Childrens Home of Detroit history

In 1834, the Board of Superintendents of the Poor, was created, and Rev Martin Kundig was appointed Superintendent.

During the Panic of 1837, followed by a depression, Father Kundig went bankrupt and some of his creditors seized the clothing belonging to the 30 children in the asylum.

The Sister's of St Clare were placed in direct charge of the institution until the inmates moved to the 2nd Poorhouse, in 1839.

On November 6, 1850 the location was Clinton Street near St Antoine.

A similar work was revived in 1851, by the Sister's of Charity, who opened a house under the name, St Vincent's Female Orphan Asylum, in an old building on the Southside of Larned near Randolph Street.

On June 2, 1857, a meeting of 60 ladies from the First Congregational Church was held to consider establishing an organization to help the hungry children of the city, who went begging door to door.

In 1859 a 70 foot by 34 foot wing extending North from the main building was authorized and constructed.

St Joseph's Retreat, once known as Michigan Retreat for the Insane, located in Dearborn, began in 1860, when Sister Mary DeSales established a home for the insane on Michigan Avenue just west of 24th Street.

St Luke's Hospital and Church Home was open by St Paul's Protestant Epsicopal Church in 1861.

Prior to 1866, there was a Soldier's Home located in the Arsenal Building, at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Main Street, it was relocated in 1866 to Harper Hospital.

St Anthony's Male Orphan Asylum, one of the more prominent of the early institutions, was open May 26, 1867.

The Sister of Charity also open the House of Providence in 1869, for destitute children and unfortuneate women.

Bridget Hughes was the first person admitted as "insane" and she remained an inmate for 53 years. It was incorporated in 1874.

After 2 moves, they established in a brick building on Randolph, between Congress and Larned Streets. (previously the Bishop's residence) The capacity was 150 and it stayed open until 1876.

What would become the Children’s Hospital of Michigan was established in 1886 as the Children’s Free Hospital Association.

After Kundig lost everything of value he owned, he still remained Superintendent until April 10, 1839, when the location of the Poorhouse was moved to Nankin Township. It's incorporation under the name of The Protestant Orphan Asylum dates from June 8, 1889.

In 1890, the Children’s Free Hospital relocated to the Caskey House, at Fort and Seventh Streets in Detroit.

Building C was first called Women's New Building and erected in 1894.

The ideals of this new organization became more sharply defined and, in 1895, its name was changed to the Michigan Children's Home Society to better emphasize the non-institutional nature of the program.

The new hospital, which included a training school for nursemaids, opened at St Antoine and Farnsworth Streets in 1896.

The Eloise Sanatorium was a new hospital for the treatment of tuberculosis, by the outdoor method, which opened in 1903, with 2 tents outside, with brick foundations.

The first building for indoor treatment was completed in May of 1911 and opened for patients June 6, 1911.

To more effectively promote the Society's work, branches were opened in 1913 in Detroit and Grand Rapids.

By 1915, a training school for nurses, departments of social services and physical therapy, and a dental clinic were established at the facility.

One of the last (of the Early) Public Institutions to open was the Merill-Palmer Motherhood & Home Training School in 1918.

In 1921, the name of the organization was changed from Michigan Children's Home Society to Michigan Children's Aid Society (MCAS) in an effort to make even clearer to the public that the word home in the title did not indicate institutional methods of child care.

As a result of the merger, the Children’s Hospital of Michigan was established in 1922.

The growth of Children’s Hospital led to innovations in medical care for children, including the establishment of the Children’s Fund of Michigan in 1925.

Construction began immediately and a new hospital in Farmington was completed in 1927.

A significant era in the Society's history ended in 1951 with the death of President Edwin S. George.

Robert Barstow became State Director in 1953, one year before the last grant from the Children's Fund was received.

The agency's primary problem at that time was financial and an application was made to the Michigan United Fund (MUF). The first MUF allocation came in 1955 at which time, by agreement with MUF, the Society withdrew from many local community chests.

Beginning in 1965, branch offices began merging with their local family service agencies.

State Office, began in 1971 by individuals who wanted to make a difference in the lives of children who reside in foster care.

The large picture shows her grown up - a "well educated, self-supporting, young woman - a living monument to the Society which has watched over her all these years." - Anniversary Brochure 1985, CFSM Inc.

In 1987 the agency moved to a location in Okemos, that was dedicated to the memory of former Board President, Walter S. McLean.

In the Winter 2013 semester, the Reuther Library worked with students in the Graduate Certificate in Archival Administration program at the Wayne State School of Library and Information Science to produce a series of student-written, guest blog posts.

Effective January 1, 2021 Child and Family Services of Michigan, Inc. no longer provides Post Adoption Services.