The Children of Glenn Home

A former resident's memories... *Tirbstar.com archives

Local Organizations Sponsored Many Fun Events...

These photos are from the Rose Hulman 1982 Yearbook, although it would be impossible that the image actually was from Christmas of 1981 as the Home was closed by that time.  Perhaps 1979?

Here is the quotation regarding the above right from the Modulus-

"As Christmas neared, the Brothers (Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity) once again pooled their efforts to buy gifts and entertain the children of Glenn Home in the annual Christmas party."

1943 Christmas Picture in Gym

1941 Children with Santa Claus in front of the campus schoolhouse

1939 Colored Home Group of Children

1945 - Boys with Chickens.

July 24, 1945

Group of girls with Martha Bell.  Approx. 1950

2 little boys with Martha Bell.  Approx 1950

**The below article has been found to be in error.  There were at least 2 prior graduates from local colleges, both male; Howard Pedigo went on to Rose Poly [Hulman] in the latter 1950's and Ira Horrall went to Indiana State University in 1961. 

We apologize for the oversight- it is an actual newspaper article transcribed.  I do not have the date of the article.

Thank you Mr. Ira Horrell [ one of the college graduates and a resident from 1944-1957 ] for this valuable information.

1967 - Rose-Hulman 'Modulus' yearbook

1950 - Girls with award winning 4-H cakes

Easter Egg Hunt - May 12, 1963

New Recreational Equipment

May 19, 1963

By Tamara S. Ayer Tribune-Star When Alice Whalen graduated from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in 1977, the Glenn Home resident enjoyed more than one reason to celebrate. The Bloomfield woman was the first college graduate from the home, created in 1903 along U.S. 40 near East Glenn as the Vigo County Home for Dependent Children. Now home to Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, two of the Glenn Home structures recently earned their own honor. The red brick Georgian Revival administration building and the boiler house are now on the National Register of Historic Places. Both structures, part of the original 60-acre complex, attained that status on June 15, said Kirstin Clouten, National Register intern for Indiana's Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. The home, a temporary shelter for unwanted, neglected or abused children, opened in the summer of 1903 with the Board of Children's Guardians overseeing its operations. Girls learned housekeeping duties, while boys worked the surrounding farm and picked up other skills like woodworking. Architect Martin Miller designed the home. A large administration building contained offices and housing for staff, and three dormitories had a large day room and sleeping quarters, according to a description of the home prepared for the National Register application. The property passed into private hands when the county made the move from a single complex to several group homes in 1980, and later served as apartments. For Whalen, who lived at Glenn Home from 1970-77, the home meant medical and dental and vision care, things she and many of the children had never had before. Whalen, who earned her master's degree from Indiana State University and has completed all her doctoral work except her dissertation, is now in private practice as a psychotherapist. "It probably saved lives because it got [children] out of their abusive, neglectful families of origins and home environments," Whalen said. "It probably enabled some to do better because they were forced to go to school. At the Glenn Home, we were forced to go to school. "And, at least there were three meals a day," said Whalen, who lived in the main building for part of her time at the home. That main building, where many of the Pi Kappa Alpha members live, is a restoration priority. Plans also include restoring the boiler house, which has vines wrapping its walls and debris cluttering the dark pit within. While much work has been done, plenty remains, said Dave Atkinson, summer housing manager for the roughly 90-member fraternity. "We have quite a bit going on right now," said Atkinson, a sophomore at Rose-Hulman. "There are two rooms being redone. One room is a kitchen and another is a bedroom. Both are getting done over the summer. We kind of do it as it goes along. "Year by year, eventually we'll get it all in good shape." The work, which has ranged from replacing wiring to redoing walls, has been worth it, he said. "It's very exciting to see our house get on the register -- we're very proud of it," Atkinson said. "Over the years, everyone has put their time into it." For Milton Firestone of Terre Haute, news of the Glenn Home's National Register status brought memories of the mid-1970s, when he volunteered for the home's Christmas project. He handled fund-raising and helped buy the presents. Sometimes he helped the home in other ways, such as taking children to an ISU basketball game in his Volkswagen van one snowy night. Certain youths stick out in his mind. "I remembered [Whalen] because I just met her again recently. Some of the older kids we met, some of them actually assisted with various projects with little kids," said Firestone. The Glenn Home's listing on the National Register pleases Mark Dollase, director of the western regional office of the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. The fraternity's care -- and its effort to secure National Register status -- demonstrate a great pride in the structures that impressed Dollase. "I'm really very happy to see that this group has decided to make the move to list the building on the National Register, particularly since it's a resource along U.S. 40, the National Road," Dollase said. "When you see a group like this that is making that effort to preserve what they have, that is very important."

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