Ohio Veterans Home, Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home, 1888-1979

Side A: Following the Civil War, many of Ohio’s disabled and wounded veterans found inadequate provisions for their long-term needs. In response, the Grand Army of the Republic’s Department of Ohio lobbied for a state-operated veterans’ home. In 1886 Governor Joseph B. Foraker signed a bill establishing the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home for honorably discharged veterans. A board of trustees led by Sandusky publisher I.F. Mack selected the site, and the Sandusky community donated the tract of land, utilities, and a connection to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The facility opened in November 1888. (continued on other side) Side B: (continued from other side) Built of Sandusky Blue Limestone with sandstone details in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, the restored I.F. Mack Administration Building houses museums for the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame and the Ohio Veterans Home. Six remaining residential cottages, also in the Romanesque style, were built between 1896 and 1908. Original houses of Officers’ Row stand along DeWitt Avenue. In 1979, the facility was renamed the Ohio Veterans Home (OVH), and has grown to include a modern long-term care facility and “domiciliary,” which were completed between 1978 and 1992. The OVH has served veterans representing all of America’s major conflicts since the Mexican War. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.