LYON COUNTY GENEALOGY
Beloit's Lutheran Children's Home
The Lutheran children's home at Beloit in the northwest
corner of Iowa, was established by Norwegian Lutherans in 1890. By far the largest of the
antecedents to LSS, the home had a peak population of 177 in 1926, and by 1942 had given
care to 984 children. In 1942 there were 28 boys and 12 girls at the home. At that time it
consisted of four institutional buildings, a chapel, and numerous farm buildings. The farm
consisted of 617 acres of land, and, debt-free, was valued at $236,952.
The home was closed in 1945 and its assets used for a later re-location in Ames, where it
now continues to serve children as a part of the ministry of Lutheran Social Service of
Iowa.
Some of the buildings remain as part of a farm in Beloit, and a cemetery marker
memorializes residents who died during those 56 years, giving silent testimony to a
ministry that responded to need.
The original program at Beloit was not envisioned as an orphanage. The campus had been
intended to house a seminary for a Scandinavian Lutheran church body. The story goes back
to 1860, when, at Clinton, Wisconsin, organizational action resulted in formation of the
Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America. Soon thereafter came
the Augustana Seminary, located first in Chicago, later in Paxton, Illinois. Six years
later the Norwegian-Danish part of the synod moved its part of this school to Marshall,
Wisconsin. Growth was slow there, so, in 1881, the school was moved to a newly acquired
location at Beloit, Iowa.
There it was established as the Augustana College and Theological Seminary. Shortly after,
the city of Canton, South Dakota, just across the Big Sioux River from Beloit, offered a
gift of a hotel property with the provision that the college part of the program be moved
there. The gift was accepted and the college moved, leaving the Beloit property
exclusively for the seminary.
Its history at Beloit was also short. The synodical merger between the Norwegian-Danish
Augustana Synod, the "Conference" Synod, and the Anti-Missourian Brotherhood
occurred in 1890, forming the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America. Each of the
three bodies of the merger had its own theological seminary, and they were combined into
one location in the buildings of Augsburg Seminary, Minneapolis.
The summer of 1890 found the nine-year old buildings at Beloit empty. It was through the
endeavor to make some good use of these buildings that Beloit Children's Home came into
existence.
As early as 1885, the church publication known as "Luthersk Tidende" carried an
account of a proposal made by the Rev. A. Wright. He suggested that if the buildings
became vacant they should be used as an institution of mercy for orphan children and
destitute old people.
Buildings Become a Children's Home
In August 1890 action was started by a visit of Professor
George Sverdrup to the Beloit institution to determine if it could be developed into a
children's home. That led to the establishment of the home under management of the
Lutheran Deaconess Home in Minneapolis.
Sisters Martha Langaunet and Agnette Fagerlie came to Beloit in November 1890, and on
December 2, the first orphan, a boy, came to his new home. By May 1891 there were 12
children.
The home continued under management of the Deaconess Home until the fall of 1892. Its
early success was partly the result of early and substantial gifts from many benefactors.
Following action taken by synod boards on August 3, 1892, the United Norwegian Lutheran
Church assumed management of the home under the temporary direction of a five-member
board.
At the general convention of the church in 1895 the delegates adopted governing documents
and gave it the official name "The United Church Children's Home."
The documents state that its "aim is to receive, support and train poor and
defenseless children," and that "it is to be maintained chiefly by voluntary
contributions from congregations, societies and individuals.
Children to be admitted were, as a rule, not to be under two years of age, nor older than
ten. Upon admission, the child's relation to the home was considered identical to its
parents. Rules for training provided:
"1. Every day, morning and evening devotion shall be conducted and no one without
valid reason must neglect it.
2. Care is exercised to the effect that all who in one way or another has connection with
the training of the child shall be earnest Lutheran Christians.
3. A school is conducted for six to eight months at such time of year as the board in its
discretion may deem best, in order that the children may be instructed in religion and
also in other useful lines. The children are also given suitable employment."
L.A. Vigness, in a 40th anniversary brochure says, "The Beloit Children's Home is one
of the blessed agencies through which Christianity, operating in and through our church,
makes provision for the care of children whose circumstances are such as to require the
aid of kind hearts and hands."
Needs of Children Become the Mission
The needs of children became the mission for this facility.
A custodial program was designed and planned to meet the parenting needs of orphaned and
dependent children. Its mission statement:
"....to receive, support and train poor and defenseless children. The home will
diligently endeavor as far as possible to exercise a fatherly and motherly care for the
child both physically and spiritually."
The early records of the home make evident the need for this kind of care. Among those who
came in the early 1890s were:
*A boy "whose mother died when he was a year old and his father, with four other
little children, could not take care of him."
*A boy, whose "mother died when he was ten years old, and he, together with his
younger sisters...and his little brother...
were left without anyone to care for them. Their father was also very sickly, with
consumption, so he was unable to work and support his children. Under those circumstances
they were all brought to the Orphan's Home. A year after, the father died also with
consumption, the same disease as his wife had."
* a seven-year-old "was brought to the Home by her aunt, who found it impossible to
take care of her. Her parents we know nothing about. She was taken to her aunt when she
was but a little girl, where she was abused and ill treated in many respects. She was made
to sit in a dark cellar hours at a time, and was punished with many other severe
punishments. As this did not agree with her very well, she tried her best to run away.
This way of living made her a desperate child and hard to manage, but it was certainly the
fault of those who treated her so mercilessly. After she was brought to the Orphan's Home
she was taken care of in a proper way and soon became a good and willing girl."
* A nine year old whose "mother died when he was yet a little boy. His father was a
careless man, who cared little for bringing up his children. He was also a poor man who
had nothing to do with, and that may account for his act toward his children. The three
youngest were brought to a family, who abused them very much, both by hard work and ill
treatment. This was finally discovered by some kind people who brought them to the
Orphan's Home."
In its 56 years of existence at that location, 996 children were served. Superintendents
during those years were Sisters Martha Lanaunet, Jennie Olson, Agnette Fagerlie, Maren
Island, Mr. Thore Gunderson, Rev. T.T. Thompson and Rev. Torger Thompson.
A survey made in 1942 recommended that the home at Beloit should not be improved and
repaired, but rather moved to Ames. Reasons given were inadequate facilities, children too
isolated, repair costs would be prohibitive, the central location and better facilities
for school and church at Ames.
Vote to Close and Start a New Program
In 1944 the Norwegian Lutheran Church voted to close the
orphanage and implement new programming to meet the needs of children. This action was a
result of decreased need for custodial institutions, and the growing belief that resources
of the church and society should be committed to helping families remain together.
Minutes of the Board of Beloit Children's Home from May 2, 1945 through July 18, 1949
outline the discussions and actions ranging from the official recommendation to the
synod's Board of Charities that the Beloit Home be located at Ames, to the naming of the
Rev. Douglas Jacobson as the first director of the "new" Beloit. The meetings in
between were devoted to purchase of the land, selection of an architect and construction
of buildings on the new campus. Arthur Bragstad was elected superintendent of the home
effective June 1, 1945, and he supervised the transition and construction. When
construction was completed he assumed other duties at the request of the Board of
Charities which needed his services.
Part of the transition involved disposal of beds, bedding and clothing. Bragstad was
authorized to do this and reported to the February 12, 1946 meeting of the Beloit Board
that 83 cartons, four boxes, 22 bundles had been shipped to Chicago for Norwegian Relief.
$110 worth of beds and blankets were sold to Chetek Bible Camp of Slayton, $100 worth of
beds were sold to Bethseda Home, $26.10 worth of articles were sold as rags, $8 was
received for a table and book nook and some articles were given o the Aase Haugen Home. At
this meeting the board also decided that for the time being at least, the name Beloit
Children's Home be retained.
Children's Home is Reborn at Ames
Ames, Iowa was chosen as the location for this new
programming. Footings for the administration building and the first children's cottage
were poured in June 1948. Construction began to build facilities that would provide
residential services to children with emotional disabilities whose families could not care
for them or were unable to meet their unusual needs.
The new buildings were dedicated and the first child was admitted in October 1949. As he
began his duties as first director at the new Beloit Lutheran Children's Home the Rev.
Douglas Jacobson stated:
"It must be recognized that Beloit exists for the sole purpose of helping the child.
While we attempt to provide a home-like atmosphere in our cottages, we must be ready to
admit that we cannot particularly provide family life experiences. The value of treatment
within Beloit comes from the group living experience and the individualized casework
experience. It is our purpose to provide a flexible program to fit the child's needs
rather than adapt the child to Beloit."
Jacobson served as director until 1958. Leonard Larsen, who joined the Beloit staff as a
social worker in 1956, served as acting director for part of 1958. He would later serve
for 17 years as the chief executive officer for Lutheran Social Service of Iowa. George
Black served as Beloit director from 1958-1961; the Rev. Reid Seastrand from 1961-1968;
Dr. Paul Temple, 1968-1971; and Denis Schaefer, from 1971 until 1982 when Beloit merged
with Lutheran Social Services of Iowa. Schaefer then continued for several years as
director of Beloit and the Ames LSS service center.
Beloit developed a progressive treatment program. It was an open setting based on power of
relationships, good clinical practice and focus on each child'' primary need for parental
nurturing and expectations during and following treatment. The "parental force"
philosophy it adopted relied heavily on this nurturing within the center and on
involvement of the child's parents in the treatment process when that was possible.
A campus school was established in 1962 for children who could not be mainstreamed into
the public schools. A recreation building was completed in 1965 with emphasis on holistic
treatment of the child. An outpatient program was begun in 1967 to assist in problem
solving in areas of children's adjustment problems, in parent-child conflicts, and in
marital disharmony.
A later mission statement said:
"The objective of this agency is thus to deploy the resources of the agency and of
the church toward the improvement of conditions which affect the lives of individual
children and their families in order that they might grow to their fullest potential.
Effort will be directed at the resolution or elimination of interpersonal, familial and
social factors which are determined to be detrimental toward the attainment of this
objective."
Children served at Beloit from the beginning have ranged from age six to 14 at admission.
One hundred-eight were served from 1949-1961, 125 from 1961-71, plus 130 in the outpatient
program: 125 were served in residential treatment from 1971-82. From 1982-90, 120 children
were served in residential treatment, 2,216 people served in outpatient care, and 146 in
foster care and in-home.
Beloit Merges with LSS
Beloit had been continuously owned by the parent national
church body since its birth in 1890 at Beloit, Iowa, until its merger with Lutheran Social
Service of Iowa in 1982. First, the Norwegian Lutheran Church, then, because of subsequent
mergers, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and The American Lutheran Church. Because the
ALC, nationally, no longer wished too directly own such institutions. merger conversations
began with LSS in the late 1970s leading to the eventual merger of Beloit with LSS in
1982.
Beloit Lutheran Children's Home continues to serve young children, but now as a
Psychiatric Medical Institute for Children. With a capacity of 30 boys and girls, in
residential units of five children with an adult counselor, it seeks to bring wholeness
back into the lives of severely disturbed children who have experienced multiple, often
horrendous abuse, and need intense care under psychiatric supervision.
Some of these children are today's new "orphans," because the courts have
terminated the parental rights of their parents. They hope for eventual placement in
extended foster care or in an adoptive home. Today's LSS adoption program facilitates
adoptions for special needs children like these and others.
Source: "Hope for all Generations", Chapter 3, Beloit Lutheran Children's Home, Beloit, Iowa, by George Hanusa. Roger Gutmann, President and CEO of Lutheran Social Service of Iowa, and Heather Fink, LSS Director of Communications, authorized George Hanusa to give me, Roseanna Zehner written permission to put this article on the Lyon County Site. A special thanks to all.
Transcribed by Darlene Jacoby