Women's Relief Corps
Madison, Ohio
History

Establishment of the Madison Women’s Relief Corps Home

The following transcription is of a copy of a letter from a member of that Women’s Relief Corps committee from the Madison post which met with the national officers to establish the Home. She had written another recollection in 1897 about that organization as well.

Madison Nov 6^th 1925

            Some time in 1889 or 1990, there came to Madison Anna Wittenmire & Abbie Lynch looking for a site to establish a Nat W.R.C. Home. For Mothers, Widows, Sisters & Daughters of Deceased Union Soldiers of the Civil War. A committee was to meet those Nat. officers, namely Phema Cowles of Geneva, Asa Stratton, Elmer Rand, Mary A Burdick of Madison. They all proceeded to the Old Seminary to look over the buildings & grounds. Where then they returned to the Village. Burnham Corp [sic] served a fine dinner in their hall.

            [In?] The evening Burnham Post had a campfire & the citizen of Madison were invited. After refreshments were served & a general good time for all

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Mrs. Wittenmire made the proposal to the people of Madison, that if the Seminary buildings & grounds & $3,000 in money was donated, the Nat W.R.C. Home would be located in Madison

            After much discussion it was decided to accept the terms. Burnham Corp contributed $250 toward the site

            Work was begun on the buildings at once & some time in 1890 they were dedicated. A few years later money was furnished by the state of Ohio to build the Ohio Cottage. The rooms were furnished by different Corps in the Dept. of Ohio

            After some years, the different states that contributed to the support of the Nat Home, that best to have their own state homes & it became difficult to provide funds sufficient for its needs.

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            Therefore it was decided at one of the Nat Convention to turn all the property over to the state of Ohio if they would accept it After some time they did which makes it a state institution at the present time

            I don’t think that the Dept of Ohio. W.R.C. will ever lose their interest in the home as it now stands.

            Mary A Burdick

            Written from what I rembered [sic] in the Past