KNIGHTSTOWN HOME, 1978, SOLDIERS AND SAILORS CHILDRENS HOME, LAPEL PIN
1 inch in diameter, clutchback.
The Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's Home was founded in 1865 to provide care, education, and maintenance for the orphaned and destitute children of Civil War Union Army veterans. The Home was located approximately two miles south of Knightstown, Indiana, on State Road 140 and consisted of 419 acres that included an administration building, children's dormitory cottages, Morton Memorial School, a hospital, dairy farm, camp grounds and recreational facilities. Children from the ages of 4 to 18 were cared for with each child being eligible for vocational training. The Home was owned by the State of Indiana and was managed through a superintendent.
The original proposal for the Home was submitted to Governor Morton by George Merritt in the summer of 1865. A prominent Indianapolis philanthropist, Merritt was the senior partner in the wool manufacturing firm of Merritt & Coughlen, and a founder of Indiana National Bank. He was a member of the Society of Friends and served with the Indiana Sanitary Commission during the Civil War. As a supplier to Union Army hospitals, Merritt came into direct contact with wounded soldiers. His interest in the orphans of Civil War veterans resulted from his knowledge of dying soldiers' concern for their children's welfare.
Merritt recommended attaching a children's home to the proposed Home for Disabled Soldiers and pledged $5,000.00 toward the maintenance of the children. Governor Morton considered disabled veterans the state's primary responsibility and refused to fund the children's home as too expensive. Merritt privately established the Soldier's Orphan's Home in the military ward at City Hospital, now present day Wishard Hospital, in Indianapolis, with a caretaker and four orphans. Soon six more children joined the group.
In April 1866, the Indiana Soldiers' and Sailor's Home moved to Knightstown, Indiana, having occupied the old Aldrich Hotel. Merritt moved the children and Miss Susan Fussell, their governess, into a cottage across the lane. In March 1867, the State assumed control of both homes, restricting residency to totally or partially disabled veterans, veteran's orphaned children under the age of fifteen, children of deceased soldiers whose mothers were still living, and widows of deceased soldiers. In 1871 a fire destroyed the adults' home. The veterans were moved to the National Military Home in Dayton, Ohio and the Children's Home became the sole possessor of the property.
During the late 1890's the Home's supporters grew concerned for its future because the number of Civil War veterans' orphans was dwindling. With fewer children needing care, the Home's demise was inevitable. The legislature was persuaded to amend the law to include all destitute children of servicemen who served on active duty in any of the authorized campaigns or declared emergencies of the United States as evidenced by an award of authorized decorations for service, an honorable discharge, or a letter of mourning, or death certificate. Veterans' children from all subsequent wars have been eligible for admission.
The Home underwent numerous name changes between 1865 and 1929. Originally named the Indiana Soldiers' and Seamens' Home, it was renamed in 1887 as the Indiana Soldiers' Orphans' Home. During 1879-1887 the Asylum for Feeble-Minded Children was located on the grounds of the Orphan's Home and the two organizations shared all communal facilities (dining hall, hospital, church, etc.). Complaints concerning the combination of the two homes, particularly by veteran's organizations, led to the transfer of the Asylum to Ft. Wayne in 1887. In 1929, the Home was renamed the Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's Home.
The Home's educational and recreational curriculum expanded as more land and facilities became available. The Home’s first school, Morton Memorial School, opened in 1870 as a four room schoolhouse, with separate departments for primary, intermediate, and higher education. It was quickly filled beyond capacity with newly admitted orphans. Commencement exercises began in 1890. The first four-year high school class graduated in 1923. Morton Memorial High School was erected in 1927. Two schools were destroyed by fires in 1887 and 1891. The present building was erected in 1927 with the final building addition in 1937. The school offered a public school curriculum for grades K-12 with school clubs and sports teams similar to those offered at public schools.
After nearly a century and a half, the Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's Home closed in May of 2009. The grounds and buildings have now been transferred to the Indiana National Guard's Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy.
The State Archives maintains the original admission and discharge books from which a searchable database has been constructed. The database includes those students admitted between 1865 and 1995. Microfilmed copies from the admission and discharge books are available. Additionally, there is a limited series of admission and discharge cards. Student educational records, including transcripts for recent graduates and social history case files exist for later students and are accessible to the student or next of kin. Proof of identity is required for educational or social history case files.