1956-1965

1956-1965:

• 1956
  • The Home saw another year of operating under budget, thanks in part to the Masons who each contributed $2.50 per year to help fund it. Residents received $2.00 per month spending money from the Grand Lodge.
  • Entertainment for the year included a trip to the Braves baseball game in Milwaukee.
  • The physical condition of the Home was evaluated as "excellent."
• 1957
  • On September 14, the Historical Marker is dedicated, located east of the pump house. It still stands today.
  • About 90% of residents at the Home required a high level of skilled care, which caused the Home Board to look closely at how long it could continue as a private institution.
  • The annual total of baked goods prepared by the Home bakery for the year include:
    • Cakes - 396 
    • Coffee Cakes - 407
    • Fruit Cakes - 375
    • Cobblers - 170
    • Cheese Cakes - 42
    • Tortes - 15
    • Cookies - 17,504
    • Brownies - 1,158
    • Jelly Rolls - 49
    • Fruit Bars - 800
    • Pecan Bars - 192
    • Donuts - 6,630
    • Buns - 5,878
    • Sweet Rolls - 13,947
    • Biscuits - 4,990
    • Pies - 933
    • White Bread - 1,636 loaves
    • Dark Bread - 307 loaves
    • Brown Bread - 431 loaves
    • Potato Bread - 15 loaves
    • Corn Bread - 8,820 squares
    • Whole Wheat Bread - 76 loaves
    • 1,116 pounds of lard rendered
• 1960
  • New lighting was installed at Van Brunt Hall and the Hospital.
  • A standard workweek for employees was reduced from 48 to 40 hours, with a handful of workers at the Home making as much as $1 per hour in wages.
  • The construction of a duplex at the farm was authorized, to be completed by 1962. 
• 1962
  • Concern about water supply was growing. Water for use at the Home came from the Bark River, but water level had been low during the summer months. Studies were underway about the cost of updating and maintaining equipment to provide a safe and adequate water supply.
• 1963
  • For the first time, the budget for the Home exceeded $300,000.
  • An ambulance was purchased to transport patients to local hospitals.
  • Surgery was no longer performed at the Home Hospital.
  • On June 8, the cornerstone was laid for a staff dormitory, which was designed with the option of being readily converted into resident rooms should the need arise.
• 1964
  • The mansion, built in 1873, is demolished at a cost of $1,900. It was no longer in good repair, so a study was initiated to determine its future. Due to the cost of restoration, the uncertainty of its usefulness, and its age of 91 years, demolition was necessary.
  • New state mandated rules are in effect and the Home is certified as a complex of skilled care. Three licenses are required: one for limited care, one for personal care, and one for skilled nursing care. This change led to a staff increase of 30 nurses.

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