The National Sailors' Home was established by the leadership of the National Sailors' Fair, held in Boston in November, 1864. The minutes detail every step in the process of setting up and managing the institution: developing by-laws and electing officers; purchasing property and building facilities; hiring staff; rules and regulations for staff and residents; admission and dismissal of residents; finances; patients' medical care; the operation of a working farm; landscaping and cemetery maintenance; the establishment of a library, and other matters. For over thirty years, the president of the board was Alexander Hamilton Rice. The clerk keeping the records was Joshua Crane.
