Gustavus Adolphus Children's Home - Jamestown, New York
Posted by: 
Szuchie
N 42° 06.856 W 079° 12.593
17T E 647990 N 4664013
This marker designates the site of the Gustavus Adolphus Children's Home which was established in 1886.
Waymark Code: WM37VT
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 02/23/2008
Views: 45
This marker states:
Gustavus Adolphus Children's Home
Admitted its first 12 orphans on January 27, 1886. It was established on this site by the New York Conference of the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod. The home became the foundation for Lutheran Social Services of Upper New York, Inc.
Placed by the Jamestown Historical Marker Committee and Lutheran Social Services of Upper New York, Inc. 1993.
According to the City of Jamestown:
The Gustavus Adolphus Children’s Home admitted its first 12 children on January 27, 1886. All were orphans of Swedish immigrants. The Home was established by the Augustana Synod of the Lutheran Church in response to its concern for the religious upbringing of those Swedish children whose parents had died enroute to the United States or soon after their arrival.
Several northeastern locations were proposed with Jamestown being selected. Well-known local architect Aaron Hall designed the Gothic structure. The acreage surrounding the building became a working farm, providing the children with many valuable lessons for their future lives. Noted superintendents of the GA Home include the first ones, Rev. and Mrs. T.O. Linell and long-term superintendents, Mr. & Mrs. John S. Swensson and Mr. And Mrs. J. Oscar Peterson, both of whom had grown up in the home.
The Gustavus Adolphus Children’s Home, housed in a new facility, now serves youth with family and social problems. Residences and care for aging population were initiated in 1930 on the GA Home acreage. They have expanded in the ensuing years to include facilities which run the gamut from apartments to skilled nursing care. Lutheran Social Services of Upper New York, Inc oversees these services.