Anderson Old People's Home records

The Old People's Home in Anderson was established in 1907 when the Gospel Trumpet Publishing Company moved from Moundsville, West Virginia to Anderson, Indiana.

The Old People's Home was established as a place for elderly "saints" to be taken care of if they did not have family, friends or the funds to do so. This was mostly local mission work. Some of the inmates were able to provide for themselves financially. Due to this, those who had the means, were required to pay for their care. As for those without the means, they were dependent on church aid.

The Old People's Home was one of the first three buildings to be erected on what would one day become Anderson College's (and later University's) campus. The building process began in 1907. It was intended to be finished that year, but it was progress was destoyed by a fire in December of that year. Instead, the building was finished in 1908.

Inmates—as they were called—of the Home had to file an application in order to be considered. They also needed to provide a list of references, which those in charge of the Home did correspond with.

Another Home was established in St. Paul Park, Minnesota. Both homes were underneath the rule of the "old people's home associations." The associations were later grouped into a department of the Gospel Trumpet in order to be mainatined more efficiently and better handle the funds needed for upkeep.