The true history of Petersburg Home for Ladies in written into the experience of our community as a whole. The following is adapted from “We Ladies: A History of Petersburg Home for Ladies 1925-1983” by Hybernia McIlwaine Hassell Cuthbert.
On June 29, 1925 the Ladies Home made the front page of The Progress Index with an announcement which read:
“Ladies’ Home Opens July 1 to Occupants
THE PROGRESS INDEX JUNE 29, 1925
Board of Directors Announce Shower
Which Will Be Held Wednesday
Provisions, Kitchen Utensils and Linen Needed”
By 1936 the time had come to expand to 36 West Fillmore Street with a freshly renovated two story twenty room home. America had sojourned through the Great Depression and was entering into her New Deal. By the 1940s soldiers from Camp Lee filled the streets of Petersburg and though it was a paradoxical time of the nation, Petersburg Home for Ladies continued to grow, both in charity and influence. By the mid 1950s the Ladies Home was ready to expand once more and began acquiring land in the Jefferson Street hill that overlooked Poplar Lawn Park.
On a snowy day in December 1958 residents moved into the Georgian style building which has become an icon for quality, elegance and dignity in our community. In 1970s the addition of the “Rec Room”, as well as the basement beneath, laundry area and massive renovations to central air and in house sprinkler system, kept our Home on the cutting edge of luxury. In 1995 the addition of “The Infirmary”, now known as Jefferson Hall, advanced the Ladies Home both in occupancy and in impact. By 2013 it was time to renovate once again. The addition of Magnolia Hall, as well as a complete building wide renovation, afforded us the opportunity to open the doors to those in need of memory care assistance.
The journey is not over.
Though we celebrate 95 years of elegant living with exceptional care we are still young at heart. We look forward to the countless lives we have yet to impact and the many stories which have yet to be told. We are grateful for the bountiful support we have received from our community for the last 95 years and continue to look towards an enduring future.