Springfield in Sangamon County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Springfield Home for the Friendless / Family Service Center
Photographed By Jason Voigt, September 26, 2020
1. Springfield Home for the Friendless/Family Service Center Marker
Founded on February 12, 1863, the 54th birthday of President Abraham Lincoln, the Springfield Home for the Friendless was established as a temporary shelter for children, widows, and the destitute displaced by Civil War and economic hardship. The Home for the Friendless Movement started in New England and gradually moved west. Springfield co-founder and land developer Elijah Iles donated several acres for the home at the corner of 8th and South Grand, and fund-raising for the building began soon after.
Shortly after Christmas in 1864, several dozen refugees from war-torn Arkansas were sent by boat and rail from Fort Smith. A Union stronghold on the edge of Indian Territory, to Springfield. Reverend Francis Springer, U.S. Army chaplain at Fort Smith and founder of the Lutheran Church in Springfield, arranged for passage of the refugees, who began arriving at the Home for the Friendless on January 19, 1865. Springer, a former neighbor and friend of Abraham Lincoln, continued to send refugees to the home until well after the war.
The Home for the Friendless was renamed the Children's Service Bureau in the 1920s, and again renamed the Family Service Center in the 1960s. It has been in continuous operation at this location for 150 years, offering foster care, adoption, and family support services, while tending to
this page online
Erected 2015 by The Family Service Center, the Illinois State Historical Society, and the descendants of Mary Jane Tully, one of the first refugee orphans to arrive in 1865.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Illinois State Historical Society series list. A significant historical date for this entry is February 12, 1863.
Location. 39° 47.239′ N, 89° 38.793′ W. Marker is in Springfield, Illinois, in Sangamon County. Marker is at the intersection of South Grand Avenue East and South 7th Street, on the right when traveling east on South Grand Avenue East. Marker is on the grounds of the Family Service Center, behind a fence from South Grand Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 730 East Vine Street, Springfield IL 62703, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Bressmer-Baker House (approx. 0.4 miles away); Dana Thomas House (approx. half a mile away); Scott Burton Blvd. (approx. half a mile away); Thomas Houston Ave. (approx. half a mile away); The Elijah Iles House (approx. half a mile away); Jameson Jenkins Ct. (approx.
Photographed By Jason Voigt, September 26, 2020
2. Springfield Home for the Friendless/Family Service Center Marker
Wide-view, next to a playground. Both are seen behind a fence from South Grand Avenue.
Also see . . . Home for the Friendless. Sagamon Link website entry (Submitted on August 22, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
via Sagamon Link, 1914
3. Home for the Friendless, circa 1914 (Springfield Survey photo)
Photographed By Jason Voigt, September 26, 2020
4. Family Service Center
Back of the Family Service Center, not too far from the marker
Credits. This page was last revised on April 7, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 330 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 26, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. 3. submitted on August 22, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 4. submitted on September 26, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.
