 History
Background
The Odd Fellow-Rebekah Children's Home of California was founded in 1897 as
an orphanage. In 1957, it began caring for children referred by the courts
because of sexual abuse, violence, malnutrition or abandonment. Foster care
placement and support services were added in 1987 and in1993, RCS initiatied
parent support, prevention, and early intervention services. Rebekah
Children's Services changed its name and began providing family-centered
Wraparound services in 1997, tailored to the specific needs of the child and
family and designed with their help. To support the special needs of
children in the Residential Program and community, RCS added a Non-Public
School in 1999. RCS extended its services to the community in 2001 by
offering outpatient therapy for children living in the Gilroy Unified School
District, along with school prevention and education services. In the
summer of 2002, RCS obtained its adoption license. In November 2006, RCS received accreditation from the Council on Accreditation.
Early History
Rebekah Children's Services was founded in 1896 by the California Rebekah
Assembly as an orphanage. The first Children's Home, a large wooden
structure built at a cost of about $12,000, opened on October 27, 1897 on
land donated by Caroline Hoxett of Gilroy - a Past President of the
California Rebekah Assembly. Fourteen children lived there. Originally the
Home received only orphans or children related to a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows or the Rebekah Assembly. An average of 33
children lived at the Home in the early years. The original campus added a
hospital in 1903, expanding to 10 acres. Fifty-seven children resided at the
home in 1906 when the San Francisco earthquake destroyed many of the
records. When a decision was made in 1917 to expand the Home to accommodate
125 children, a committee recommended moving it to a site at Hawthorne
Grammar School in San Jose, however members of the Gilroy community were
worried that the big city might view the children as "institutional," so the
facility remained on its original site in Gilroy. The noted architect W.H.
Weeks was hired to design a new building that was dedicated on October 9,
1921, and remains in use today. The greatest population of children living
in the home was 108 in 1927. Between 1897 and 1955, the average stay for
children was five years. There were 66 children who lived in the Home more
than ten years. The longest stay was 17 years by twins Joe and Josephine
Warmonth.
Children who lived in the home through the 1950s are affectionately called "Home Kids." They formed an alumni association and have held reunions at the Children's Home over the years. RCS maintains a mail list of Home Kids who have stayed in contact and has some original admissions records. Former Home Kids Ray and Kitty Burgess wrote a history of the Home and helped gather memorabilia for the RCS Museum. Recently, they published a collection of stories by Home Kids that recount what life was like in the Children's Home.
See a history of the Home “Down Memory Lane”
HE CAUGHT ME
- Marie Smith Scriven, Class of '36
I awoke on the morning of the twenty-eighth of August 1933, full of eager
anticipation. At long last it was my sixteenth birthday, the one I had
long waited for, so that I could be classified as one of the "big girls."
After getting dressed, I sailed down the stairs to the hall where I sang,
"Sweet Sixteen and Never Been Kissed," with much gusto while dancing around.
Suddenly from out of nowhere came George Scriven running toward me with a
gleam in his eye. I turned heel and ran down the hallway with him close
behind. Almost to the stairs, he caught me and planted a kiss on my
innocent lips. I turned and ran up the stairs, giggling all the way to my
room where I told the girls what George had done. They thought that was
very funny and we all had a good laugh.
One day there was a program in the gymnasium at the High School. The
bleachers were full of boys and girls from the different classes. In the
middle of the entertainment, George appeared to sing a solo. While his
beautiful voice was ringing out our song, he spotted me sitting demurely in
about the fourth row up. He went trough that whole melody with out taking
his eyes off me. My schoolmates were looking at me while I sank further and
further down into my seat. I can't remember the name of that song, but the
ending was "and we'll have a little Dutch family," which caused much
tittering. I swore that I would never forgive him for causing me all of
that embarrassment.
George and I both eventually graduated and left the Home, each going our own
ways. We both married and raised families.
Guess what? Some sixty years after that kiss, George finally caught me, for
good. We just celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary. He sings to me
every morning as I come up the stairs, "Here she comes, Miss America," and I
don't mind a bit. In fact, I really love it.
HEAVY RAINS
- Published in the Rebekah Orphan's Home Monthly Newsletter
1910-1912
School began on the third day of January 1911. During Christmas vacation,
we slept an hour longer than usual. The first bell rang at seven o'clock.
The breakfast bell rang at seven thirty. The days were short, but pleasant.
Our evening meal came at five-thirty. Of course it was dark by that time,
so we used our electric lights. After supper we went to the play hall and
read till eight or eight thirty. Then it was bedtime.
We had been having heavy rains. In past years the heavy rain would prevent
us from leaving our grounds. The slough would block us on the west and
south and thus keep us from crossing the bridge to town. There was a big
swamp in a field in front of the Home, that filled up and overflowed when
the heavy rains came. This body of water cut off our road on the eastside.
The road was impassable further on, so we would be locked in any way. At
times the rainwater was in the basement, causing us to put our provisions
upon boxes. When these floods came, the boys were kept busy with the
shovels.
THREE VIOLINISTS
- Kitty Caillau Burgess, Class of '43
Music was an important part for the children in the Home, with practice,
orchestra and recitals. Charlene, Norma, and Kitty were in the eighth grade
when they decided they wanted to take lessons on the violin. To make sure
this was not a whim, Miss Williams called them into the office to discuss
the situation about practice ever day and being part of the orchestra.
Every Monday private music lessons were held after school. After supper the
orchestra practiced in the evening and performances were given on Sunday for
the visiting lodge. She told us once we started, we were to continue in the
music program. The three of us decided yes, this was for us. All three
continued in the music program until graduation in 1943.
After the start of the violin lessons Norma and I, also, started piano
lessons with Mrs. Bannister. It was convenient because there were three
pianos in the Big Girl's parlor in individual rooms. Norma and I would play
duets on the grand piano in the music room for the visiting lodges on
Sunday. I played the piano for Kenneth Sanford when he sang solo numbers as
part of the music program. At their eighth grade graduation, Norma and
Kitty gave a piano duet.
Another part of the music was the choir. Most of the girls in the orchestra
were also in the Home Choir, and some times became part of the church choir
on Sunday morning.
ELECTRIC LIGHTS
- Published in the Rebekah Orphan's Home Monthly Newsletter
1910-1912
The Home property was connected to the city water. The lights ran on gas.
By 1900 the on-site acetylene gas plant was failing and had to be replaced.
A few years later they used city gas. The gas was used for lighting and
cooking.
A furnace that was fueled by wood and coal in 1897 heated the Home. The
annual supply of coal had been stored in the basement. The boys indeed
looked like a grimy crew of stokers when they came from the basement while
the work was in progress, and like a troupe of actors, with beautiful
darkened eyebrows, when they came to the table. The wood had, also, been
hauled and stored.
For about the first six years of its existence the Home was lighted by gas
made in our own plant in the tank house. This gas was very poor indeed, so
a few years later city gas was installed. A great improvement immediately
resulted, the fixtures were improved and the light was better. Gas was used
until November when the electric lights were installed. A San Jose firm did
the wiring of the home. All the wires are concealed. The fixtures were put
in by another firm from Sun Jose. In an emergency or power failure the
gaslights can still be used.
AT THE HOME IN DECEMBER
During the year most of the older children had jobs to earn extra money.
The girls worked during the summer cutting apricots and picking prunes. The
boys, also, worked in the apricots and prunes. Others had jobs at the local
businesses in Gilroy.
About two weeks before Christmas we would put on our good clothes and board
the Home bus. We were off to San Jose, thirty miles away, for a day of
Christmas shopping. The children could buy a present for a parent, or
brothers and sisters, or friends.
In the 30's and 40's all the main shopping area and stores were on First
Street in the heart of San Jose. As we approached the down town area it was
a sight to see, all the Christmas decorations and lights. One last minute
instruction we were given was to be sure everyone returned to the bus at
three o'clock for the trip home. As we left the bus we got together with
some of our friends, and then we were off. So many things to see and places
to go in a few short hours.
We went to many stores such as Penny's, Woolworth. and Harts. Harts
Department Store was one of the big stores and had so many lovely toys and
clothes. We spent a good part of our time riding the escalators and looking
at all the Christmas things and decorations. At times there were so many
good things it was hard to decide which gift to get for a person.
By two o'clock we were getting tired. Now, looking in the stores did not
seem that exciting, but one last thing to buy. During the day we had seen
some one pound boxes of chocolates and another box was chocolates with a
cherry centers. This would be our gift to our selves. Not a lot of talking
on the way back to Gilroy because we were tired and had as our mouths full
of delicious candy.
Most lodges made a special effort to remember the Home Children during the
holiday season. Near the first of December the Santa Rosa Lodge would
announce that they would like all the children to make a wish list. The
children could select gifts from the Montgomery Ward catalog with a stated
limit for each child to spend. The list was to be of three items that each
child would like. If number one could not be found, then they would try for
number two and then three. In this way each child received a gift of his
choice.
The weekend before Christmas the lodge from Sonoma traveled to Gilroy on its
annual visit. When they arrived they made a grand entrance at the Home. In
the lead car Santa Claus was riding on the hood, followed by all of the
other cars. They used the same driveway as today which went past the main
entrance to the Home and around the circle and back to the starting point.
Others would travel to the back of the Home near the kitchen and unload the
food for lunch. As we were eating a turkey dinner that the members had
prepared ahead of time other lodge members were setting up a twelve-foot
Christmas tree was on the front lawn. After dinner when the children went
outside, they saw the many presents and stockings filled with nuts and candy
under the tree.
Days before Christmas the music room was cleared of all of the orchestra
chairs, and music stands. Then a tree was brought into the room, and the
older children helped decorate it with all the beautiful ornaments and
lights. The tree was highlighted by floor placed spotlights and a few
ceiling lights. On Christmas Eve all the children would gather an hour
after supper, and then the presents were brought in. Most of the children
had a lodge that sponsored them. These lodges would send presents for that
child. Other presents came from the living parent and were held in the in a
locked room off the main hall way until Christmas. A number of Christmas
songs were sung. Then jingle bells would ring out and Santa would appear.
Everyone would try and guess who was Santa this year. At one time it was
one of the senior girls. Another time it was a Board member, or maybe one
of the workers. Miss Williams helped Santa pass out the presents. There
were oranges and bags of candy for each child to enjoy.
Christmas carols were a wonderful part of our celebrating Christmas. We had
our Home choir. They would sing Christmas carols for the visiting lodges.
At other times the orchestra played the choir would by on the program.
During the holiday and most of the year the Home choir sang in the high
school and church choir. Music was a big part of our life.
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