A St. Francois County building which is a landmark is to be wrecked soon. It is the old Elmwood Seminary Building which was dedicated in 1889 and which has served many useful purposes in its day.
The building was erected by the Presbyterian Synod of Missouri and was one of the outstanding colleges in this area for young women. Many Farmington citizens and others had some of their elementary education in this school building and a number of local people were intimately connected with the school. Mrs. W. M. Harlan served as its head officer for a number of years.
When the college ceased to function about 1912, the building was idle until the organization of the Farmington Orphanage. Mrs. William Butler of St. Louis, gave an initial grant of money which paid off the mortgage which was on the property. The first children were received in 1914 and the institution was incorporated in 1917. Rev. C. E. Sutherland was Superintendent from the beginning and he and Mrs. Sutherland were in the Home during most of this time and during the next ten years. During the twenties Rev. and Mrs. W. S. Stinson were in charge. Mr. Stinson passed away in 1930, and Mrs. Stinson continued as Superintendent until 1939.
During these years all of the children lived in the old college building. The old Cayce home served as residence for the Superintendent and the slave master's kitchen served as a hospital. The older residents of Farmington will remember a barn which stood on the west side of the Orphanage property.
Rev. Peter Fischer came as Superintendent in 1939 and a building and expansion program was planned under his direction. During his six years at the Home the present administration building was completed, including three dormitory units and a beautiful dining room - kitchen unit. A modern sixteen-bed children's hospital was built.
In recent years the old building has not been used to house children. It was found unsafe to serve as residence for large numbers and the last children were moved out of it in 1945. It has served as residence for the Kono family during these past seven years and has contained the Orphanage print shop and has been used to store many items.
In the spring of 1947 the St. Louis Browns baseball club trained in Farmington and the Orphanage kept sixty ball players, housing them in barracks fashion in the old building and feeding them in the Orphanage dining room. In 1948 a program was started to assist displaced persons in being located in the United States. Over a period of three years 45 families have lived in the old building in three apartments which were renovated. These families stayed for a period of three to twelve months learning English and eventually being settled in acceptable jobs elsewhere.
It is with many regrets that the citizens of Farmington see this landmark go. The contract has been let to the Aalco Wrecking Company of St. Louis and they will begin wrecking the building on Monday, September 29. The Orphanage is conducting an auction sale of many items that have been stored in the building on Saturday, Semptember 27, beginning at 10 a.m.
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