•HRES 483 IH 
Whereas, in addition to these buildings, the Home built a 
public restaurant, Commandant’s home, Surgeon’s cot-
tage, and combination carpenter and paint shop; 
Whereas, in addition to the sums donated for the buildings, 
the W.R.C. and Ladies of the G.A.R. throughout the 
State gave $1,326.25 to furnish rooms and cottages in 
the Home; 
Whereas, in his written history of Tippecanoe County from 
1909, General Richard P. DeHart wrote of the Home, 
‘‘If one ever doubted that America appreciates and cares 
for her defenders, a visit to this beauty spot of Indiana 
will convince them that not only in times of peril and war 
does she care for her brave soldiery, but that now after 
forty years have come and gone, she still seeks to show 
these old and infirm men that she wishes them all the 
peace and comfort possible to provide for them, at any 
cost.’’; 
Whereas peak census was reached in the 1910s when the 
Home housed over 1,400 residents and another 200 staff 
members; 
Whereas the Home operated as its own little town, complete 
with a hospital, electric light plant, bakery, fire depart-
ment, and an assembly hall with a seating capacity for 
600 people; 
Whereas census in the 1920s had declined to the average 
number of residents numbering in the 1,000s; 
Whereas this state of affairs continued, and, by 1950, it was 
apparent that the Home needed a major revamping; 
Whereas this revamping resulted in the destruction of almost 
all of the original buildings, and today only 5 structures 
remain from the earlier years of the Home, including the 
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•HRES 483 IH 
Commandant’s home, the Administration Building, the 
Lawrie Library, the bus station, and the cemetery chapel; 
Whereas 9 acres of the Home’s land were listed in National 
Register of Historic Places in 1974, including 4 original 
buildings—the Commandant’s home, the library, the Ad-
ministration Building, and the post exchange; 
Whereas, in addition, a collection of approximately 165 oil 
portraits and charcoal drawings of Civil War generals 
and important political figures, painted by Captain Alex-
ander Lawrie, are housed in the library and add a major 
cultural dimension to the Home; 
Whereas, in 1974, the Home became a licensed healthcare fa-
cility; 
Whereas, on June 4, 1976, the Home’s name was officially 
changed from the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home to the 
Indiana Veterans’ Home, and the title of the chief admin-
istrator was changed from Commandant to Super-
intendent; 
Whereas, in 1976, the construction of Ernie Pyle Hall, Mac-
Arthur Hall, and Mitchell Hall began and continued until 
completion in 1982; 
Whereas, in 2009, the Commandant’s Row buildings were 
placed under the authority of the Indiana Department of 
Veterans Affairs and the Home; 
Whereas census has declined over the decades as Civil War 
veterans passed, but the Home has averaged 200 resi-
dents annually, ranging between 120 to 265 residents 
from the 1970s to the present; 
Whereas the Home is operated by the State of Indiana to 
care for honorably discharged Indiana veterans and their 
spouses and Gold Star parents; 
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•HRES 483 IH 
Whereas there is no wartime service requirement in order to 
be eligible to apply for admission to the Home, and the 
Home accepts all periods of service; 
Whereas the Home is a full-service care facility, offering a 
complete array of on-site services for its residents; 
Whereas the Home currently boasts a small museum of his-
torical artifacts related to various wars, as well as arti-
facts from the Home’s history; 
Whereas the Home provides quality care for veterans, their 
spouses, and Gold Star parents; 
Whereas there are currently 3,000 graves in the Home’s cem-
etery, which serves as the final resting place for its resi-
dents and their spouses who chose internment there; and 
Whereas the Home has played a vital role in assisting Hoo-
sier Veterans and their families in their time of need: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) the Indiana Veterans’ Home has been, and 
continues to be, an example of Hoosiers’ dedication 
to their veterans, especially those who served in the 
Civil War; 
(2) the Indiana Veterans’ Home, along with the 
other State-owned and managed war memorials 
throughout Indianapolis and Indiana, including the 
Soldiers and Sailors Monument, highlights Hoosiers’ 
appreciation for the service of its veterans; 
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(3) the Indiana Veterans’ Home continues a 
strong tradition of providing care to Hoosier vet-
erans at the beautiful property located in Tippe-
canoe County, Indiana, and offering a historical 
glimpse into the past with its museum and the nota-
ble nearby physical locations; and 
(4) the Indiana Veterans’ Home should be rec-
ognized for its 125 years of care to the veterans of 
Indiana and their families at this beautiful and his-
torically significant property in the State. 
Æ 
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