Wisconsin Veterans Home

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Site map Wisconsin Home for Veterans, King, Waupaca County, WI HABS WIS,68-KING,1- (sheet 1 of 1).tif
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The Wisconsin Veterans' Home, in King Wisconsin, is an old soldiers' home in Waupaca County, Wisconsin on the scenic Chain O' Lakes, Wisconsin.

King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin Census-designated place in Wisconsin, United States

King is a census-designated place in Town of Farmington, Waupaca County, Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,750. Before 2010, it was part of the Chain O' Lakes-King, Wisconsin CDP.

Wisconsin A north-central state of the United States of America

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States, in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin is the 23rd largest state by total area and the 20th most populous. The state capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee, which is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan. The state is divided into 72 counties.

Old soldiers home

An old soldiers' home is a military veteran's retirement home, nursing home, or hospital, or sometimes even an institution for the care of the widows and orphans of a nation's soldiers, sailors, and marines, etc.

Contents

The American Civil War saw significant advances in battlefield medicine. The lower mortality rate of injured soldiers led to the sentiment that the United States should provide care for its surviving injured veterans. The city of Waupaca purchased the land and buildings of the defunct Greenwood Park Hotel and donated the grounds to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) for the site of a veterans' home. [1]

American Civil War Civil war in the United States from 1861 to 1865

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, between the North and the South. The most studied and written about episode in U.S. history, the Civil War began primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people. War broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina shortly after Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated as the President of the United States. The loyalists of the Union in the North proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights to uphold slavery.

Battlefield medicine treatment of wounded combatants and non-combatants in or near an area of combat

Battlefield medicine, also called field surgery and later combat casualty care, is the treatment of wounded combatants and non-combatants in or near an area of combat. Civilian medicine has been greatly advanced by procedures that were first developed to treat the wounds inflicted during combat. With the advent of advanced procedures and medical technology, even polytrauma can be survivable in modern wars. Battlefield medicine is a category of military medicine.

Waupaca, Wisconsin City in Wisconsin, United States

Waupaca is a city in and the county seat of Waupaca County in the state of Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6,069 at the 2010 census. The city is believed to be named after Sam Waupaca of the Potowatomi tribe.

Civil War physician and GAR member Dr. Frederick Marden was chosen to head a five-member committee to organize a Wisconsin veterans' home. Among Dr. Marden's innovative ideas put into action was the practice of allowing wives and widows of veterans to live at the home, as well as the idea of allowing members to live semi-independently in cottages. Marden died on September 24, 1887, a year before the site began operation on August 18, 1888. [2]

Seven cottages, photographed in 1933 Photographic copy of photograph (date unknown, original print in the possession of the Wisconsin Veterans Museums). SEVEN COTTAGES. VIEW UNKNOWN. - Wisconsin Home for Veterans, HABS WIS,68-KING,1-8.tif
Seven cottages, photographed in 1933

It is one of the largest veterans home facilities in the country with a staff of nearly 1,000 workers and includes many self-contained community services, including its own fire department. [3]

Historic Buildings

There are five U.S. Registered Historic Places in King Veterans Home: Commandant's Residence Home, Halfway House (King, Wisconsin), Old Hospital, Veterans Cottages Historic District, and Veterans Home Chapel.

Commandants Residence Home

The Commandant's Residence Home is located in King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin.

Veterans Cottages Historic District

The Veterans Cottages Historic District is located in King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin.

Veterans Home Chapel

The Veterans Home Chapel is located in King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin on the grounds of the Wisconsin Veterans Home. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Controversy

In 2016 controversy erupted over the quality of care delivered at the home, chronic staffing shortages and the practice by the state government of redirecting millions of dollars of federal government funding intended for King into other veterans' programs. [4]

See also

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United States Department of Veterans Affairs department of the United States government

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Minnesota Veterans Home

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Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial artwork by J. Massey Rhind

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The Veterans Home of California is located in Yountville, California, and was founded in 1884. The facility is the largest of its kind in the United States and has a population of 1,200 aged and disabled veterans of World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, War in Afghanistan, and Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom. Several levels of care are offered to residents, including domicillary services, residential care for the elderly, intermediate nursing care, skilled nursing care, adult day health care, and outpatient clinic.

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References

  1. Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. "History of the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King" (PDF). page 17. Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  2. Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. "History of the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King" (PDF). page 18. Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  3. Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. "History of the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King" (PDF). Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 2016-08-20. It is one of the largest and most independent skilled long-term care facilities in the United States with approximately 500 nursing staff and over 300 support staff. In fact, the Home operates similar to a small city and boasts its own power plant, public works bureau, fire department, cemetery and logistics staff.
  4. FERRAL, KATELYN (2016-08-31). "Gov. Scott Walker, state lawmakers call for investigations into Wisconsin Veterans Home at King". madison.com. Capital Times. Retrieved 2016-09-01.