Funeral Tunnel Project
The funeral tunnel restoration is currently the most expensive project that the Support Committee has undertaken. The funeral tunnel is the only remaining item associated with the main veteran’s hospital that stood in 1871. The tunnel provided a discrete exit for service members who passed away at the Central Branch. The caskets were transported from the morgue located on the northeast side of the hospital through the tunnel. The opening of the tunnel led to the cemetery, where a horse-drawn hearse waited to carry the service member to their final resting place. The structure’s exterior portal was sealed in the early 1900’s. This historic site is believed to be the only one of its kind in the United States.
The Support Committee is currently collaborating with various organizations across the country to restore, reopen, and preserve this treasured landmark. Some of the partners currently working with us are Ball State University, the Ohio Historical Society, the National Cemetery Association’s historic department, the National Park Service, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Federal Preservation Office, and the Dayton Historic Society. The entire project will be funded by donations.
Once erased from the map, 150-year-old Dayton VA tunnel could be reopened
Dayton Daily News
May 26, 2019
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