Earlier this month, workers excavating the Cathedral lawn at the corner of South Sixth Street and Lawrence Avenue uncovered parts of the foundation and bricks of the original St. Joseph’s Home, which was demolished in the mid-1920s. The excavation was part of the renewal and restoration currently under way at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Some of the bricks were saved as historical artifacts and will be returned to St. Joseph’s Home.Workers who were excavating the yard adjacent to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception as a part of its restoration and renewal recently uncovered some history in the form of the foundation and bricks from the original St. Joseph's Home in Springfield.
"The sisters (of St. Francis of the Immaculate Conception who operate St. Joseph's Home) were excited to hear that the remnants of the foundation had been found," said Terri Hempstead, director of development at St. Joseph's Home. She said no one knew they were buried there.
Hempstead said that the original St. Joseph's Home was housed in the former Wabash Hospital that was situated at South Sixth Street and Lawrence Avenue. The building dated back to the time of Abraham Lincoln, and was originally owned by Mayor and State Representative James Cook Conkling, a close friend of President Lincoln. His home was purchased in 1884 by the Wabash Railroad to be used as an employee hospital. The sisters purchased the hospital building in 1903.
When that initial building became too small for the ever-increasing number of St. Joseph's Home residents, Bishop James Ryan advised the sisters to purchase the Workman residence that was just south of the home. "The sisters connected the two buildings together with a bridge," Hempstead explains.
In 1924, Bishop James A. Griffin instituted a $100,000 campaign fund for the purchase of land and the erection of a new building. Within a few years the new St. Joseph's Home was constructed on a 43-acre farm that was three miles south of the original home and the old St. Joseph's Home was razed before the new Cathedral was built and then dedicated in 1928.
Although it can't be known for certain, Hempstead said it makes sense that the bricks that were found under the Cathedral lawn were from the Wabash Hospital rather than the Workman residence.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is currently undergoing renewal and restoration, with its anticipated completion in late 2009. Meanwhile St. Joseph's Home is building a new wing called the Holy Family Center with funds being raised through the Forget-Me-Not Campaign. The Holy Family Center will be a home for residents with dementia and Alzheimer's.