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In 1885, the Illinois General Assembly passed
legislation to establish a soldiers' and sailors' home for disabled
Illinois veterans of the Mexican and Civil Wars. In 1886 Governor
Richard Oglesby decided on Quincy as the site of the new home and in
that same year the Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Home was formally
dedicated. The name was changed in 1973 to the "Illinois Veterans Home
at Quincy" and the facility is operated by the Department of Veterans'
Affairs. The Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy is the largest and oldest
veterans’ home of the four in Illinois and one of the larger and older
veterans’ homes in the country. Peak membership was reached in 1909 when
there were 1,654 members with today’s residents numbering approximately
450. The Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy has often been labeled as "the
city within the city" because of its size and unique set up. The
facility is comprised of over 25 buildings and sits upon 210 beautiful
acres on the northern edge of Quincy. It is equipped with its own post
office, bank, assembly hall, guest house, mini post exchange, chapel,
cemetery, lake, animal park, museum, and several military related
historical sites. It not only generates its own electrical power, but
also owns and maintains it own water, sewer, gas, telephone, data
network systems its own publication and television station as well.
The All Wars Museum is located on the grounds of the Illinois Veterans
Home at Quincy. The museum has been in operation since 1975. The mission
of the museum is to preserve and exhibit artifacts and equipment
relevant to the history of America's military engagements. The museum
has over 5,000 artifacts from every United States military engagement
dating from the Revolutionary War through to today’s current conflicts.
The museum has put these artifacts together into exhibits arranged in a
timeline of the history of military engagements of the United States of
America. Large pieces such as helicopters, tanks, jeeps, and a Titan II
missile can be seen outside of the museum and at places throughout the
grounds. The grounds can be visited by the public and also feature a
bison and deer park. The All Wars Museum maintains a resource room that
is open to anyone wanting to do research on military history.
Visiting the Illinois Veterans'
Home & All Wars Museum
The grounds are open to the public from am - pm
The Museum Season runs from March 1 - December 7
Visiting Hours
Tuesday through Saturday: 9 am - 12 pm and from 1 pm - 4 pm
Sunday: 1 pm - 4 pm
The Museum is closed on
Mondays
Guided tours of the facility are available to individuals, classes, and
organizations by contacting the curator at 222-8641, ext. 338.
The grounds of the Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy are
open to the public from 8 am - 4:30 pm.
There is no charge to visit the Illinois Veterans' Home & All
Wars Museum
Location:
From downtown Quincy follow Broadway (IL-104) east to 12th Street and
turn north. From I-172 exit 14 (Broadway) follow IL-104 west through
Quincy to 12th Street and turn north. The Illinois Veterans’ Home & All
Wars Museum is approximately 1 mile north of Broadway at the
intersection of Locust and 12th Street.
 Learn more about the
Quincy
area.
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