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HISTORY OF UNITED CHURCH HOMES
The concept of caring has always been a part of United Church Homes. In 1916, Matthew and Jane Smith bequeathed 168 acres of farmland in Holland, Ohio to the Toledo Classis of the Reformed Church "for the purpose of promoting the cause of an Old Folks Home." In 1920, the Home for the Aged of the Reformed Church of the United States bought a brick farmhouse and surrounding land from Mr. J. P. Barnthouse in Upper Sandusky for $8,000. On May 25, 1920, staff and residents moved to what would later be renamed "Fairhaven". At that time, there was room for seven residents, but Rev. B. Ruf, the first Superintendent, began drawing up plans for future buildings to accommodate the growing number of people applying for admission.
Throughout the years there were many struggles and successes. Each and every donation was recorded, from books to pillowslips to canned peaches. Times of economic depression hit The Home hard. Through each difficult period, The Home for the Aged managed not only to survive but to grow. This optimistic spirit was reflected in the continual desire throughout the years to expand and improve care.
In 1963, the Board honored the memory of Matthew and Jane Smith by renaming the Home of the Aged to reflect their initial hope of providing a 'fair haven' for older persons.
In 1964, Chapel Hill was dedicated on June 21. Chapel Hill began with a gift of land from Mr. and Mrs. Clarence J. Swallen of Canal Fulton. It was the first time the Board seriously considered expansion outside the Fairhaven property and had the means to do so. The Board was pleased to be able to serve "the eastern part of the state."
In 1966, Riverview Community in Cincinnati opened its doors. Riverview was made possible by a bequest of an 18 acre tract of land and gift that was given by Miss Helene Guntrum.
In 1969, the Board voted to take over work already started in Dayton to build Trinity Community of Beavercreek.
In 1970, The Altenheim of Indianapolis became part of United Church Homes. Almost immediately, plans were made to build a new facility in order to meet the increasing demand for health care services.
In 1974, United Church Homes opened its fifth retirement and health care facility with the ribbon cutting at Trinity Community in Beavercreek. Later that same year, the newly completed Altenheim Community held its ribbon cutting.
In 1984, United Church Homes expanded its outreach to housing communities by co-sponsoring a new housing project in Canal Winchester, Ohio. Soon after that, on May 1, 1985, United Church Homes entered into a joint partnership to assume ownership and management of Firelands Retirement Center, Inc.
In 1992, The Community at Parkvue opened its doors to residential living. This was made possible by the care and support of Parkvue's benefactress and founder, Mrs. Ruth F. Parker. The health care center opened in 1995.
In 2000, Four Winds Community and Patriot Ridge Community joined the UCH family.
There have been many other milestones in the history of United Church Homes; the coming years promise to bring many more. We continue to expand the services offered at the retirement and health care communities. United Church Homes has hosted ribbon cuttings for new housing communities at a steady rate the last several years and will continue to do so into the future. We will continue to grow and expand our horizons in many ways, all designed to benefit residents and "add life to years." The past years have brought many changes to United Church Homes in the ways we care for residents. What has remained a constant since the first resident, however, is how much we care about our residents.
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