TRAGEDY PROMPTED CONSTRUCTION OF SHELBY COUNTY CHILDREN'S HOME

Below is the home as it appeared after construction with the tunnels leading to
the girls’ and boys’ dormitories on either side of the building. These side
buildings have since been torn down and the main structure altered.

Have you ever been inside an old house and wondered - if these old walls could talk, what stories would they tell? A tour through the stately old Children's Home compels one to ask just that question. If you listen closely enough, you can almost hear the laughter of the children mingled with the staccato issuance of orders by the matron. The voices represent over 800 children whose lives were improved - and in some cases saved - over the 79 years the Home was in operation. But those stories can be told more eloquently another day by those who experienced the atmosphere of the Home. What about in the beginning? What circumstances compelled our citizens to build such a magnificent structure? Her story is one born of tragedy and the resulting commitment of a community to address the problem.

After the guns of the Civil War fell silent, 300 Shelby County families were feeling the effects of the loss of a loved one. The war, combined with short life expectancies caused by diseases such as cholera and smallpox made children orphans at an early age. The Ohio General Assembly passed legislation authorizing the construction of children's homes in 1866. Although surrounding counties soon constructed homes, it would be more than 30 years before Shelby County followed suit. In the meantime, what about the little children who had no parents? No one seemed to care. If no relatives were available to take them in, less than satisfactory arrangements were made elsewhere. For years, a number of the children were kept at the Shelby County Infirmary, the home for destitute and insane adults. No one intervened on behalf of the children. . After Logan County completed its home, no one in Shelby county stepped forward on behalf of the children to suggest the construction of a home for them.

On June 26, 1892 a county Board of Visitors was appointed by Judge Richie to tour all charitable institutions and report yearly concerning their condition. On June 6, 1893 the Board rendered its verdict to the county commissioners: Shelby County needed a children's home- and its construction should be a top priority. Politics reared its ugly head, however. Republicans backed the issue, which meant the Democrats were of course opposed. A stalemate appeared inevitable.

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