{"id":104340,"date":"2022-03-24T08:43:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-24T12:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/?p=104340"},"modified":"2026-03-24T16:11:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T20:11:09","slug":"object-9-beer-token","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/object-9-beer-token\/","title":{"rendered":"Object 9:\u00a0National Home Beer Token"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe beer hall is more attractive to a large number of the members than either the library or reading room.\u201d<\/p>Edward Cobb, Civil War Veteran and resident, Southern Branch-National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n

\n
\"Beer<\/a>
Beer token, Central Branch-NHDVS, Dayton, Ohio. (Private collection)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Beer halls and beer gardens were familiar to Civil War Veterans who\u00a0resided\u00a0at branches of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (NHDVS). A predecessor to the modern VA medical campuses,\u00a0the NHDVS system<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0was\u00a0established\u00a0for Union Veterans after the war. The military-like setting included barracks-style housing, uniforms, formations, and a disciplinary system to\u00a0maintain\u00a0order. Veterans had assigned duties such as raising crops, tending the small herds of domesticated animals, and performing kitchen labor. Residents also formed marching bands and baseball teams,\u00a0cultivated flower gardens<\/strong><\/a>, and engaged in a variety of other leisure and recreational activities. Many sites also\u00a0established\u00a0on-campus beer halls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol consumption was commonplace among Civil War soldiers,\u00a0and\u00a0Veterans. This led to habitual intemperance among Veterans and incidents of drunkenness. NHDVS managers\u00a0attempted\u00a0to prevent residents from overindulging through rules limiting alcohol on campuses. Regulations also discouraged residents from frequenting establishments outside NHDVS gates willing to sell them as much liquor as they could consume. The creation of on-campus beer halls was an agreeable compromise for controlled access to alcoholic beverages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Northwestern Branch in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, began selling beer on the grounds in the late 1870s. In 1887,\u00a0the Central Branch in Dayton, Ohio, reported reduced rates of drunkenness and improved order after opening a beer hall. NHDVS administrators limited consumption in these beer halls by selling beer tokens or tickets that were exchanged for beer. The compromise was welcomed by administrators and Veterans alike.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Residents<\/a>
Residents drinking beer in the Recreation Hall (known as the “dugout”) in the Western Branch-NHDVS, Leavenworth, Kansas, sometime between 1898 and 1907. (NVAHC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Tokens were round and made of brass or other metals, usually less than one inch in diameter. They were produced for NHDVS sites by craftsmen like James Murdock, Jr., an engraver from Cincinnati, Ohio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the Southern Branch\u00a0in Hampton, Virginia, resident Edward Cobb recalled, \u201cThe quality of beer is of the best, and the glasses are large. On pension day and for a week afterward, the place is crowded; the men [are] standing in long lines.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early 1907, as the prohibition movement gained momentum nationwide, Congress banned alcohol at National Homes, and the era of the beer halls\u00a0came to an end. By this time, the number of Civil War Veterans was declining. After World War I, a\u00a0new model of\u00a0Veteran care<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0replaced the self-sustaining National Home campuses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beer halls and beer gardens were familiar to Civil War Veterans who resided at branches of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (NHDVS). The administrators limited consumption in these beer halls by selling beer tokens or tickets that were exchanged for beer. The compromise was welcomed by administrators and Veterans alike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":117246,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[27,23],"class_list":["post-104340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-100-objects","tag-civil-war","tag-national-home-for-disabled-volunteer-soldiers"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/object-9-beer-token\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Object 9:\u00a0National Home Beer Token","url":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/object-9-beer-token\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/object-9-beer-token\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/03\/NHDVSC_1.webp?w=300","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/03\/NHDVSC_1.webp"},"articleSection":"History of VA in 100 Objects","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Department of Veterans Affairs (jdt)"}],"creator":["Department of Veterans Affairs (jdt)"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"VA History","logo":""},"keywords":["civil war","national home for disabled volunteer soldiers"],"dateCreated":"2022-03-24T12:43:00Z","datePublished":"2022-03-24T12:43:00Z","dateModified":"2026-03-24T20:11:09Z"},"rendered":"