Jesse Lee Home for Children
Encyclopedia
The Jesse Lee Home for Children is a former orphanage
in Seward
, Alaska
, United States
. The orphanage was operated by the United Methodist Church
from its opening in 1926 until the building suffered damage from a 1964 earthquake and operations were relocated to a new building in Anchorage
.
and Unalaska
. In the late 1910s and early 1920s, the Spanish flu pandemic was particularly deadly in remote native
villages, leaving more orphaned children. The old missions were overfilled, in disrepair, and transportation of supplies and children to these remote locations was unreliable and expensive. Seward was selected as a new location because at that point in time, it was Alaska's largest port and transportation point. Transportation costs would be lower due to regularly scheduled routes directly from Seattle.
Child residents were mainly natives from the Aleutian Islands (Aleut) and Seward Peninsula
(Eskimo
). In the first year after the school opened in 1926, resident Benny Benson
won a competition to design the state flag
. Benson, who was moved from the previous home in Unalaska, was from the village of Chignik
. He was a 13-year-old student who won the competition out of over 700 entries. On July 9, 1927, the new flag was raised for the first time at the Jesse Lee Home, and the date is still commemorated in the state as Flag Day.
The site consisted of three main buildings connected by arcades
and several smaller buildings. Original construction included two dormitories
, Jewel Guard Hall and Goode Hall. The Balto Building was added between the two dormitories in 1936 and provided dining space and several kitchens. In additional to boy's dormitories, Jewel Guard Hall held a shop, vocational classrooms
, a darkroom
, classrooms, library, and gymnasium. Goode Hall served as the girl's dormitory and administrative offices. Additional buildings on the property included a superintendent's house, barn, schoolhouse, residence, garage, and cold storage. During World War II
, the residents were moved to other locations. The primary buildings were painted camouflage
and a temporary Fort Raymond Army Base occupied part of the home's property.
The home reopened after the war but rather than attending class there, the students attended nearby Bayview Elementary and Seward High School
, and government-provided food replaced the gardens and livestock. The number of residents declined from its high of 120 to between 30 and 40.
An earthquake in 1964 severely affected Seward and much of the complex. Goode Hall, the largest of the buildings, was heavily damaged and required demolition. The church opened a new orphanage in Anchorage and the Seward home was closed. In 1966 the property was sold to the city, then to a private owner before being acquired by the city again.
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
in Seward
Seward, Alaska
Seward is a city in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 3,016....
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The orphanage was operated by the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
from its opening in 1926 until the building suffered damage from a 1964 earthquake and operations were relocated to a new building in Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
.
History
Prior to 1926, the Methodist Church operated orphanages in NomeNome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
and Unalaska
Unalaska, Alaska
Unalaska is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area of the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalaska is located on Unalaska Island and neighboring Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Islands off of mainland Alaska....
. In the late 1910s and early 1920s, the Spanish flu pandemic was particularly deadly in remote native
Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska. They include: Aleut, Inuit, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eyak, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.-History:In 1912 the Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded...
villages, leaving more orphaned children. The old missions were overfilled, in disrepair, and transportation of supplies and children to these remote locations was unreliable and expensive. Seward was selected as a new location because at that point in time, it was Alaska's largest port and transportation point. Transportation costs would be lower due to regularly scheduled routes directly from Seattle.
Child residents were mainly natives from the Aleutian Islands (Aleut) and Seward Peninsula
Seward Peninsula
The Seward Peninsula is a large peninsula on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It projects about into the Bering Sea between Norton Sound, the Bering Strait, the Chukchi Sea, and Kotzebue Sound, just below the Arctic Circle...
(Eskimo
Eskimo
Eskimos or Inuit–Yupik peoples are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska , Canada, and Greenland....
). In the first year after the school opened in 1926, resident Benny Benson
Benny Benson
John Ben "Benny" Benson, Jr. was the Aleut boy who designed the flag of Alaska. Benny was 13 when he won in a contest in 1927 to design the flag for the territory of Alaska, which became a U.S. state in 1959.-Biography:...
won a competition to design the state flag
Flag of Alaska
The flag of the state of Alaska consists of eight gold stars, forming the Big Dipper and the North Star, on a dark blue field.The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major which symbolizes a bear, an animal indigenous to Alaska...
. Benson, who was moved from the previous home in Unalaska, was from the village of Chignik
Chignik, Alaska
-External links:* / by Mark A. Stichert. Hosted by the ....
. He was a 13-year-old student who won the competition out of over 700 entries. On July 9, 1927, the new flag was raised for the first time at the Jesse Lee Home, and the date is still commemorated in the state as Flag Day.
The site consisted of three main buildings connected by arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
and several smaller buildings. Original construction included two dormitories
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
, Jewel Guard Hall and Goode Hall. The Balto Building was added between the two dormitories in 1936 and provided dining space and several kitchens. In additional to boy's dormitories, Jewel Guard Hall held a shop, vocational classrooms
Vocational-technical school
A vocational-technical school, often called a vo-tech school, is a high school in the United States and Canada designed to bring vocational and technical training to its students. Such skills become highly valuable to students entering into a vocational or technical field without first obtaining...
, a darkroom
Darkroom
A darkroom is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light sensitive photographic materials, including photographic film and photographic paper. Darkrooms have been created and used since the inception of photography in the early 19th century...
, classrooms, library, and gymnasium. Goode Hall served as the girl's dormitory and administrative offices. Additional buildings on the property included a superintendent's house, barn, schoolhouse, residence, garage, and cold storage. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the residents were moved to other locations. The primary buildings were painted camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
and a temporary Fort Raymond Army Base occupied part of the home's property.
The home reopened after the war but rather than attending class there, the students attended nearby Bayview Elementary and Seward High School
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District serves 21 communities and 9,400 students in the Kenai Peninsula Borough. KPBSD is the largest employer on the Kenai Peninsula providing $4.9 million in gross payroll each month.- Schools :...
, and government-provided food replaced the gardens and livestock. The number of residents declined from its high of 120 to between 30 and 40.
An earthquake in 1964 severely affected Seward and much of the complex. Goode Hall, the largest of the buildings, was heavily damaged and required demolition. The church opened a new orphanage in Anchorage and the Seward home was closed. In 1966 the property was sold to the city, then to a private owner before being acquired by the city again.