The Children's Home
Caring for children in need since 1900

(below is a history of The Children's Home, written to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Home in the year 2000).

Photo gallery of the history of The Children's Home.

At the end of the Nineteenth century, the United States was emerging as a world power and an industrial giant. A war with Spain had been fought, and won, resulting in new overseas territories. American mines and mills were producing more steel, coal and textiles than anywhere else in the world. American farms, rapidly becoming the breadbasket of the world, produced huge amounts of crops that were shipped to market on the new network of railroads that crossed our nation. Truly it was a time of plenty.

But these good times were not enjoyed by everyone. Many workers toiled long days at hazardous jobs for a meager wage. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants every year flocked to this country from around the world, often ending up in the tenements and sweatshops in our burgeoning cities. Government programs to help the sick and the poor were largely non-existent and the private and religious charities that did exist were stretched to the limit. A situation existed of great need in a time of plenty, a situation that helped to explain a chance encounter on a street in Cromwell, Connecticut that proved to have far ranging consequences.

In 1898, the Reverend N.M. Nilsen, pastor of the Swedish Congregational Church of Cromwell, happened to meet A. N. Pierson, founder of Pierson Greenhouses, in front of a vacant house owned by Mr. Pierson. Reverend Nilsen commented as to how the house should not remain vacant but should be put to some worthwhile use. Mr. Pierson agreed, stating that this had been his intention.

At the meeting of the Eastern Missionary Association, held in October, 1898, in New Britain, Reverend Nilsen recounted his discussion with Mr. Pierson and raised the question, "Is the Eastern Missionary Association willing to establish a home for needy children and what were the financial possibilities for such an undertaking?" Reaction to the idea was favorable; indeed, it was said that the idea "fired the imagination" of the delegates and a committee was established to explore the idea. At the annual meeting a year later, this committee recommended that the venture should be immediately undertaken. A Board of Directors was established and on May 30, 1900, The Swedish Christian Orphanage in Cromwell was dedicated and opened by the Swedish Evangelical Covenant Church with room for thirty children. It should be pointed out that this was a venture not undertaken lightly. Obviously, a home for children required not only an initial outlay of money but also an ongoing financial and administrative commitment. Yet these men and the congregations that they represented took their spiritual responsibilities seriously. Their religious beliefs required that they not only believe, but act as well, act in a manner that bore witness to the divine love of Jesus Christ by serving and giving. Their Faith was their life. As it has been for a hundred years now.

It soon became obvious just how great the need for such a home was. By 1904, even after additions had been made to the original structure, further room was required and consideration was given for the construction of a new home. The expense of such an undertaking prevented any action from being taken until in 1910 when it was felt that it could be delayed no further. The Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Reverend G.E. Pihl, posed the problem in the following terms, "Have we the will to venture forth? Dare we do it? Dare we neglect doing it?"

It was five more years until the new Home was ready for occupancy. A hilltop in Cromwell overlooking the Connecticut River valley had been chosen as the new site. This land was purchased, the original property was sold and on July 26, 1914, the cornerstone for the new Home was laid. On January 27, 1915, 72 children and the staff moved into the new facility that was described as a "stately and spacious brick structure." Not only was the new Home much larger and expressly constructed as a home for children, but the property afforded the opportunity to farm and produce food for the Home's residents. By the 1920s, a well run and maintained home existed for orphaned and otherwise needy children providing long term residence and care in a home like atmosphere of love, security and Christian upbringing. The children helped both on the farm and around the home, were actively engaged in 4H activities, participated in the newly created children's orchestra and lived lives greatly improved from those they had lived before entering the Home.

In the 1920s, a summer camp program, that continued on the grounds until 1957, began as well as the selection of the Cromwell Home as the site for summer religious conferences. Youth conferences were initiated in the 1930s making the Home and grounds of Cromwell ever more important to the churches and parishioners who supported the Home. And support it they did, even through the hard Depression days of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Dormitories to house, and a dining hall to feed these conferences as well as a Tabernacle were constructed. Additions and improvements to the Home and grounds continued throughout these years. These include the erection of a silo, the construction of a laundry facility, the building of chicken houses and the creation of a library. In 1932, twelve acres of land owned elsewhere by the Home were exchanged for thirty acres of land adjacent to the Home. In 1941, a lake was created on the property from a small brook. This, Cromwell Lake, served, and continues to serve, the recreational needs of the year round residents as well as those of the summertime visitors.

In 1950, the Cromwell Children's Home celebrated its Fiftieth Anniversary. While proud of its years of service, the leadership at the time recognized that the need continued. In a congratulatory letter at that time, Clement Mortenson, Superintendent of the Home from 1917 to 1925, wrote, "Caring is all that matters." This caring had always been a major element of life at the Home and all of those celebrating the first fifty years looked ahead to the future dedicated to this sense of commitment.

The 1950s however, began to demonstrate that times were indeed changing. Our society, prospering in the boom years of post World War II, was also undergoing some major tensions. As was the case fifty years earlier, the era of prosperity did not extend to all segments of the society. In addition, the first hints of racial strife, family violence, divorce and drug usage were beginning to be felt. Certainly, all these problems had existed beforehand, but only now was the existense of such problems beginning to be openly admitted. The 1950s contained within it the seeds of the social strife and upheaval of the following decade.

The Home itself was starting to go through a period of stress and uncertainty. The original group, whose needs were to be met by the Home, the orphaned or neglected children of Swedish immigrants and their descendents, were by now largely taken care of. In this respect, the Home, along with other agencies, had been spectacularly successful; their "needy" group had largely ceased to need. This obviously doesn't suggest that there was no need in America, for there was a very great one and it is to this that the leadership of the Home now began to turn their attention. By the mid 1950s, the Board of Directors began wrestling with the question of, "Where do we go from here?" Should the Home expand its focus so as to include all children in need? Could it afford to do so? Could it afford not to?

The issue was not one quick in resolving. For the next ten years, until the mid 1960s, the future direction of the Home was being discussed and debated. By 1965, the choice had been made. Fifty years earlier, the Home had been dedicated to helping the largely Swedish and Christian children in need, now it would expand its vision to help any and all children in need. Swedish and Christian as well as any other child.

Not only had the society changed since the start of the Twentieth Century, so had the role of government. The trauma of the Great Depression had forced the government, on the Federal, State and local levels, to become a great deal more actively involved in promoting the general well being of the people. In terms of childcare, the State in particular began to become a much more integral agent in how children in need could best be served. The 1960's witnessed a much greater collaboration between the Cromwell Home for Children and the Connecticut State Department of Children and Families and the Connecticut Department of Education.

The children being served by the Home were different than those who had lived there fifty or sixty years earlier. Not only were they not Swedish/Americans, they were sometimes coming from households of other faiths or of no practicing faith at all. Many of them had been victims of abuse, of violence and neglect. Some were experienced in drug and alcohol use and in crime. They were old beyond their years. Their educational and social skills were oft times greatly impaired. Their hopes for the future were limited, at best. They came to the Home wounded; emotionally, psychologically, sexually, physically and spiritually. A new approach, a broader approach had to be designed by the administrators of the Cromwell Home, one that would go beyond the basic providing of a safe and nurturing residence. The original approach was expanded upon. Now recognized as a professional child care agency, the program was expanded to include therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists. Life skills, always a part of the Home program, became increasingly so. A behavior modification approach was initiated; an approach in which positive behavior was met with rewards and praise. Recognizing that all the best approaches in the world would mean little if a child returned to the exact same environment that had brought him or her to Cromwell, a regimen of family counseling was begun. In addition, prior to leaving the Home, in order to insure a smoother transition back into the community, efforts were made to meet with people from that community. Follow up continued even after the departure from the Home. And yet, even with all the changes that occurred in these years, certain things stayed the same. The spirit that had motivated and guided the founders of the Home continued unabated, their desire to provide a safe haven and a place to begin the healing process was maintained by the staff throughout the years. While few of the children were of the Evangelical Covenant Church, while at the Home, their spiritual needs were addressed. For some of the residents, this was the first time that their lives were touched by such a faith.

The 1960s brought with it another realization, that the "stately and spacious brick structure" of 1915 was no longer adequate to meet the needs of the residents and staff. Fifty years plus of wear and tear had taken their toll on the building and in 1969, the decision was reached to replace the existing building. The new facility was built in 1971, "a model in concept and design", to use the words of R. William Aust, the then Executive Director. Just to the west of the 1915 structure and dedicated in June of 1972, the building is a far cry from its predecessor. Rather than one large, central structure, it is instead a series of one story interconnected wings, the small group residential areas, joined to a common dining room and recreational areas. The five residential areas convey a sense of personal space and privacy not the impersonal feel of an institution. Their is an open and inviting airy look to the common areas such as the dining hall, causing one to feel welcome there.

Another major change came in 1972 when on-site education was initiated. For years, the residents of the Home had left the grounds each day for schooling, a system that had worked well in the earlier days. By the 1970s however, many of the residents had special needs, needs that could best be met on-site. Individual attention, all but impossible in the public schools, could be offered to those students that required it. This change to educating at the Home led to the construction of the Learning Center opened in 1980. As with the new residential facilities, the Learning Center was designed and built to be appealing and non-threatening. The hallways meander through the building, leading to small colorful classrooms, a library and a much-used gymnasium. There is a presence of light, a suggestion of possibilities, offering a sense that needs can and will be addressed.

This on-site educational approach has proven to be very successful, so much so that in 1994, a special education day school program began for non-residents of the Cromwell Home. Students from a number of communities were bussed to the Home in order to benefit from the programs, staff and facilities located there. This, one more example of the ongoing reevaluation and innovation designed to best assist children in need, continues to this day.

Needless to say, these shifts in the emphasis of the program did not come about overnight. Begun in the 1960s, they continue up to today. Along the way, certain elements have been phased out and new ones added. For example, in 1969, the agricultural side of the Cromwell Home was eliminated. While it had provided a huge amount of food to the residents and had engaged any number of them in constructive activities, it was realized that a small farm was no longer economically feasible nor vocationally sound. The idea of has not been altogether abandoned though. While perhaps no longer viable as a source of food, it was recognized that a child can benefit from the caring of both plants and animals. It was appropriate then that, in 1997, a greenhouse was constructed in which a small crop of commercial plants was raised, plants used in what has by now become an annual plant sale.

Significantly, the purchase and construction of the greenhouse was paid for by a generous corporate donor, only one of many instances where the local business community has aided the Home. In addition, while the farm animals are long gone, a number of small pets are housed in one of the school buildings. These birds, reptiles and small mammals help the children to develop a sense of responsible and of nurturing. In addition, they are of course, just plain fun. These, the plants and the animals, are but two examples of what might be described as pre-vocational activities, activities that help instill both skills and attitudes which could benefit the resident in years to come. The computer lab, opened in 1997, is another good example of a resource available to the children that will not only benefit them now, but for years to come.

The Children's Home in Cromwell, now over 100 years old, continues to search for ways on which to improve its service to the children who have been entrusted to it. The Home is now affiliated with the Covenant Ministries of Benevolence, a national ministry based in Chicago that provides social programs to people from birth to death.

There has been much diversity of programs at The Children's Home, a goal set by the Board of Directors at a strategic planning retreat in 2001. This has led to the establishment of a sister corporation, Community Services, Inc., which oversees an Extended Day Program, Therapeutic Group Homes for young ladies in the community, Training Academy, Ropes Course, and outpatient programs through the Family Treatment Center.

Once again, our nation is in the midst of an economic boom and yet, once again, there are those not enjoying the good times. Children, for whatever reasons, continue to be neglected, continue to be abused, continue to be in need. It is for these children that the Children's Home exists. Hopefully, it will continue to exist until the day comes when there no longer are children in need.