• Read Object 4: U.S. Naval Asylum

    History of VA in 100 Objects

    Object 4: U.S. Naval Asylum

    History of VA in 100 Objects: The U.S. Naval Asylum in Philadelphia was the first federal facility to provide institutional care for disabled and elderly Veterans.

  • Read Object 3: Civil War National Cemetery Bronze Shield Plaque

    History of VA in 100 Objects

    Object 3: Civil War National Cemetery Bronze Shield Plaque

    The first permanent informational plaques placed in national cemeteries after the Civil War were affixed to upright cannons to brand these sites as a shrine to Union dead. These bronze shield plaques were installed after a 1872 report and served as early monuments to Union dead from the Civil War at national cemeteries.

  • Read Object 2: Bounty land warrant

    History of VA in 100 Objects

    Object 2: Bounty land warrant

    For a nation with limited financial resources, bounty land warrants were an appealing tool to encourage military enlistments. The promise of free 160 acres was the country's second benefit authorized for Veterans. However, the measure had devastating effect on the Indian nations that were dispossessed from the land.

  • Read Object 1: Fort Scott National Cemetery visitors register with Susan B. Anthony signature, 1895

    History of VA in 100 Objects

    Object 1: Fort Scott National Cemetery visitors register with Susan B. Anthony signature, 1895

    On July 13, 1895, renowned suffragist and social activist Susan B. Anthony visited Fort Scott National Cemetery, Kansas. Sitting on a table within the cemetery superintendent's lodge was a leather-bound visitor register, which she signed.