Salem, VIRGINIA - Lutheran Children's Home of the South

Description: Salem, VIRGINIA - Lutheran Children's Home of the South - Orphanage: There were two orphanages in Salem -- Baptist and Lutheran. They were established in the 1890s when accidents and dread diseases -- like tuberculosis, diphtheria, typhoid, and malaria -- frequently robbed children of their parents. In those post Civil War years, according to one report, the number of orphans grew to "unthinkable levels," and: "Across Virginia, frightened children roamed the streets and countryside begging for handouts and mercy." In May of 1896, the Lutheran Orphan Home of the South moved to Salem, into a two-story brick home at the southeast corner of Florida Street and the Boulevard. The children's home has moved several times within Salem since then, but the brick house still stands at Florida and Boulevard in front of Kiwanis Stadium where it houses the Florida Street Center of the City Department of Recreation and Parks. It didn't stay on Florida Street long. Under the leadership of the Rev. Benjamin W. Cronk, who succeeded Painter in 1897, the Lutherans in 1899-90 bought and moved into a very elegant five-story building, formerly the Hotel Salem, on College Avenue at Fifth Street. The new building -- on the site of today's Andrew Lewis Middle School -- was to serve the orphanage until 1927. The Lutheran home thrived in the old Hotel Salem -- an imposing, 80-room, red-brick structure, almost castle-like in appearance, with its tower, turrets, dormers and arched windows. In 1927, the orphanage was moved to a new structure shown here, which operated until 1963. In total, The Lutheran Children's Home of the South, Salem, Virginia provided seventy-five years of service, 1888-1963. This Linen Era (1930-45) postcard is in good condition. Published Asheville Post Card Co. Asheville, N. C. No. E-7369.

Price: 8.5 USD

Location: Brooklyn, New York

End Time: 2025-02-02T04:01:14.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD