Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1866-03-23
IOWA SOLDIERS ORPHANS HOME.
Report OF the Legislative Committe,
To the Genera, Assembly Of the Sase Of Fora


Home, beg leave to report the follow
ing. -.'
| That ON the 18th and 18th of Febru-
aly, 1885, they visited the Home, or q
branch of'the same, situated at Cedar
Falls, in black Hawk county, on the
Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad, one
/ hundred miles west OF DUBUQUE. '..
This branch of the Institution was
commenced on the 2sth of September,
1865, with five sold ers' orphan chill
dren, ana has continued to increase
aud prosper to this time, and now has
under it's care, one hundred and nine
such orphans, from the following nam
ed counties 81.
Benton, lS; Black Hawk, 20 Bat
/ Ter, 8; Clayton, 10; Cerro Gordo, q;
Delaware, s Dubuque, 4; Floyd, 3 :;
Franklin, o; Fayette, 4; Hardin, 8 !;
Jackson, 4; Marshall, 3; Mahaska, 2 !;
Pottawattamie, l; County not known,
5. Total, lo9 -A ""'. ''.'
This branch is under the manage
ment of Authpr Morrison, as Superin-
tendent, and Mrs. II. q. Platt, a. Mat
ron besides these, there are one male
and nine female employees. OF these,
the pay is now, superintendent, per
month, SS3l-Sl cooper year; Matron,
per month, $50; Steward, per mouth,
So; First teacher, per. month, SO /;
Music teacher, per month, S2U;. Seam
stress, per month, .Sl4; two employees,
each Sl2 per month, S24 four employ
cs, each SO per month, $40. Whole
amount for employees, $21i3 per month,
or the gross amount OF $3.50 per year
/ The gross expenditures OF this branch
for the month of January, 1866, was
SS12,33, on an average OF about ninety
orphans, which is ut the rate of little
over 800 per head, per year.
! The building occupied by this Home
was originally built and used us u ho-
I tel !; the front part is built of brick, 30
X62 feet, three stories, with two projec-
tions from the rear, 2SX4D feet, two sto-
ries, and built OF wood. This building
is upon Main street In the city of Cedar
Falls, upon u plat OF ground SKIS rods
oNtending in the rear of the building
/ There is~up0n this plat of ground
another brick building 32X40 feet, two
two stories high, not now occupied by
the. Home, but will be. These promises
are. all now rented by the Home corpo-
poratiou for the term of three years, for
81 100, seven hundred of which may be
expended on the premises, in repairs
and in improvements, and about two
years rent Is already paid in this man
ncr. This building is not the most
conveniently arranged for this purpose.
Many of the rooms are furnished in Il
good, plain, comfortable manner by the
Ladies' Aid Societies OF Black Hawk
aud sourrouNding counties. Others are
flrnishcd equally well by the lnstitu-
! ton, much OF the furniture, particularly
the beds and bedding, being that once
b btlonging to the Government, and do
mated in part to the Home for this pur-
/ pose. This branch can accommodate,
I when the building and rooms are all
( prepared and furnished, about $50 chill
i dren. II is the rule of this Home to
receive orphans from two to sixteen
years of age, though this rule is fire.
7 quently varied, in those cases where the
child has lost both parents. The chill
dren at this Home will compare favor
ably with an equal number OF children
gathered proniiseuously anywhere
] They are, all plainly but comfortably
clad, and IN appearance are bright and
! cheerful and happy. We found none
| sick, and there have been no deaths at
this Home. We believe this institu-
ton is well conducted and very sue
cessful. We find among the citizens OF
Cedar Fails Il very friendly and sympa-
thetic feeling toward this branch OF the
Home, and an earnest desire that i,
may be continued and supported at that
I place. Constant applications aro com
ing in for places, and from the best
! Information We can gather, the institu-
ton viii ho filled To its utmost capacity
in six months 20 come. There il an
excellent school CONNECTED with this
in nstitution, conducted by a teacher with
whom one OF your committee has been
Personally acquainted for the last five
years, and Knows her to be superior in
thls capacity. All children that are
old enough are required TO attend school,
and GA the sabbath the sab bath School,
aud church. They are ali Jwed To at
tend the church where the parent, or
guardian prefers. .....l.
Your Committee further rcbort that
on the 2Jth5nnd 2lst of February, they
visited the Home at Davenport, nScott
county. .. . .H.g .....
This Home embraces what was form
crly Camp l<insman, with all its build
ings, and thirty three and one half acres
of groand. The buildings are situated
in the form OF hollow square. What
was the officers headquarters, upon
the east side Of the square, il occupied
and used by thc"Supcrintendcn and
some other officers Of the Institution,
and for store rooms. AT the right and
sides of the square, are eighteen build
ing now called cottages, and occupied
by the children. Since the camp has
been occupied as ~ Home, the cottage
buildings have been partitioned, and
lathed and plastered, and are now very
com Portable. Each oftlie ethirtecnofthe3c
cottages is occupied with about % chill
dfen, and a cottage manager They
are nearly uniform in their arrange
ment inside, having a sitting room with
fire a bed room for manager; clothes
press for garments, and one large Sleep
ing room; some are occupied by boys,
others by girls exclusively. These
buildings are all built ofgbod pine lum-
Der, with first quality pine sllingle roof
on each. On the west side of the square
are situated "a well built and capacious
buildings, formerly used as stables, not
ted and fitted up as cottages, should oc-
cpsipu ever require. In the, southwest
ofthe square Is the spacious roam, for
mcrly adfiil room, fifty by one hun
dred feet, now fitted up, finished aud
furnished rs II dining hall, supplied
with seventy i've tables and other suit
able furniture, where ull the children
and managers together take their meals;
aud following in the rear and outside of
this hall is an extensive kitchen aud
kitchen arrangements, and n complete
bakery; aud further on laundry, a
drying room, and an ironing room, all
connected aud well arranged. La tho
south cast of this village Of cottages and
other buildings, at distance Of from
twenty TO thirty rods are four good and
weil-fitted school rooms, in one build
ing. with schools in operation under
competent and experienced teachers.
There arc now ut this Home 33l sol
dIers' orphans. Ofthcse, 50 are over I3
wears OF age; and 63 between 10 and l3
years; the remainder under 10 years.
Tiiese children are from various coun-
ties, as follows. Appanoose, 10; Doone,
4; Clinton, Is; Muscatine, o. Clarke,
3; Carroll, B; Dallas, 3; Des Moines, 3;
Decatur, s.; Davis, IS Fayettc, 8 Clay
ton, l.; Greene, 2; Henry, Ii; Jones,
l5; johnson, IL; Jasper, 20; Jackson,