Brentwood resident Carolina Barrie grew up next door to the VA and is an eyewitness to the changes there. In 1888, Ms. Barrie’s great, great aunt, Arcadia Bandini Stearns de Baker, worked with Senator John Percival Jones to donate 800 acres of land to the Board of Managers of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (NHDVS). “It was a gift, but I think others wanted to sell the property,†said Barrie.
Barrie recalled that “In 1887 the government requested that the National Home find a home West of the Mississippi.†Through a special act of Congress the land was given as a gift by Arcadia de Baker to establish a permanent home for disabled troops. For this purpose, the Land Deed of 1888 was written. “Five times in it, it specifies that it will be a home,†noted Barrie. “It was never to be sold, traded, leased, or used in a commercial way,†Barrie continued.
As a little girl, Barrie recalls that in 1942 the National Home “was a completely self-sustaining entity. They had their own water supply, electric supply, and a 150-acre farm to grow all their own food.†Now, with less than 400 of the original 800 acres of land left, a very limited number of disabled soldiers can only find temporary housing there. “This is an outrage,†said Barrie, who wants to see the NHDVS restored to its original glory.
“My cousin and I, and my children have been trying to fight this for years. In fact, the whole family has been trying to get them to honor the deed and they’re not,†Barrie remorsed. “It’s horrible that there is no home for these veterans.â€
The National Home was set up to care for wounded soldiers and sailors during combat operations from the Civil War. Care was extended to troops from WWI but the number of injured troops strained resources. In 1930 the National Home Board of Managers was dissolved and trusteeship was given to the newly formed civilian organization, the Veterans Administration, but the Deed of 1888 remained intact, according to Barrie.
