(In October 1978, The Evergreen Courant newspaper in
Evergreen, Ala. published a lengthy, three-part series of historical articles
called the “Early History of the Alabama Baptist Orphanage.” Written by Mary E.
Brantley, the first installment of these articles appeared in the Oct. 12, 1978
edition of The Courant. The other two installments appeared in the Oct. 19,
1978 and Oct. 26, 1978 editions of The Courant, respectively. What follows is
Part I in its entirety. Enjoy.)
Lest we forget, Evergreen had the honor of having the first
Baptist Orphanage located in her vicinity for a period of 30 years.
The idea of establishing a Baptist Orphanage in Alabama was
conceived the year 1863. The Civil War brought a destitute condition all over
the State and it was not until the 1890 Baptist Convention which met in Fort
Deposit, that a committee was appointed to draw up resolutions to be reported
back to the Convention.
On hearing the plans for establishing an Orphanage in
Alabama, Mrs. Maria (L.B.) Woodson of Selma offered to convey some property
valued at $30,000 to the Convention to be held in trust until her death and
that she would receive the income from this property during her lifetime. The
1891 Convention accepted this gift with gratitude and at this meeting a Board
of Trustees was appointed to advertise for bids from different places desiring
the Home and that all pastors appeal for help.
A financial depression during the years 1892 and 1893 did
not make this an opportune time for undertaking such a project. There was
little interest in this appeal.
From the “Memorial History of the Baptists of Alabama” by
B.F. Riley, we read: “Rev. J.W. Stewart agreed without a cent, he would locate
a Home temporarily, somewhere, and would get a Godly woman as a matron. Since
Rev. Stewart was willing to test this project, he was authorized to do so, and
on his return to Evergreen, where he was pastor, he rented a small house, wrote
to Mrs. Clara W. Ansley of Butler County to come and take charge of the
Orphanage. When three little children appeared, the Baptist Orphans Home of
Evergreen opened March 8, 1893.”
In a paper prepared by Dr. L.L. Gwaltney on the life of Rev.
John W. Stewart, we find a quotation by Rev. Stewart: “I was pastor of the
Evergreen Baptist Church. I furnished a house to shelter the first installment
of children. The dilapidated house near the church had been turned over to me
as a pastor’s home, but I had just married and I did not want to live in that,
so I provided another home for my family and put my new family to be gathered
up (the orphans) in the cottage by the church. Birds could easily fly through
the roof of the little house. I have often seen the feet of the children plunge
through the floor as they were scampering up and down the veranda, but when it
is remembered that there was a strong kind woman inside, it was much better
than out of doors.” It is thought that this cottage was known as the Weiss
house.
Rev. Stewart was made financial secretary and agent for the
Home, Mrs. Clara W. Ansley, matron, and Mrs. Jennie Cannon, housekeeper. By
November, 21 children had been admitted. A sum of $1,152.43 had been received
in cash and other gifts had been sent during this time. The cost per child was
about $8 per month. Another cottage had been rented and the trustees were
looking for a permanent home for the children.
The name of Louise Short Baptist Widows’ and Orphans’ Home
was the name of the charter granted by the Legislature in 1891 because of the
gift of Mrs. Woodson, who gave this as a memorial for her mother.
According to the 1894 Convention report given by Dr. A.H.
Reid in his book: “Baptists in Alabama” from which most of this article is
taken told of the purchase of the Old Rabb Residence with 80 acres of land at
$5,000, payable in three annual installments. The first installment would be
due on the first day of January, or soon thereafter, when possession was given
and the children moved in.
The Rabb residence contained 10 rooms and was a substantial
brick structure with some brick outbuildings and was adjacent to the school
property known as the Southwestern Alabama Agricultural School on Main Street.
By 1894, 33 children had been admitted to the Home and three
had been let out for adoption. It was recommended that every church take an
offering for the Home in December to help pay for the buildings and the
grounds.
In 1895, the Charter was amended to increase the number of
trustees to nine with five of them living in Evergreen. Fourteen children were
received this year, eight were sent out for adoption, leaving 35 in the home.
In 1896, the report showed 47 children during the year with
12 adopted. In 1897, the report showed that all school age children attended
the Evergreen schools. However, as soon as a school building could be erected
on the grounds, all elementary children were taught at the Home but all high
school students attended the school next door.
During the first six years, the trustees reported a total of
101 children had been served. In 1899, the garden and field crop was badly
damaged by a drought and by hail and food became scarce.
In 1900, the trustees reported there were 66 children in the
Home and that $5,820.72 in cash and gifts of clothing and other supplies had
been donated. Up until this time, the boys and girls were housed in the same
building but a dormitory for girls was urgent and $7,000 was needed to build
one and this became a reality in 1902. Seventh-eight children were served that
year.
An item appeared in The Evergreen Courant of 1900: “The
first death to occur in the Orphanage was a boy, Charles Prather, about 15
years old, in February 1900. As of July 18, 1900, two boys and two girls at the
Baptist Orphanage in Evergreen had died. One hundred and thirty-five children
had been taken in from 30 counties.” There is a plot in the Old Evergreen
Cemetery where a number of the children are buried. Some of the graves have
sunken in and no names are on these but there are markers for many of them.
Dr. Reid tells us that the training within the Home was
intended to be that of a well-regulated Christian family, the children were
required to perform duties, according to their ability, to go to school and
attend Sunday School and church.
The boys worked in the fields, which were supervised by Mr.
W.A. Davis. His home was down the lane which separated the school property from
the Home property. One of the old McCreary homes was also located at the end of
this lane. There were horses and mules to be cared for and cows to be milked.
In fact, there was much work to be done.
Miss Annie Pearl Cunningham was employed as the seamstress
and sewing teacher. When sewing machines became available to the Home, the
older girls made all their clothes.
A Board of Visitors was composed of the Ladies of the
Evergreen Baptist Church. They visited the Home once weekly to inspect the
management and make suggestions for improvements. These ladies raised $75 with
which to purchase a much needed cooking range. The citizens of Evergreen also
raised $15 and purchased a much needed milk cow.
In 1908, some differences arose between Superintendent
Stewart and some of the trustees and Stewart resigned and became financial
agent of the Home for one year, after which he and his family moved to
Birmingham.
Let’s digress a moment and think of the life of Rev. John W.
Stewart as told by Dr. L.L. Gwaltney: “Rev. Stewart was born in Randolph
County, Ala., Feb. 20, 1854. His father was Milton Alexander Stewart and his
mother was Jane Homes (Stewart). He was of sturdy, Scotch-Irish stock, his
paternal grandmother having been born in Dublin, Ireland. He was married on
Oct. 1, 1891 to Mary Leigh Cook.”
Mary Leigh Cook was the daughter of John W. Cook (1847-1901)
and Elizabeth Henderson Cook (1850-1919). They are buried in the Old Evergreen
Cemetery. Mary Leigh Cook had two brothers: J. Henderson and Lewis Cook. She
was organist for the Baptist Church at Evergreen when Rev. Stewart became pastor,
even though she had not joined the Church at that time. Later, Rev. Stewart
baptized her and still later they were married. She was always a faithful
helpmate and companion and entered into all his sorrows and joys.
Rev. Stewart’s early education was greatly neglected.
According to Dr. Gwaltney’s article: “He had passed his ninth birthday before
he entered school out in the country in Fayette County where his parents had
moved from Randolph County. Through the help of friends he graduated from Howard
College and also Southern Baptist Seminary.”
“After graduation, he became pastor of the Norwood Baptist
Church in Birmingham, then later served the Church at Orrville and then
Evergreen. It was here that he conceived the idea of founding a Home for orphan
children.”
From notes on Dr. Reid’s “Baptists in Alabama,” we know that
five men served as Superintendents of the Home from 1909 to 1916: J.A. Brooks,
J.W. Dunaway, M.C. Reynolds, C.C. Smith and A.G. Spinks. Some of these men only
served a few months and others a few years. In 1913, the home began to receive
more children and by 1917 the number had increased to 160. Mr. G.R. Farnham was
President of the Board of Managers.
Mrs. Mary Louise Woodson, who made the first donation in
1891, died at the Home on May 26, 1911, at the age of 84. She lived at the Home
for the last two years of her life. After her death, her property was sold for
$10,000 and invested as an endowment for the Orphanage.
In 1917, the school building that was erected in 1907 was
totally lost by fire. Building of any sort was restricted by World War I.
Quoting from Dr. Reid: “It was at this time that the
Orphanage found many problems and John W. Stewart, the first superintendent,
was asked to return and take over this responsibility again. He found many
serious problems including the fire which destroyed a much needed building. He
had faced more difficult days in the beginning, so he assumed the leadership
with the same faith when there was nothing but a will to succeed.”
Dr. J.G. Dickinson served as pastor of the Evergreen Baptist
Church for many years. From “The Sesqui Sentinel Magazine,” pastor Dickinson
says that one of the attractions of the Evergreen pastorate is the Baptist
Orphanage. He also says: “They sit at the right hand of the pastor, and I call
them ‘my right-hand folks.’ The children work in the Home, as children ought to
everywhere, but they have time for study and recreation.”
It was in 1917 that the Board of Trustees was increased from
nine to 15 members who were W.B. Ivey, R.B. Taylor, E.C. Page, A. Cunningham,
J.W. Byrd, J.A. Thomas, R.A. Porter, W.H. Hudson, T.S. Hagood, Mrs. R.M.
Hunter, Mrs. Law Lamar, Mrs. M.C. Scott, Mrs. G.G. Newton, Mrs. C.P. Deming and
W.M. Murray.
In 1918, the buildings of the Orphanage were: a girls’
cottage, boys’ home, baby house, infirmary, chapel, cow barn and a mule barn.
This same year, the Chapel was destroyed by fire.
In 1919, the Legislature established a Child Welfare
Department. Supt. Stewart expressed resentment of State interference with a
private institution. The loss of the buildings by fire and lack of support had
caused some criticism. An investigating committee was appointed by the Baptist
Convention. When the 1919 Convention met in Birmingham, a recommendation was
made for plans to begin in moving the Orphanage to Troy, Ala. because of the
superior educational advantages, and a generous offer of land and money made by
the citizens of Troy.
By 1920-21, another building at Evergreen had burned and it
became urgent that the building program at Troy be completed as soon as
possible. The committee had to borrow $119,000.
Three cottages were completed in Troy by 1923 and the first
group of 60 children along with their supervisors were moved to the new home.
On June 14, 1923, the remainder of the children were moved with almost all of
the staff going along too.
Rev. J.W. Stewart did not want to leave Evergreen to go to
Troy but he was retained as financial representative of the Home until 1928.
Rev. J.O. Colley became the new Superintendent at the Alabama Baptist
Children’s Home in Troy.
In a short while, Dr. Stewart and his family moved back to
Birmingham. He and his wife were the parents of six children: Two boys died in
infancy, John W. Stewart Jr., Grace, Mary and Crook.
In February 1925, Rev. Stewart had a stroke of paralysis. He
recovered from this slightly and was able to walk around on crutches and later
by using a walking stick. According to the article written by Dr. Gwaltney,
previously quoted, we read: “As time went on he failed to show further
improvement and was in a year or two confined to his bed. This proved to be his
last illness. However, the cause of his death was not due directly to the
paralytic stroke. Ere long he went into double pneumonia and died on Oct. 13,
1928.
“His funeral service was conducted in the Woodlawn Church,
Birmingham, by his pastor, Dr. Frank McDonald. He was laid to rest in the
Woodlawn Cemetery.”
Dr. W.B. Crumpton in his “Book of Memories” says of the
Baptist Children’s Home: “Eternity only will disclose how it has blessed the
world and one thing can be said by all: ‘John Stewart, its father, has been
faithful. Many a man and woman even now rise up to call him blessed… with a
great loving heart he dedicated all his life and powers to the work of his
Master. ‘Well done,’ the Lord will say to John at the last.” [Continued next
week]
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