The large brick building at 427 S. 12 th St. served as the site of Sangamon County’s first orphanage for African-American children from 1904-1933. The Lincoln’s Colored Old Folks and Orphans Home was founded in 1898 by Eva Carroll Monroe, who was so moved by the condition of Springfield’s black poor that she cared for three orphans and two elderly women in her own apartment. Aware that Springfield’s existing orphanages only took white children, Eva and her sister, Olive, raised $125 to purchase an old house at 427 S. 12 th , which they opened to African- Americans in need.
Initially, Monroe kept the house going through force of will alone, traveling around the state to ask for donations of straw, coal and furniture. She also received support from the Springfield Colored Women’s Club, which held fundraisers to keep the home supplied with money, medicine and necessities.
Monroe’s fundraising efforts soon caught the attention of wealthy widow Mary Lawrence (mother of Susan Lawrence Dana). Lawrence paid off the building’s mortgage, then helped underwrite efforts to raze the old building and construct a new, red brick house on the property. Construction was completed in 1904, and for the next 29 years the home housed as many as 60 orphans and elderly women.
“Eva Monroe was a pioneer in the field of human services, leading the way for child welfare and services for the elderly,” said Gina Lathan, president of Route History. “She exemplified the core tenets of social work and human services.”
The Lincoln Colored Home closed in 1933, when the national mood moved away from institutionalized care and towards foster care for orphaned children. The house was sold at auction in 1944, though the new owner allowed Monroe to continue living there until her death in 1950. The house changed hands several times in subsequent years.
Today the Lincoln Colored Home site remains in private hands. Its owners would like to see it restored and used as a museum and community center, but funding remains an issue. Recent work by Springfield High School’s 4-H Spark Tank Club, led by students Zaire Harris and Jesse Harris, has been instrumental in raising awareness and funds for the site. Today the Lincoln Colored Home is a designated a historic landmark by the Springfield City Council and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This year Route History launched a public campaign called the #ThankYouMsEva project to raise awareness of Eva Monroe’s contributions to Springfield history and the field of social work. “There’s been a lot of conversation around the building, but not so much about the person in the building,” Lathan said. The project kicked off with an event at Lincoln Library which drew more than 200 people. Future events are being planned in Chicago and in southern Illinois.
To support the #ThankYouMsEva project, buy t-shirts at the Route History headquarters at 737 E. Cook St. after May 20. Proceeds will go to supporting local youth education projects in Monroe’s memory. –Erika Holst
