National Soldiers’ Home

Approved by an Act of Congress on Jan. 28, 1901, the Mountain Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers was created through the work of Tennessee Congressman Walter P. Brownlow (1851–1910). Known locally as Mountain Home, the original site comprised 447 acres and opened in October 1903. Peak enrollment reached over 2,500 Civil War and Spanish-American War veterans. In 1930, the National Soldiers’ Home system became part of the Veterans Administration.