Fairmount Orphanage- Fairmount Children’s Home
I have been wanting to get inside this place for a while, so Saturday I set off to gain access to this Historical old building, I also wanted to get out and take some shots with my new Canon mirrorless body, the EOS R. The weather here has been crappy and Saturday morning was no different, about 17 degrees and snow flying. The is the Fairmount Orphanage or Fairmount Children’s Home it is located on the outskirts of Alliance Ohio. A local garden business was located on this property for quite some time and the place was off-limits to creative explorers. But recently I noticed the business was no longer open so I set out to explore a bit.
The institution opened on Oct. 20, 1876, the Campus was very large on about 100 acres. In 1847 an act was passed by the state legislature authorizing counties to join together for the formation of children’s home districts. Following the Civil War, hundreds of Ohio children were left homeless. The children? They came from everywhere, and they were taken to the home for a variety of reasons, they were kids who had no parents, kids that had one parent, or kids that had two parents who couldn’t take care of them. Sometimes they were kids who had to be taken out of their homes.
The school operated through nearly 10 decades until Stark County commissioners closed the facility in 1973. The county sold the facility and families lived in it — at one point several at the same time — through the 1990s. No one was residing in the home, however, when it was destroyed by flames in December 2002. This one structure which I think is the main entrance is the only building left standing, but I may be wrong because the cottages for the living quarters were built with the same design. There is also a small graveyard for the Children’s home located across the street, looks like mother nature has taken over and I might try to find this when weather is a bit better, it’s a wooded area now. I have a few more shots I took of the inside I will share later. It was fun to get out and shoot with a new toy!
Thanks for stopping
L2
30 Mar 2021Interesting. I’m doing some investigative work about an oil painting that is believed to be the “Fairmount Children’s Home”. If I find more, I’ll stop back in, thanks!
Cynthia Stine- Davis
31 Dec 2021I lived there when I was a child, I was in the little girl cottage then big girl cottage. The building that burnt was the main building. It was where intakes were done, where dining room was, & upstairs was where big girls lived & slept & where the matron also stayed I quarters specific for her. Across the hall was where Mr & Mrs. Beamer lived with their two children. All of this was contained within the walls of the main building.
John
19 Feb 202272-76 there too
Carla
28 Mar 2022Very interesting..my maternal grandparents resided there. Grandma was head cook and grandpa was the security guard and/or maintenance. I lived there with them when I was 8 yrs old (1964-65). I have pictures of alot of the people and a lot of stories!
Cindy
23 Apr 2022My mother was there also her brothers and sisters my mother was about year and half old her last name was Cunningham she passed away years ago did you know her
Dan conley
6 May 2022I remember Cindy stein
Terry Conley
23 Jun 2022Hello Brother🤗
Andi Granchi
21 Jul 2022Wow! I stopped there before it burned and walked around, you could hear the voices on the wind. I stopped because my Mom was there from 1943-44 to 1947-48, not sure I lost her several years ago. Her name was Carol (DeGraff) was her adopted name.
Kristen
26 Aug 2022My grandmother was there My mom’s mom
LeeAnn Berg
28 Aug 2022My mother, Dorothy Geisinger and her brothers, Joseph, Walter and Edward were all raised there. Between the years 1934- 1950.
Denny Bell
30 Aug 2022I was about 6 mos old and resided here with my half brother for 2 yrs.v1953-1955.my mother was divorced and was jailed working as a prostitude and we were placed in fairmont children’s home by the courts..my half brother was 3 yrs older and his father got custody one day and the home refused to separate us as brothers and he was forced to take me as well…he didn’t want me,but had no other choice..I ended up with a life of abuse until I ran away…I can only remember a woman dressed in black with a white apron and black stockings tending to me in a stroller with a large sun cap on it and being taken to the front yard under a tree. I often wonder if was a Mennonite working there as many Mennonites lived in that area on farms..while working in my local hospital later in life,I had a patient who was a former Mennonite teacher in Fairmont as one of the last teachers to leave..I told me of the abuse and rape of young boys and he quit.
Myrtle Alice Peyrot
18 Sep 2022Hi Mike..I’m cousin Mertie..your Aunt Martha’s daughter…Did you know that Linda and I was placed in this home in the 50’s ?
Amy
22 Sep 2022My grandmother who was born in 1921 lived at Fairmount from 1925ish until 1939ish. She never spoke about her life there other than to say it was better than her home life. Ironically enough, we’ve been able to trace her family 13 generations back to the Mayflower. She never knew she had such an important lineage. Does anyone know how to find photos of the kids that are dated? My grandparents and parents are gone so I have no connection to her past other than maybe finding something on the internet.
Amy
22 Sep 2022My grandma lived there with her sister for 14 years from 1925ish to 1939ish. Their names were Maudie Marie Samantha Soules and Geraldine Soules.
Dennis
20 Oct 2022In regards to the cemetery, it is on the same side of the street, not across. Just north of the greenhouses. It is well maintained and easily visible on Google street view. It is called the Friends of Fairmount Cemetery.