The Wartburg Adult Care Community
Encyclopedia
The Wartburg Adult Care Community is a non-profit
, Lutheran organization located in Mount Vernon, New York
that provides a continuum of care to older adults through residential and community-based programs and services. The Wartburg was originally founded in 1866 as an orphanage and farm school and began serving older adults in 1898. As the foster care
system took hold in the mid-1900s, the Wartburg gradually phased out the orphanage and by 1979, its focus was solely on serving the elderly.
The Wartburg Orphans’ Farm School was established in 1866 by a Lutheran minister, Reverend William Passavant
, with an initial gift of $30,000 from New York lawyer Peter Moller. Originally, Moller had planned to use the funds to erect a lavish memorial for his son, whom he had lost in the American Civil War
. However, Reverend Passavant, who had previously founded The Orphan’s Home and Farm School in Zelienople, Pennsylvania
, convinced Moller of the need for a similar orphanage in New York to help the great number of children left fatherless by the Civil War. Moller agreed and donated the $30,000 to help fund the new orphanage.
With advisement from Reverend G.C. Holls, headmaster of the Zelienople orphanage and Sister Elizabeth, a nun affiliated with a similar orphanage in Rochester, Pennsylvania, Reverend Passavant searched for an appropriate property for the new orphanage. Ultimately, they settled on 125 acres of land in Pelham, New York
purchased from The Lutheran Committee for Charitable Concerns. On a visit to the property, Passavant was believed to comment that “This is something like the site of The Wartburg where Luther translated the New Testament
,” of which Pastor Holls, later hired as the first director of The Wartburg, replied with “Then we will call it The Wartburg.” The Wartburg was originally incorporated under the name “Deaconess Institution of the State of New York.” However, in 1884, a state charter was obtained, officially naming it “The Wartburg Orphans’ Farm School of the Evangelical Lutheran Church”.
In 2011, the Wartburg was chosen to receive a $27.6 million grant to fund two new buildings on campus: the short term-rehab/adult day facility and 61 units of supportive housing. The short-term rehabilitation center will be designed around the “neighborhood” model. Adjacent to this building will be the new adult day care building.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, Lutheran organization located in Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It lies on the border of the New York City borough of The Bronx.-Overview:...
that provides a continuum of care to older adults through residential and community-based programs and services. The Wartburg was originally founded in 1866 as an orphanage and farm school and began serving older adults in 1898. As the foster care
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
system took hold in the mid-1900s, the Wartburg gradually phased out the orphanage and by 1979, its focus was solely on serving the elderly.
The Wartburg Orphans’ Farm School was established in 1866 by a Lutheran minister, Reverend William Passavant
William Passavant
William A. Passavant was a Lutheran minister noted for bringing the Lutheran Deaconess movement to the United States. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24 with Justus Falckner and Jehu Jones...
, with an initial gift of $30,000 from New York lawyer Peter Moller. Originally, Moller had planned to use the funds to erect a lavish memorial for his son, whom he had lost in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. However, Reverend Passavant, who had previously founded The Orphan’s Home and Farm School in Zelienople, Pennsylvania
Zelienople, Pennsylvania
Zelienople is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburgh. The population was 4,123 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , of which 98% is land and 1.35% is water....
, convinced Moller of the need for a similar orphanage in New York to help the great number of children left fatherless by the Civil War. Moller agreed and donated the $30,000 to help fund the new orphanage.
With advisement from Reverend G.C. Holls, headmaster of the Zelienople orphanage and Sister Elizabeth, a nun affiliated with a similar orphanage in Rochester, Pennsylvania, Reverend Passavant searched for an appropriate property for the new orphanage. Ultimately, they settled on 125 acres of land in Pelham, New York
Pelham, New York
Pelham, New York is the name of two locations in Westchester County, New York:*Pelham , New York, the Town of Pelham*Pelham Manor , New York, the Village of Pelham Manor*Pelham , New York, the Village of Pelham...
purchased from The Lutheran Committee for Charitable Concerns. On a visit to the property, Passavant was believed to comment that “This is something like the site of The Wartburg where Luther translated the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
,” of which Pastor Holls, later hired as the first director of The Wartburg, replied with “Then we will call it The Wartburg.” The Wartburg was originally incorporated under the name “Deaconess Institution of the State of New York.” However, in 1884, a state charter was obtained, officially naming it “The Wartburg Orphans’ Farm School of the Evangelical Lutheran Church”.
In 2011, the Wartburg was chosen to receive a $27.6 million grant to fund two new buildings on campus: the short term-rehab/adult day facility and 61 units of supportive housing. The short-term rehabilitation center will be designed around the “neighborhood” model. Adjacent to this building will be the new adult day care building.