Originally named Villa Ridge Inn, it originally opened as a luxury summer resort for Louisville businessmen and their families, was an impressive three-story structure that boasted the majestic architecture of the period. The Inn was closed after a couple of seasons. The building later served as a College for Young Ladies before being purchased by the state of Kentucky to provide a home for Confederate veterans in 1902. The idea for a Confederate Home was conceived by native Kentuckian, Bennett H. Young. A businessman and former Confederate officer, Young noticed the need for a shelter for aging Civil War veterans who often suffered from war-related illnesses and were unable to provide for themselves. The Confederate Home opened its doors to the first occupant in November 1902. Located on the land adjacent to the old Presbyterian Church close to the cemetery off Hwy. 146.

The requirements for occupancy of the home included that the applicant be an honorably discharged Confederate veteran, a resident of Kentucky for six months prior, of sound mind and free of addiction to alcohol. Applications came from across the state, and soon the home became a sanctuary for as many as 350 aging and disabled veterans at a time.

On March 25, 1920, a fire destroyed a large section of the home. Fortunately, no lives were lost due to the tragedy, but the main building, the laundry and one ward of the infirmary were ruined. What was left of the property was sufficient to house the remaining inmates, whose numbers had dwindled over the years and the remainder of the buildings have since been torn down.

By the mid-1930's only five inmates remained. After 32 years of operation, the decision was made by the state to close the home in July 1934. The five remaining inmates were transferred to the Pewee Valley Sanatorium

The only parts of the Confederate Home remaining in Pewee Valley include the original sign at the front gate (shown in the 1936 Herald-Post photo to the right), now at the entrance to the Confederate portion of the Pewee Valley Cemetery, and the remnants of the old walkway that led from the home to the railroad tracks, marked by a small sign placed there by the 21st Century Confederate Legion.