Clarissa Cook Home for the Friendless
Encyclopedia
Clarissa Cook Home for the Friendless is located at 2223 W. 1st Street, Davenport, Iowa
, United States
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
to Ira and Rachel (Faxon) Cook. His younger brother was John Parsons Cook, and the two worked together their whole lives. Ebenezer bought 1200 acres (4.9 km²) of land in 1835 that would in time become part of the city of Davenport, and moved there with his extended family in 1836. He and his brother entered the legal profession and helped establish Scott County
in what was then the Wisconsin Territory
. They were joined in their law practice with John Forrest Dillon
, who later became judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Eighth Circuit. The brothers became involved in banking and set up a chain of private banks across Iowa
and Western Illinois
until the country-wide panic which began in 1857. In 1851 the brothers were influential in routing the railroad through Davenport. Ebenezer became a director and then vice president of the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad
when it was organized in 1853, and upon its subsequent consolidation became a director and later vice president of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway. Ebenezer Cook died October 7, 1871.
Clarissa C. (Bryan) Cook was born August 4, 1811 in Sydney, Delaware County, New York
and died February 19, 1879. She was a daughter of Fowler P. and Lucretia Bryan. She was known for carrying out the wishes of her husband and their philanthropy to the City of Davenport and the Episcopal Church
. Through her generosity, both during her life and after her death, she was instrumental in building Trinity Church
, the Cook Memorial Library
, the Clarissa Cook Home for the Friendless and the establishment of a number of trusts for the benefit of the Episcopal parishes and activities in the Diocese of Iowa
and elsewhere.
In 1884 the Rt. Rev. William Stevens Perry
proposed a goal to the Diocesan Convention that the Diocese of Iowa undertake a greater role in social ministry. The inspiration was the Social Gospel
Movement that was popular at the time. The Clarissa C. Cook Home became part of the mission of the diocese to carry out this goal. The home continues today with a more general philosophy of housing elderly women without reference to their economic situation. The name of the facility has been shortened to the Clarissa C. Cook Home.
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Ebenezer and Clarissa Cook
Ebenezer Cook was born February 14, 1810 in Oneida County, New YorkOneida County, New York
Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 234,878. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, an Iroquoian tribe that formerly occupied the region....
to Ira and Rachel (Faxon) Cook. His younger brother was John Parsons Cook, and the two worked together their whole lives. Ebenezer bought 1200 acres (4.9 km²) of land in 1835 that would in time become part of the city of Davenport, and moved there with his extended family in 1836. He and his brother entered the legal profession and helped establish Scott County
Scott County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 165,224 in the county, with a population density of . There were 71,835 housing units, of which 66,765 were occupied.-2000 census:...
in what was then the Wisconsin Territory
Wisconsin Territory
The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin...
. They were joined in their law practice with John Forrest Dillon
John Forrest Dillon
John Forrest Dillon was an American jurist who served on both federal and Iowa state courts, and who authored a highly influential treatise on the power of states over municipal governments.-Early life and career:...
, who later became judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Eighth Circuit. The brothers became involved in banking and set up a chain of private banks across Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and Western Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
until the country-wide panic which began in 1857. In 1851 the brothers were influential in routing the railroad through Davenport. Ebenezer became a director and then vice president of the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad
Mississippi and Missouri Railroad
The Mississippi and Missouri Railroad was the first railroad in Iowa and was chartered in 1853 to build a line between Davenport, Iowa on the Mississippi River and Council Bluffs, Iowa on the Missouri River and was to play an important role in the construction of the First Transcontinental...
when it was organized in 1853, and upon its subsequent consolidation became a director and later vice president of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway. Ebenezer Cook died October 7, 1871.
Clarissa C. (Bryan) Cook was born August 4, 1811 in Sydney, Delaware County, New York
Delaware County, New York
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of 2010 the population was 47,980. The county seat is Delhi. It is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, appointed governor of Virginia in 1609.-History:When counties...
and died February 19, 1879. She was a daughter of Fowler P. and Lucretia Bryan. She was known for carrying out the wishes of her husband and their philanthropy to the City of Davenport and the Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
. Through her generosity, both during her life and after her death, she was instrumental in building Trinity Church
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (Davenport, Iowa)
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is the historic cathedral in the Diocese of Iowa. The cathedral is located on the bluff overlooking Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974...
, the Cook Memorial Library
Clarissa C. Cook Library/Blue Ribbon News Building
Clarissa C. Cook Library/Blue Ribbon News Building was located at 528 Brady Street, Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was noted on the National Register of Historic Places in April, 1983 as Cook Memorial Library and listed in July 1983 under the "Clarissa C. Cook Library/Blue Ribbon News Bldg."...
, the Clarissa Cook Home for the Friendless and the establishment of a number of trusts for the benefit of the Episcopal parishes and activities in the Diocese of Iowa
Episcopal Diocese of Iowa
The Episcopal Diocese of Iowa is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America which covers all of Iowa. It is in Province VI. Its offices are in Des Moines, and it has two cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of St...
and elsewhere.
Clarissa C. Cook Home for the Friendless
The Clarissa C. Cook Home for the Friendless was founded in 1882 in the West End of Davenport. A bequest of $50,000 from the Cook’s estate made the home possible. Clarissa Cook’s will outlined that the home was for “destitute and indigent females” who were over 60 years of age. They paid an entry fee of $100 and had a home and care for the rest of their lives. The facility had room to care for 25 women.In 1884 the Rt. Rev. William Stevens Perry
William Stevens Perry
William Stevens Perry was a 19th century bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America and an educator. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Iowa from 1876 - 1898....
proposed a goal to the Diocesan Convention that the Diocese of Iowa undertake a greater role in social ministry. The inspiration was the Social Gospel
Social Gospel
The Social Gospel movement is a Protestant Christian intellectual movement that was most prominent in the early 20th century United States and Canada...
Movement that was popular at the time. The Clarissa C. Cook Home became part of the mission of the diocese to carry out this goal. The home continues today with a more general philosophy of housing elderly women without reference to their economic situation. The name of the facility has been shortened to the Clarissa C. Cook Home.