We are offering an 1866 original CDV photograph of the Soldiers' Home in Washington, D.C.  Photo is by G. D. Wakely, Washington, D.C.  The home was founded in 1851 to house wounded and disabled.  

**SOME HISTORY OF THE HOME** - During America's War with Mexico, the Mexican government paid General Winfield Scott $150.000 not to destroy Mexico City.  After the war, the money was used to fund the construction of the Soldiers' Home which was built on 500 acres of land in Washington D.C. (Apparently subdivided, today it sits on a 272-acre site lying just to the north of the Washington Hospital Center).  The Soldiers' Home still operates as a retirement facility for veterans.  That part of D.C. is relatively unknown to the general public, other than Lincoln's Cottage which sits on the property and is open to the general public for tours.  The rest of the site including the home is reserved only for retired veterans who live there.