This article was dated 2007 and I can report that there has not been any demolition of the existing buildings yet. When we visited there were signs up saying that the Emmaus House will close in 2020. What happens then is anybody's guess.
Many years have passed since Candace Staringer's grandmother recounted vivid tales to her granddaughter about a job she'd had at the turn of the 19th century.
Time has faded many of the specifics of those stories from Staringer's memory. But one detail remains clear - her grandmother never considered her work at the sprawling Marthasville campus of Emmaus Homes to be an ordinary occupation.
"I think she thought she had a very unusual first job," Staringer said.
Recently, Staringer had a chance to see for herself some of the places her grandmother described. She and others listened to a presentation about the history of Emmaus Homes, then toured several old buildings on the property.
The tour came at the suggestion of Boone-Duden Historical Society members. Some of them had driven past the facility on Highway D for years and admired the buildings from their car windows.
Emmaus Homes provides services to adults who have developmental disabilities through residential, rehabilitative and recreational programs. Some of the buildings at the Marthasville campus existed before the facility opened in 1893. Before then, a theological seminary occupied the site.
Stately stone buildings from the 19th century still stand, some of which date back to the mid-1800s. But they might not be standing for much longer.
Officials say some of the buildings, although teeming with history, aren't functional enough to justify the cost of their maintenance. They aren't built to be accessible to residents who have mobility issues, and the buildings may pose fire and safety hazards. As a result, talk of demolition has surfaced.
Placing new construction on other areas isn't a likely option. The property is in a flood plane, so restrictions prohibit building in areas likely to be at risk.
Still, the thought of tearing down the structures is bittersweet for those who are riveted by the historical past the buildings represent.
"It will be a very controversial topic. I don't know what's going to happen," said Dennis Kramme, vice president of planning at Emmaus Homes. "Those of us who have historical preservation in our blood would like to save the old buildings."
He counts himself as one of the history buffs. Kramme's own history with Emmaus Homes dates back to the 1970s when he joined the staff.
Kramme led a tour through the Oscar E. Setz Memorial Building, which opened in the 1930s as a men's dormitory. He recounted how he and other employees used to fight the summer heat by opening the windows at night and placing large fans at the ends of the hallways to suck in the cool air. Then, they would shut the windows at about 4 a.m. to try and keep that air in.
"Then, we prayed it didn't get too hot in here during the day," Kramme said.
Ray Freese, 72, remembers paying a visit to Emmaus Homes when he was a boy. He came with his father and a gift for the residents.
"It was a gunny sack full of potatoes," Freese said.
Back then, it was customary for townspeople to stop by with donations of produce or other edible goods, he said. It was just part of being a good neighbor.
"The people needed help," Freese said.
When it opened in 1893, Emmaus Homes provided care and housing to people who have epilepsy. As drugs to treat epilepsy became available and such services weren't as widely needed, the focus shifted to housing those who have other disorders. Now, the facility primarily assists those who have mental retardation and other developmental disabilities.
Cathie Schoppenhorst is among those who found the tour worthwhile. An employee of the Daniel Boone Home, Schoppenhorst is fond of immersing herself in history.
"I enjoy old buildings and I really want to see them preserved," Schoppenhorst said.
She and the rest of the group walked through a women's dormitory built in 1858 and a chapel constructed in 1908. Visitors also saw a brick oven that was once part of a bakery. The building that once housed that bakery is gone, but a makeshift roof now covers the oven in attempt to preserve it.
Kramme said he understands the need for modern facilities for Emmaus Homes residents.
"It's almost daily that we're faced with the problem of accessible housing," he said. "Then, it's, 'Do we send them to a nursing home, or what do we do?' "
But it will be hard for him to see the old buildings go if some are demolished.
"History oozes out of all the crevices of this place," he said.
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