The Homes (Life at the Homes)

The true stories of life at a Lutheran institution housing orphans and the elderly in rural Iowa on the eve of the Great Depression. Almost lost to the passage of time, these stories of sorrow and joy, compassion and cooperation have been uncovered and can now be shared with you. Join mother and son hosts Karen Thalacker and Andrew Newell as you learn about life at the German Lutheran Orphans and Old Folks Home - or as it was commonly called The Homes. Follow The Homes on Instagram at lifeatthehomes for photographs and additional content.

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The Homes (Life at the Homes)

Episode 11 - October of 1929

December 16, 2021 • Researched and hosted by Andrew Newell and Karen Thalacker. Sound edited by Robert Newell.

Welcome to October of 1929! As the month begins, aviation advances continue to be made around the the world but, at the Homes, they are welcoming visitors and preparing for a long winter. Money woes continue and in asking for money to pay the debt, the newsletter urged: "The more debts we pay, the sooner we will be able to banish the wolf of interests which is now unbidden eating the food of the children." A brother and sister who grew up at the Homes come back for a visit and the girls move into the new dormitory. Readers of the Muscatine newspaper are interested in the plight of 2 children who are placed at the Homes after being cared for by an infamous Muscatine resident. The end of the month brings Black Thursday and Black Tuesday but also a Halloween celebration.