Brief History of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America

In April 1947, Alice G. Kalb of El Dorado, Kan., traveled to Newton and suggested to Dr. George Nelson, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, that the church begin a Presbyterian home for the aged in Kansas.

Kalb, more than 90 years old, had no children of her own and was the widow of a Presbyterian minister. She also shared her suggestion with the Rev. A. Walter Roth. As Synod executive, he officially raised the issue of a retirement home during a meeting of Synod's Council in Emporia in June 1947. He told the group of Kalb's offer to donate money if the Synod would establish a home for the aged and take her in.

As a result, three people were appointed to a committee to look into the matter: Mrs. Walter T. Stewart of Westminster Church, Topeka; John R. McClung, an elder in the First Presbyterian Church, Topeka; and Dr. Nelson.

Others had also suggested a Presbyterian retirement home in the state. One of these was Calvin Smith of Wakarusa, who offered to donate a farm for the purpose. However, Kalb's idea was the one that finally took flight.

The first Presbyterian Manor was dedicated in May 1949 in Newton under the auspices of the Presbyterian Foundation of the Synod of Kansas. In October, the Manor held an open house during the Synod's meeting in Newton, giving Presbyterians from around the state a first look at their new retirement home.

The Manor's first caregiver was Mae Hickman of Newton, who was hired as a matron. Frances Belle Townsend of Smith Center was the first resident. Townsend lived at the Manor for a month, returned to her home, then came back to the Manor in 1952, where she lived until her death six years later.

Kalb became the Manor's second resident. She lived in a house at 1100 E. Seventh that was later known as the Manor's Cottage. She rode a scoop loader on Feb. 7, 1951, during the groundbreaking for the first new Manor building. (Wakarusa's donated farm was sold to help fund the new building.) However, Kalb did not live to see it completed. She died a month later.

As soon as the first building was finished in November 1951, the demand for more accommodations grew. By the time a second building was dedicated in April 1952, plans for a third addition were already underway.

In 1953, the Manor purchased twelve lots across Seventh Street. Six years later, the first duplex was built there. From there, Newton Presbyterian Manor continued to grow, adding two more buildings, as well as cottages, and purchasing or receiving as donations more lots to build on.

Newton Presbyterian Manor became connected with Home of the Plains in Sterling, Kan., on Jan. 1, 1959, when the two groups operating the homes merged. This reflected the larger merger by the United Presbyterian Church of North America and the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Fifteen other locations in rural and urban communities have joined Newton and Sterling since the 1960s, and share a common purpose and vision as Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America.

As part of the mission of the Synod of Mid-America, Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America continues to serve in a covenant relationship with the Presbyterian Church (USA). This covenant relationship, embodying and exemplifying the compassionate love of God as revealed in Jesus Christ, provides support to the primary mission of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America to serve older adults.

Topeka Presbyterian Manor was built in 1962. At the same time, the Missouri Manors were under development. Farmington became the first Missouri Manor in 1962. Clay Center and Kansas City, Kan., both opened in 1968, followed by Wichita in 1970.

Fulton became the second Missouri Manor in 1971. In 1974, Parsons Manor joined the system, and Rolla became the third Missouri location.

In 1976, the Lawrence Manor opened its doors, followed by Arkansas City in 1978. The same year, construction began on the Salina Manor, which opened in 1980. In 1984, work began on the Emporia Manor.

Manor of the Plains opened in Dodge City, Kan., in 1990, and Fort Scott Presbyterian Village started filling with residents in 1994. Aberdeen Village in Olathe is the most recent addition to the Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America family, opening in 2001.

As not-for-profit retirement communities, to date, no resident has ever been asked to leave due to exhausting their personal financial resources.

Looking toward the future, Presbyterian Manors' goal is to continue to provide leadership in the delivery of services and housing choices to meet the physical, spiritual and social needs for overall well-being of its residents. Presbyterian Manors maintains a close watch on future trends in senior housing and develops long-range goals based on the aging population's future expressed wants, needs and desires.

More recently, Presbyterian Manors has implemented this long-range approach by integrating person-centered planning, and physical and programming changes into its communities. This trend in service delivery provides for services delivered by a team based on the needs and wants of the individual.

Regardless of their faith, seniors find a place where they can be themselves, find the friendship of neighbors just steps away, and have found the freedom that no-maintenance homes offer. We encourage you to explore our communities online and visit them in person to see our philosophy of “the way you want to live” in action.

We invite you to learn more about the people who are part of our 55 years:

Brief History | Rev. Tom Wentz | Dr. George Nelson | 55 Faces Honorees

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