The History of the Arthur Home

The Arthur Home is a fully licensed; community based skilled nursing home facility in Arthur, Illinois, a rural communityin east central Illinois - population 2,300. Its primary service area is comprised of four rural counties. The Village of Arthur is the heart of the first and largest Amish community in the state. This rural community culture is one of simplicity, practicality and compassion for their neighbors.

In the fall of 1957, Community Retirement, Inc. was established to plan, build and operate a modern, up to date nursing home to serve the needs of the residents of Arthur and the surrounding communities.

Community Retirement, Inc. (CRI) began its efforts with 184 charter members including a board of directors led by President, Sherman E. Robinson; Vice President, G. H. Stock; and Secretary/Treasurer, Miss Emma Eberhardt. Many of its members invested much time on research, making numerous trips to visit area nursing homes and the State Department of Public Health in Springfield, IL.

In April 1958, CRI, finding it the most desirable location, accepted two three acre tracts of land donated by Miss Elsie C. Eberhardt and Miss Emma V. Eberhardt in memory of their parents. The first three acre tract was a square tract, west of Eberhardt Park to be used for the building site. The second, directly west of the first tract, was to be held in reserve for future expansion.

Excavation of the building began in May of 1958, with the construction officially beginning in June.

With the goal of having one of the best nursing homes in the southern half of the state and to have it operate as a not-for-profit, CRI urged the community of Arthur to donate cash, skills and labor to the project. The estimated cost of the project was $125,000. Midway through the project a large wooden thermometer was placed on the southeast corner of Vine and Illinois streets in downtown Arthur to track the progress towards the fundraising goal.

Large cash donations kept the project moving as did numerous volunteers. The exterior was framed shortly after November 1st, enabling interior work to continue throughout the winter. Two of the four wings were completed by the spring of 1959.

Between November and January a contest was held to name the building. More than fifty names were submitted. On February 13, 1959, the name "The Arthur Home " was chosen in part because of its brevity and because "home" is what the facility would be for many. "Arthur" designated both location and the community to which it belonged.

By July 1959, admissions chairman, Dwight "Skeeter" Singer began accepting resident applications. Mrs. Harriette Farrell of Champaign, IL, was named Resident Manager. Mrs. Freda Wendel of Arthur was hired shortly thereafter as her assistant.

A firm start date was finally set for accepting the first residents on September 8, 1959. More than 1,000 people attended the Two-Day Open House held on September 5^th and 6^th. On Sunday, September 6^th at 2:00 p.m. a formal dedication ceremony was held in front of the main entrance, organized by the Arthur Ministerial Association. Miss Emma Eberhardt was present and dedicated the building to the service of Almighty God. The first resident was Mrs. Theodora B. Evans of Champaign, IL.

During the 50 year history of The Arthur Home, there have only been seven Administrators, including Lloyd Ascherman, a member of the original Board of Directors. In 1965, Leona Hughes became the Administrator and would remain in that position for the next thirty-one years. Leona was known for her high expectations of the care to be provided by the Staff and her unwavering devotion to The Arthur Home. Her leadership paved the way for expansion during and after her tenure.

Since the original building was constructed and occupied, The Arthur Home has expanded twice. In 1976, an addition included rooms for an additional twenty-nine Residents, another Nurse's Station and a large common room. Then, in 2008, two new dining rooms, a new kitchen and administrative office space was added with the construction of Eberhardt Village Assisted Living.