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Mission Statement
History
Financial
Contact Us
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For nearly 90 years, Webster-Cantrell Hall has served children and
families in the Macon County area. Over the years the agency
has touched thousands of lives and helped many children overcome
difficult problems. From its humble beginnings as an orphanage
to the child welfare agency it is today, Webster-Cantrell Hall has a
history rich in loving and caring for the underprivileged. It
is the descendent of two separate yet similar entities who merged
together to better serve children and families. Although the face and name of the agency has changed
through the years,
its commitment to providing children and families with a loving,
nurturing environment has never changed.
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 A
Community Problem
In the early 1900's there was a tremendous need in the community to
provide a place to live for children who had lost their parents or
whose parents could not care for them. These children were
orphans and had nowhere to go. |
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The Solution
As a result of that
need, the Decatur and Macon County Welfare Home for Girls was formed
in 1916 by a group of Decatur women.
The
Girls' Home - Webster Hall
 It wasn't until
November, 1919 that the Home opened with prayers and a concert by
the Conklin Mandolin Orchestra. This was a huge event, due
mainly to the tremendous undertaking of the citizens of the
community to provide a place for "...75 friendless and deserving
girls." The ages of the girls ranged from babies to teenagers
and they either did not have any parents or parents who could look after
them.
The Home, which later
became known as the Girl's Welfare Home and finally Webster Hall,
was located in a huge, beautiful, four story building on the corner
of South Broadway (which is now Martin Luther King) and Cantrell
Streets. It was originally built as a German athletic hall. |
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The Boys' Home - Cantrell Hall
 A
few years after the opening of the Girls' Home, the Decatur/Macon
County Opportunity Home for Boys was formed. This was in
response to the need of a place for orphaned boys.
A September 1921 newspaper account
recalled...
"...Only this week two lads were
sent to the poor farm because they were underfed, practically
homeless, and because there was no other place to send them..."
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 Two
months after the newspaper article, a nine room farmhouse and five
acres of land located at 1942 East Cantrell Street was donated.
The house did not have running water or indoor bathrooms, but it did have
a furnace and electricity. Many years later it would become
known as Cantrell Hall and was often referred to as "the Boys' Home." |
  In
October 1923, in a place really too small, the Home housed 21 boys,
with the youngest being 5 years old. The original farmhouse
was replaced in 1927 with what is now used as the current
administration building of Webster-Cantrell Hall. |
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The Early Days
 House
parents lived at the respective homes and cared for the children as
they would their own. One of the original house mothers,
"Mother Armstrong," was forced to leave her position after she broke
her hip. Despite leaving her position, she maintained contact
throughout the years with 85 of her "adopted sons," even
corresponding with them while they were away in the service. |
Facing The Turning Tide
 As
time went by, both agencies witnessed the turning tide in social
services with the phasing out of orphanages. The type of
children coming into both Homes began to change in the late 1960's.
The typical orphan was going into foster care and the children's
homes received kids with emotional and behavioral problems.
As demands for old style children's
homes dwindled, Webster Hall and Cantrell Hall pooled resources and
merged in 1974. This merger created Webster-Cantrell Hall.
The "new" home would house both boys and girls. Because the
old Girls' Home needed so much work to bring it up to local fire
codes, the agency would be located at the Cantrell Street location.
 After
the merger, Webster-Cantrell Hall began housing children who were
identified as dependent and neglected children. These children
came from abusive homes, having emotional and behavioral problems.
Their placement at the agency was in lieu of putting them in the old
Juvenile Detention Center.
Also at that time, a Youth Services Program began with 25 boys and
girls to satisfy the needs for upgraded services. Five years
later, the agency's Foster Care Program began. |
 Webster-Cantrell Hall Today
Today, Webster-Cantrell Hall continues to serve children and families
in the Macon County area. The agency is still located at the
original Boys' Home location on Cantrell Street. The services
provided by the agency have expanded tremendously, with 14 different
programs currently being offered.
Webster-Cantrell Hall has maintained its status as a premier
residential center for children. The average amount of time
children live at the facility is approximately six months. The
goal is to either return the children to their homes or place them
in foster care, depending upon their situation. In contrast to
the babies who came into the old Homes during the orphanage days,
the youngest age currently accepted into the residential program is
12 with the oldest being 18.
 There
is an on-ground school program that is attended by residents who are
not able to attend public schools. It consists of three
classrooms and a library, plus a home economics and arts and crafts
room. It is staffed by two full time teachers.
Numerous services are available to the children,
such as counseling, community service, and therapeutic recreation.
The purpose of these services is to help the kids deal with their
problems.
Although there are no longer live-in "house
parents," the facility is staffed 24 hours a day. These
workers are the best of the best, and they truly care about the
children they serve.
We hope you have enjoyed this glimpse of Webster-Cantrell Hall. From orphanage to modern child welfare
agency, Webster-Cantrell Hall has weathered the social service
spectrum. Although it has experienced many changes throughout
the years, its commitment to providing children and families with a
loving, nurturing environment has never changed. |
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