Soldiers' Home
Mary Livermore and Jane Hoge, who had met during the war nursing soldiers at nearby Camp Douglas, conceived the idea of the hospital home, and a fundraising fair to support its building. The initial construction was in substantial part funded by sale of President Abraham Lincoln's handwritten copy of the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln donated it to the fundraising fair at Livermore's request, saying, "I had some desire to retain the paper, but if it shall contribute to the relief or comfort of the soldiers, that will be better" (This copy was in the collection of the Chicago Historical Society when it was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The Soldiers' Home is located south of the city area burned by the great fire and survived.)
In the 21st century, the Soldiers' Home building is used for offices of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, and named, the Cardinal Meyer Center.
References
- ^ "Soldiers' Home". City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Landmarks Division. 2003. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ^ "City of Chicago Landmark Designation Reports - Soldiers' Home". Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ^ Rodkin, Dennis (2022-09-01). "What's That Building? Cardinal Meyer Center". WBEZ Chicago. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
41°49′52″N 87°36′28″W / 41.8310°N 87.6077°W