In this 4" x 2-3/4" black and white photograph trees line the street in front of three multi-story buildings. A statue stands in front of the rightmost building. Printed on the photograph is: St. Joseph's Home for the ages. West Point, Nebr.
Excerpted from: Ninth Biennial Report of the Nebraska State Board of Charities and Correction and State Prison Board Report for Biennium Closing November 30, 1918 (Lincoln: Nebraska State Board of Charities and Correction, 1918), p.14
Historical Notes
Established in 1905 by Monsignor Joseph Ruesing, St. Joseph's Home for Aged was owned and run by the Catholic Church, but people of any religious affiliation were admitted. Applicants with no family to take responsibility for their care signed a contract relinquishing all their funds in return for "keep and support" for the rest of their lives. The residents at the home numbered 60 on December 1, 1916; in the next two years, 50 were admitted, and 16 died, leaving 94 at the home December 1, 1918. Monsignor Ruesing served on the Nebraska State Board of Charities and Correction.
