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History of the Children's Home |
In the fall of 1907, Reverend O.P. Christian, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, wrote a letter to Idaho's Governor, F.R. Gooding. In this letter he stated that he was authorized by the National Children's Home Finding Society to select a state for the purpose of establishing a Children's Home, and that he would select Idaho if the conditions were favorable. To this letter Governor Gooding replied, "Idaho has abundant provisions for the criminal child, but has neglected the class of children that has not yet become criminals. If you will organize such a society here as they have in other states, I promise you my cooperation as the chief executive and my personal influence."
Reverend Christian came to Boise in April, 1908, and met with Governor Gooding and a group of prominent social workers. As a result of this meeting, The Children's Home Finding and Aid Society was organized in the office of Governor Gooding at the State House in Boise, Idaho on April 14, 1908. It was incorporated on May 2, 1908. On April 18, 1908, Mrs. Cynthia A. Mann, a teacher and prominent club woman of Boise, presented a block of land to the society, located on Warm Springs Avenue in the eastern part of the city, on which there was a six-room cottage. It was here that the Children's Home was opened on July 22, 1908. Children were received into the Home upon a commitment from a Probate Court or by agreement with the parents.
An act of the Legislature in 1909 authorized "any benevolent or charitable society, incorporated under the laws of Idaho, to receive, care for, and place out for adoption, homeless or neglected children." Every year, a large number of children were provided with homes in good families. A school in the Home was conducted as part of the public school system. The teachers employed by the Home were paid by the Boise School District. There was also a free medical aid department in the Home where temporary care and treatment were given to children whose parents had "met with misfortune" and were unable to pay for a physician.
During the session of the 1908-1909 Legislature, an appropriation of $20,000 was made to the Society on the condition that the citizens of the state donate an additional $20,000, to be used for the care of the Home's dependent children. The Board of Directors set aside the $20,000 appropriated by the State for building purposes. A Building Committee was appointed, consisting of C.W. Moore, Judge F.S. Dietrich and C.C. Anderson. The contract for the stone work of the building was awarded to the Kinney Brothers of Boise. The carpentry work was headed by H.A. Larson, also of Boise. The plans were drawn by Charles F. Hummel of Tourtellotte & Hummel, Architects.
The cornerstone of The Children's Home was laid on May 14, 1908. The Masonic Lodge was in charge of the exercises. The Statesman reported that the cornerstone was "laid with great ceremony." Thirty different organizations participated. A "monster parade . . . under the direction of Mayor Harding . . . took place, with three special cars waiting at the Idanha corner for the purpose of conveying the ladies of the different organizations to the grounds." The dedication of the Home took place on December 28, 1910. At the exercises, representatives of all local churches and clubs were present and assisted.
The walls of the building are made of sandstone, taken from the same quarry (Table Rock Quarry) as the stone for the capitol building. At the time of construction, there were two large rooms on the second floor which were used as dormitories -- one by the boys and the other by the girls -- and connected with each was a large, screened porch that was occasionally used as an outdoor sleeping room. The attendants also had quarters on the second floor. An isolation room in the rear provided a place for the treatment of infectious or contagious diseases. The grounds were large enough to provide outdoor recreation for the children. The cost to construct the building was $42,700. To furnish the building, many civic groups from throughout the State assisted. As an example, equipment was donated by the people of Idaho Falls.
On October 25, 1908, the first annual "Tag Day" was held in Boise to raise money for the home, and at that time, the keys of the city were turned over to Mrs. A.J. Blomquist, acting mayoress for the day. Tag Day was a city-wide fundraising event in which a mock legislature enacted laws designed to bring in revenue to the Society. Citizens were fined for trivial things from wearing a red neck-tie to not reading the Statesman. The revenue generated in this one-day event totaled $3,783.75 the first year. This event was held annually until 1914.
In November, 1908, the society decided to organize a district and establish a branch of the Home in the northern part of the state, to be located at Lewiston. Reverend S.B. Chase, of Lewiston, was appointed district superintendent, and in April, 1912, a large brick residence in the eastern part of Lewiston was purchased and remodeled for the North Idaho Children's Home. Though it operates independently today, the northern Home is still going strong. They have changed their name to The Northwest Children's Home, and their services include residential care in Lewiston and in Nampa at Syringa House.
During the first two years of operation, 326 children were cared for under the direction of the Home's first superintendent and founder, Reverend Christian. Between 1910 and 1966, the numbers of children served reached into the tens of thousands. The year 1966 marked the start of a gradual transition in the Home from orphanage to treatment facility. In 1966, the National Legislature passed a law resulting in the creation of the foster care system. The last adoption from the Home took place in 1968. With this change in service, The Children's Home Society changed its name to the Warm Springs Center. In 1970-71, the interior of the Home was remodeled, reducing the capacity from over 100 occupants, down to 37. The plans for the remodel job were completed by the grandson of the original architect of the Home, Charles F. Hummel (he was his grandfather's name-sake), of Hummel, Jones & Miller, Architects. The construction was completed by Ken Howell of Boise in exchange for part of the property and buildings owned by the Children's Home.
The Home operated as a facility for "troubled youth" until 1975, when as a result of the increasing popularity of foster care, the need for residential facilities decreased. The Board decided to convert the home into an outpatient mental health facility since they felt that more children could be reached in this way. Once again, the name was changed, this time to the Warm Springs Counseling Center.
Since 1975, the Children's Home Society, dba The Warm Springs Counseling Center, has been providing mental health services to children and their families with payment requirements based on the family's ability to pay. The counseling programs are supported in part, by income generated from an endowment fund.
In 1993, the Children's Home piloted a new program providing supervised training for interns in social work or counseling programs. Through the Warm Springs Training Institute, each academic year, a small group of interns are selected to participate in an intensive training program in the field of children's therapy and assessment. Since the time of its inception, the Training Institute has gained tremendous respect in the clinical community. The reputation of this program is reaching schools across the nation. It has allowed the Children's Home to further its mission by providing services to children and families who can not afford to pay for services at all.
The Children's Home Society is currently doing business as the Warm Springs Counseling Center and Training Institute, serving thousands of children each year. The corporation has provided nearly 100 years of service to this community. Though the nature of service provided has changed, and continues to change, the mission remains the same -- to serve the children of this community and this state.
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We're Celebrating Our 100 Year Anniversary!
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