Watt Program Features History of Children’s Home
Press Release
BARNESVILLE – The Belmont County Children’s Home was located in Tacoma, east of Barnesville, from the 1880s to 1981, providing a home for orphaned, abandoned and indigent children. Many children called this building home at some time during their lives.
A program telling the story of the Children’s Home will take place at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, August 13, at the Watt Center for History and the Arts, 515 Watt Avenue. In addition to information and history of this institution, former residents will be present to share their memories.
The building will be open at 6 p.m. for those interested in touring the former factory office building displaying local history artifacts. The program is free but donations are accepted.
The architect for this castle-looking building was Joseph W. Yost, who five years later was the architect for the Belmont County Courthouse.
The home was established for “the physical, mental and moral training of indigent children until suitable homes could be found for them.” At one time the home housed 200 children. Later it was licensed for 60 children but usually had 40-45 children ranging from age 6 to 18.
A large farm, which was expanded to 174 acres by the 1940s, provided most of the food for the home. Adjacent to the home was a school that provided education through sixth grade. Older students went to Barnesville.
The building became too costly to maintain, closed in 1981, and razed in 1990.
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