125 Years of Always Caring

By Benny Fairchild

Caring has been at the root of everything United Helpers does dating back to May 4, 1898 when the first child, a boy from Potsdam was admitted to what was then known as the United Helpers Children’s Home. 

 It didn’t take long for the organization to outgrow its original space on Congress Street and in 1900 the Society of United Helpers purchased 2.5 acres of land on State Street, where the Edgar A. Newell II Golden Dome stands today.

 In 1904 the Society of United Helpers opened a nursery and began caring for babies. United Helpers would remain a children’s home until 1910 when it admitted its first senior citizen. At that time, The United Helpers Children’s Home became simply, The United Helpers Home.

 While not much is known about this specific image from the United Helpers archives, given that there are both children and babies in the picture, one could assume this photograph was taken at the United Helpers Home on State Street sometime in the early 1900’s.

 The United Helpers Home would continue caring for both children and seniors until July 3, 1959 when the last child left the home. This shift away from caring for children came as the result of policy changes from the “State Department of Social Welfare,” which began placing children in foster homes, rather than in group homes or facilities such as the United Helpers Home.