Maryland Line Confederate Soldiers' Home collection

The facility that became the Maryland Line Confederate Soldiers' Home in Pikesville, Maryland dates back to 1818, when it was a Federal Arsenal. In 1888 it was converted into a residence for soldiers who served the Confederacy during the Civil War, remaining in operation until 1932. A brochure published by the home in the 1890s describes it as providing the veterans with "a haven of rest . . . to which they may retire and find refuge, and, at the same time, lose none of their self-respect, nor suffer in the estimation of those whose experience in life is more fortunate".

At the time of its opening, the Maryland Line Confederate Soldiers' Home was a prominent feature of Pikesville, which otherwise had only two dozen houses. The population of the home reached 139 after the first five and a half years of operation.