 The
Headquarters is on the north side of the Main Campus.
It is an imposing brick structure surrounded by broad verandas, with a
sundial
in the front. The first story is used for the offices of the Governor, Treasurer, Secretary, and Adjutant.
Colonel Edwin Brown was Governor of the Central Branch from
1868-1880.
General Marsena Patrick has been the Governor since September
23, 1880. General Patrick's service during the Civil War included being the
Provost Marshal General of the Armies operating
against Richmond. This position required a hard and harsh disciplinarian,
and it called for a man of absolute integrity. General Patrick
was appointed Governor because of his known character, and because
it was thought a model for the government of the other Soldiers
Homes should be worked out at the Central Branch. He addressed
a Committee of Congress, which was investigating all Soldiers
Homes in 1884 with the following dramatic conclusion:
"I am a
man of strong convictions. I fear God and Him only. I shall not
depart, while the little life that is left to me shall remain,
from the principles I have laid down through my life for my guidance."
Colonel Jerome B. Thomas has been Treasurer since our inception.
Mr. Justin Chapman is currently Adjutant. The second story of
the Headquarters comprises the library and reading room. This
spacious room is 19 feet in height with handsomely frescoed ceilings.
Cone reflectors shed brilliant rays for illumination at night.
One hundred and fifty chromos, engravings, and photographs adorn
the library walls. This room contains the renowned
"Putnam Library", contributed by Mrs. Mary Lowell Putnam,
of Boston, Massachusetts, as a memorial to her son,
William Lowell Putnam, who fell in 1861 at the battle of Ball's
Bluff. The veterans in the Home constructed the massive bookcase
of black and white walnut in the Putnam Library. Since 1868,
Mrs. Putnam has sent boxes of books five times a year. She sends
a wreath to hang above his portrait on the bookcase at each anniversary
of her son's death. At the opposite end of the room is the
"Thomas Library"
containing books contributed by the
old soldiers and admirers of the lamented
General George H. Thomas
. As of June 30, 1885, there are 14,812
books in the library collections. In the past 12 months, 54,802
books have been checked out. We currently subscribe to 228 newspapers
and 36 magazines.
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