History

Augsburg Lutheran Home began its first century of caring on January 28, 1892. It began in the home of Mrs. Charles J. Lang, a member of Martini Lutheran Church, who saw a need for a church-sponsored home for children and the aged. She responded not only by opening her heart and her home to this need, but also the hearts of the thousands of people who became involved with Augsburg in the century that followed.

Those women who attended Mrs. Lang’s birthday party did not know that their concern for two homeless children would involve so many others nor that it would grow to include Augsburg Lutheran Home and Augsburg Lutheran Village which together, in 1997, care for over 220 persons each day.

Their dream, which began with an initial offering of $3 from twelve ladies, today includes over 85 member congregations who support the Home in many ways.

Little did the participants of that first meeting realize how many lives their loving concern would touch. Their invitations to German Immanuel, St. Paul, St. Thomas, and English Emmanuel to join with them in a mission of caring for the orphaned and the aged was enthusiastically received. Their February 25th resolution to invite the support of the ladies of all Evangelical Lutheran congregations of the Missouri Synod in the City of Baltimore resulted in the formation of the "Evangelical Lutheran Ladies Society of the Augsburg Home for Orphans and the Aged of Baltimore City."

By May 12, 1892, a constitution had been adopted, in August a picnic raised $362, and in the fall the ladies of Jackson Square (Our Saviour) joined.

Events continued to move along quickly. In November it was decided that seven persons from each member congregation would serve as delegates. These were appointed in December, and on January 20, 1893, the first Board of Managers was selected. This first Board consisted of six men and six ladies with three ministers as honorary members. They elected Mr. G. C. Ruppel as their first President.

By August, “The Augsburg Lutheran Home Association,” as it had become known, accepted its first two children for care. Since no property had yet been purchased, Mrs. Lang, once again, opened her heart offering her home to care for the children until other arrangements could be made. At a special meeting held on October 27th, the Board voted to purchase a home at 746 West Lexington Street. The purchase price was $10,300.

In January of 1894, it was voted to amend the constitution so that 12 men would serve on the Board of Directors, six to be elected by the Society and six by the congregations. It was also decided that seven ladies would be selected from each congregation to serve as delegates. By-Laws were written in April of 1894. By 1907, because of increased interest among area congregations, the Board of Directors was increased from 12 to 30 men.

On July 1, 1895, after much preparation, which included some modification of the building, Augsburg Home was officially opened. The first “guests” of Augsburg were six aged people. It was not until May of 1896 that the first three orphans came to the Home. Mrs. Catherine Vogt, who was later assisted by her husband, served as the first matron and, except for a one-year period, remained in that position until 1922.

During the early years, Augsburg grew, and a need to find larger quarters became important. In 1921, the Board purchased 41 acres on Campfield Road, as an investment. This property soon became the focus of attention for building a new Home. However, when bids to build were secured, they were three times over the budget approved by the Board and plans for expansion were temporarily postponed.

In 1925, Mr. Theodore W. Katenkamp was appointed as the new superintendent. Under his guidance, and with the support of the new president of the Board, Mr. Frederick H. N. Heemann, Augsburg was able to restart plans to make the dream of a new home a reality. By the spring of 1926, the Board, through the Ways and Means Committee, had approved a budget of $150,000 for construction. Pledges from a building campaign amounted to $110,000 and on April 13th a contract was signed for the beginning of a new “Home” which would accommodate 40 adults and 50 children. In order to keep people informed about the Home, the Augsburg “Bulletin” was printed in 1928.

Construction began on April 21, 1929, the cornerstone was laid in June, and on November 17th “we dedicated to the glory and service of our Lord and Saviour our modern, well-equipped home.” Moving day was November 25th.

The religious atmosphere of the Home was greatly increased with the appointment, in September of 1930, of Rev. Walter D. Spencer as Chaplain. Pastor Spencer and his successors established active religious programs at the Home which included weekly services. Mr. & Mrs. Katenkamp led daily evening devotions along with regular Sunday school classes.

As Augsburg became more well known throughout the Lutheran community, applications for admission increased and the need to expand resulted in the renovation of the cottage in 1932 which added room for 21 more “guests.”

During the 50th Anniversary year in 1942, it was decided to further expand the Home and a Chapel and a six-room infirmary were planned. Although a successful campaign secured the funding, construction was not completed until 1949 due to the war. A home for the Superintendent and his family was added in 1957. Four more infirmary rooms, ten guest rooms, a nursing station, a solarium, and an elevator were all added in 1959. By 1962, Augsburg was caring for 121 young people and adults. By 1969, the number of children being cared for at the home dropped to 19.

Another important milestone in the history of Augsburg Home was reached on May 22, 1969. On that date the Lutheran Home of Maryland (A.L.C.) and the Augsburg Home merged. The Augsburg Home became an association of area Lutheran congregations who “filed with the Secretary of the Corporation a resolution declaring their intention to support and promote the objectives of the Augsburg Lutheran Home of Maryland to the best of their ability.”

In 1970, the Board decided to discontinue child care and to renovate the North Wing to provide rooms for 22 elderly residents. The dedication of this wing was held on April 8, 1973.

Under the leadership of Ronald Heemann, the Board established an Expansion Committee to research and study which needs of the elderly Augsburg could fill in the future. The study concluded that the needs of elderly Lutherans had increased and further expansion would be needed. In order to meet this need, it was recommended that Augsburg prepare for the future by planning a continuing care community which would be able to care for the retired and well elderly.

In 1979, the Board accepted the recommendations of the Expansion Committee and began planning Augsburg Lutheran Village. Original plans were for 180 independent living units to be built in one-story buildings connected to each other and to dining, activity, and craft rooms. The concept of independent retirement living was not a new one, but the Board wanted to build a “Village” that would carry on the tradition of care that had been established in the “Home.” With this in mind, they planned the Augsburg Lutheran Village to have large apartments in a variety of layouts at affordable rates. Proximity to the “Home” assured that residents would receive emergency health care when needed.

Plans made in 1981 also included the complete renovation of the then present 100-bed facility and the construction of a new 120-bed comprehensive medical care facility. In order to accomplish these plans, application was made to the State Health Care Planning Resources Commission to add new comprehensive care beds to the Home. However, it was not until 1985 that permission to add these beds was granted.

In 1982, admission policies were changed to include residents needing nursing care. On September 23, 1982, the Board took the first step to implement the recommendations regarding independent living units and approved the construction of a model apartment. By the Spring of 1983, plans were well underway to build the first 57 apartments. As often happens with new construction, some delays were experienced; one of which was a moratorium on building permits from Baltimore County.
In June 1985, Augsburg welcomed the affiliation of the Maryland Synod of the Lutheran Church in America.

Ground-breaking for the Village apartments took place on March 23, 1986. The very next day earth-moving equipment moved in and a dream began to come alive. The first residents moved in by mid-December 1986.

By the Fall of 1987, Augsburg was ready to begin to implement the second phase of the expansion plan. A $3,000,000 loan from the Southeastern District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod enabled construction to begin. On September 27, 1987, two important historical events occurred within hours of each other. At 2:30 p.m., the new 57-unit Augsburg Lutheran Village was dedicated and then, only one hour later at 3:30 p.m., a ground-breaking for a 60-bed addition to Augsburg Lutheran Home was celebrated. By that time, additional purchases of adjoining properties had increased the campus to 51.7 acres.

Construction began in October and we celebrated the dedication of the Health Care Wing on May 6, 1989. This new building included space for the Village Dining Room and a “state-of-the-art” kitchen designed to serve both Augsburg Lutheran Home and a 180-unit Augsburg Lutheran Village. Because this new building could also house the activity and recreation rooms for the Village, four new units were added to the Augsburg Lutheran Village, expanding the total number of units to 61. Every unit is now connected to the Home with an enclosed covered walkway giving Village residents the comfort of going to dinner and other activities in the Home without having to go outside.

The Women’s Auxiliary of Augsburg is the rock upon which Augsburg was built. From the very beginning, it is clear that they provided the impetus that began the Home and the love that kept it going. The first Annual Reports show that in the early years the Auxiliary paid for a good portion of the operating budget of the Home. Mrs. Charles J. Lang, the Home’s founder, was elected the first president and held that office until her death on November 21, 1908.

In March of 1926, a group of young women from the Auxiliary began the Augsburg Sewing Circle. They not only provided the Home with household items, but also raised funds through an annual crab supper and other activities. They also planned parties and were responsible for much of the entertainment that took place in the Home. In 1990, they rejoined the Auxiliary.

The Auxiliary is still the most supportive group within the Home. The ladies of the Women’s Auxiliary work untiringly to see that the needs of the residents, whether they be large or small, are fulfilled.