[2] Jesse W. Fell, David Davis and other prominent residents of Bloomington and Normal pledged cash and land for the home.

[3] The State of Illinois selected Normal as the site of the home in May 1867 and set up three temporary facilities in Bloomington and Springfield to serve the children during construction.

The Illinois Soldiers' Orphans' Home (ISOH) opened its doors on June 17, 1869 with 180 children in residence and one main building.

While under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Welfare the home's name was changed to the Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's School in 1931.

[4] The department also was authorized to place veterans' indigent children in foster homes or in other child-care facilities.

In 1872, construction was completed on a kitchen, laundry, boiler house, steam heating plant and school.

Children who died while in the care of the school, were originally buried at a site on campus, but were later moved to a plot in the Evergreen Memorial Cemetery in Bloomington.