Some houses are destined for history because
they are architectural standouts. Some are memorable because of the famous
people who have lived in them. That is not the case for a humble dwelling in Peoria’s North Side at 711 North Monroe. In 1912, it was sold by John and Annie Reber of Tremont to the Apostolic Christian
Church to be used as a shelter for elderly maiden ladies who had no place to
call home. Many of these women were first or second-generation Germans who came
to the Peoria area because of friends or relatives affiliated with the Apostolic
Christian Church. They primarily worked as domestics, living with the wealthy
families who employed them. But when
they became too old to do this work, they found themselves having no place to
call home.
Before the Apostolic Church was built on
Sheridan Road, it was housed in a plain two-story red brick building on Green
Street, in stark contrast to the soaring St. Mary’s Cathedral which stood next
to it. When the church elders realized a need to house the elderly “sisters”,
as female members were called, they chose the house at 711 N. Monroe. Less than
a block from Green Street Church, it seemed the perfect place. The purchase
price was $3500.
The home was an unadorned building in a working-class
neighborhood. Upon purchase, a cement block addition back and to the back, and
updating of the original house commenced. A new heating system and modernized
plumbing were first on the list. Then followed cement walks, porches, a cellar,
screens, china, linens, and furniture. These enhancements came to a total of
$8,964.31, all paid for by church members.
Women with no funds were given preference for
residency, but those who had some money were asked to contribute $3 per week.
No men were allowed to reside at the home. There were rules. In the rule book,
written in German, it was stated that when God created mankind he gave him a
sound mind and that whisperings, turmoil, disputing, and strife would not be
tolerated.
The first floor consisted of a sitting room, a
dining room, and a kitchen. The bedrooms and the one bathroom were on the
second floor. Laundry was in the cellar. The ladies took their meals upstairs,
carried by two superintendents. Later a dumb waiter was installed. The dining
room was used on Sundays when members from outlying churches came to visit and
stayed for a roast beef dinner which was cooked by volunteers.
Carrie Steigle was the first superintendent in
1912, overseeing two residents. In 1940
Leah and Lillie Hohulin were appointed. These ladies cared for the residents,
cooked, cleaned, baked, gardened, mowed the lawn, and changed the storm and
screen windows. The latter they did by carrying the extremely large and heavy
storm windows up a ladder to the second story. There was no car so they either
walked or stayed home. They grew much of their own food, although a nearby
grocery store also delivered supplies. Apple slices were dried on the roof. A resident of Princeville whom I interviewed
for this story remembers coming into town with her mother in the early 1950s,
bringing their abundant garden produce and homemade noodles to share. (This
family had eight children, yet they still had food to share.)
Guests used the back stairs to visit the
ladies upstairs. In summer the laundry was hung outside. In winter it was hung
in the attic. The doors to the attic were lined with felt to keep the bats out.
If a resident needed to go downstairs, and couldn’t do it on her own, Leah and
Lillie would put her in a chair and they would carry her down, Leah in back and
Lillie in front. Leah went to church in the morning and Lillie went in the
afternoon. That way the residents were never left alone.
After 1954, the state required that people in
charge of home management have a grade school diploma. So, Leah and Lillie
studied and got the required GED. Several years later a high school diploma was
required. Again, the ladies studied and
met the requirements.
On September 23, 1962, the home celebrated its
fiftieth anniversary attended by 208 people from the churches of Princeville,
Eureka, Goodfield, Gridley, Fairbury, Morton, Roanoke, and Peoria. Sandwiches,
fruit, cookies, and a three-tiered cake were served. Flowers from the members’
gardens adorned the tables.
In 1965 Lillie left the home and was married
at age 57. She moved to Morris, Minnesota, and lived to be 105. Leah retired at
the same time, returned to her birthplace in Fairbury, Illinois, and lived to be
88. She never married.
In 1966
a new home for the elderly had been built on Skyline Drive, so it was time to
close up the home at 711, a place that had comforted and sheltered so many.
Again, church members stepped forward to help with the move. Because the stairs
were too narrow to easily carry things down, it was decided that they would be
thrown out the windows where someone was standing in a pickup truck below to
catch them. Furniture was lowered down with a rope. Inasmuch as possessions were
few, it only took two pickup loads to move the eight remaining ladies and their
belongings.
Following the departure of the ladies, the
home changed hands a few times. From 2008 to 2012 it housed the Human Service
Center. It is now owned by the South Side Office of Concern. Called Veterans’
Haven, it is a place for homeless veterans to reside.
For over 111 years the building at 711 North
Monroe has given refuge to many who have appreciated and loved the old brick
place in return. How many mansions can boast of such a legacy?
Written and researched by Sue Swanson, 2023
Sources:
Coming Together for 100 Years: A History with Memories of Apostolic
Christian Skylines 1912-2012
Interview with Ricky and Sid Stahl in 2023
