History of Springwell Part 2

Part one of our history ended in 1928, the Bruce family sold The Prestwolde Mansion to the Methodist Episcopal Church. First, we are going to back up just a bit.

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Back in 1867, Dr. George Milton Roberts was a well know Doctor and Surgeon practicing in Baltimore. He treated many elderly women who had no permanent home. It was likely that some of the women lost their husbands during the Civil War in 1861-1865. He discussed his concerns with his father, a Methodist ministers and they decided to establish The Home for the Aged of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Baltimore City in 1867 and their first residents were eight women. The first home was a refurbished Parsonage on Light Street.

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In 1870, The Home for the Aged needed a new home as capacity grew. The second home was a white stone building located at the southwest corner of Fulton Avenue and Frankln Street and housed 27 residents with a capacity for 72. BY 1907 there were 83 occupants, which, by then, included men. In 1926 a modern kitchen was installed and industrial gas was used for the first time. By 1928, the traffic and noise had increased and demand was increasing so Dr. Roberts found his ideal spot to build his new Home for the Aged. It was situated in Mt. Washington on a 15 acre Prewolde Estate!

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Stay tuned for more Springwell history in our next post!