plenty of cities in the midwest that could be the site of a new National Home.
The factors that made Marion appealing to the government were the natural gas boom in the area, the citizen's willingness to contribute money and resources for the project, and the unwavering support of U.S. Representative for Indiana's 11th district and Marion resident, Maj. George Washington Steele. (Hubbard, 1999, p. 46)
Gas boom
In 1867, natural gas was found by coal drillers in Eaton, Indiana. The discovery didn’t have any initial recognized value and the well was capped and forgotten about until 1886 (Hubbard, 1999, p. 47). Once Findlay, Ohio found natural gas in 1884, the abundant heat source attracted glassmakers and other industries needing high heat (Hubbard, 1999, p. 47). The value of natural gas was realized back in east central Indiana just as the natural gas supply in Findlay had become unreliable and gave out in 1886 (Hubbard, 1999, p. 47).
It was soon discovered that Indiana had a gas belt running northeast of Indianapolis to south of Fort Wayne. Natural gas was centered in Anderson, Marion, Muncie, and Kokomo. Marion’s gas supply was unearthed in January 1887 (Hubbard, 1999, p. 47). The gas belt was an ideal location “for industries requiring high heat as well as an economical fuel source for heating large buildings, especially where a uniform temperature was desired (Hubbard, 1999, p. 47).”
Natural gas contains mainly methane, the properties of which make it highly flammable and dangerous to transport for more than 100 miles from the source (Hubbard, 1999, p. 47). It wasn’t until the late 1920s that gas piping technology had progressed to allow for long distance transport of natural gas (Hubbard, 1999, p. 47). It was no longer necessary for the recipients of natural gas to be so close to the well that supplied it.
Marion pledges
In the bill passed by congress, the land had to be at least 200 acres, per the stipulations of the government. It also had to have a functioning natural gas well (Statues, 1889). The citizens of Grant County agreed to be financially responsible for the cost of drilling the natural gas wells. The drilling at the first site failed, so a different plot of land had to be found and another well drilled (Hubbard, 1999, p. 46).
On March 2, 1889, the second and final site was selected, which required the purchase of two sections of land. The sales were made official, 76.14 acres from the Geiger farm on March 28, and 140.43 acres from Isaac Elliott on April 20 (Hubbard, 1999, p. 48). The land was purchased for about $120 per acre, but the government had only authorized an expense of $90 per acre (Hubbard, 1999, p. 48-49). Citizens of Marion donated monies for the remaining $30 for each acre, approximately $6,600 in 1889. With all of the act's stipulations satisfied and a visit from the Board of Managers, the site was approved on May 2, 1889 and construction was allowed to begin (Hubbard, 1999, p. 48-49).
Proposed Plan
Map from Grant County Soldiers' Home, June 14, 1889, Weekly Chronicle, Marion, IN
The Soldiers’ Home (1889-1920)
A temporary barracks with the capacity for 35 opened in November 1889 (Hubbard, 1999, p. 49). The National Home was officially ready to house soldiers in the first barracks buildings on March 18, 1890, while construction was continuing on the hospital and headquarters offices (Hubbard, 1999, p. 49). The Soldiers’ Home had 518 members in 1891, its second year of operation. In ten years, the enrollment had increased 344% and in 1901 the Home served 1,782 soldiers (Hubbard, 1999, p. 49). During the ten year span of 1891-1901, construction continued and resulted in an addition of an annex and south wing to the original hospital, six new barracks buildings, a mess hall, Stinson Memorial Hall auditorium, and a chapel. (Hubbard, 1999, p. 49)
The Soldiers’ Home rolls had been steadily declining until 1919 when an influx of wounded World War I veterans returned. The needs of WWI veterans necessitated a change to the facility, and in 1920 the Board of Managers decided that the Marion Branch was to become a neuropsychiatric institution (Hubbard, 1999, p. 49). Most members residing at the Marion Branch did not need these services and were transferred to other NHDVS locations in nearby Danville, IL and Milwaukee, WI (Hubbard, 1999, p. 49).
(McGuire, 1987b, p. 60)
Marion National Sanitarium (1921-1930)
On January 1, 1921, the Marion Branch received its official name change to the Marion National Sanitarium (Hubbard, 1999, p. 50). It was designed to provide for the care of “nervous and mental patients” the majority of which had fought in WWI (Hubbard, 1999, p. 50). The change was completed in 1923 with the construction of an occupational therapy building and neuropsychiatric tuberculosis hospital for a total available occupancy of 1,080 patients. (Hubbard, 1999, p. 50)
how its going
Marion Veterans Administration Hospital
(1930-present)
In 1930, the many government resources for veterans including pensions and medical services were consolidated into a single organization, the United States Veterans Administration, and the Marion facility's name changed to the Marion Veterans Administration Hospital. (Hubbard, 1999, p. 50)
The campus was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district on August 2, 1999. The address is listed as 1700 East 38th Street, Marion, IN, 46953. The site has been reduced to 151 acres as of 1999. The National Register File Number is NR-1474 and the IHSSI Number is 053-384-36000. (SHAARD, n.d.)
Today the Marion VA Hospital has 243 beds for medical, surgical, and mental health patients and 180 beds in the nursing home care unit. The Marion VA offers special programs including: a dementia unit, home based primary care, PTSD clinic team, substance abuse treatment program, adult day health care, mental health intensive case management, and combat veterans treatment. (Marion VA Medical Center, n.d.)
Grant County Soldiers' Home. (1889, June 14) Weekly Chronicle, Marion, IN.
Hubbard, N. J. (1999, March 15). National register of historic places registration form for Marion
branch, national home for disabled volunteer veterans historical district. State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD). https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/r/4db55/N/Marion_Branch,_National_Home_for_Disabled_Volunteer_Soldiers_Historic_District_nomination.pdf
Jollifying: Twenty one guns, music, fireworks, tin horns and all the devices of discord. (1888,
July 24). Chronicle, p. 4.
McGuire & Shook Corporation, Lammers and Gershon Associated, Inc., & Frank, FAIA, R. C.
(1987, July). Facility development plan: Appendix. State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD).
https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/r/c6241/N/va_marion_appendix.pdf
McGuire & Shook Corporation, Lammers and Gershon Associated, Inc., & Frank, FAIA, R. C.
(1987, July). Facility development plan: Stage one. State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD). https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/r/c623c/N/va_marion.pdf
Soldiers Home, A. (1888, April 6) The Weekly Chronicle, Marion, IN, p. 4
Soldiers' Home, The. (1888, October 8). The Daily Chronicle, Marion, IN, p. 3.
Soldiers' Home meeting, The. (1888, November 28). The Daily Chronicle, Marion, IN, p. 3.
The statues at large of the United States of America from December 1887 to March 1889 and recent treaties, postal conventions, and executive proclamations (15). (1889). Government Printing Office. https://books.google.com/books?id=kzQ3AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA341&lpg=PA341&dq=July+23,+1888+An+Act+to+authorize+the+Location+of+a+Branch+Home+for+Disabled+Volunteer+Soldiers+in+Grant+County,+Indiana,+and+for+other+purposes&source=bl&ots=Dyl_5YDATg&sig=ACfU3U1z_VIaHnjn08TYIjGNY-fLX9AwFQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj8orGeq5DxAhUNV80KHc6WCRoQ6AEwBHoECAIQAw#v=onepage&q&f=false.