Over 100 years ago, Rev. Dr. Robert Perry Smith came to the mountains to be the Superintendent of Home Missions. Dr. Smith was a Columbia Theological Seminary graduate and former President of Presbyterian College. As he traveled through the mountains, h e quickly saw the need for an orphanage.   Many children had lost their families to the great flu epidemics and other now-preventable diseases around the turn of the century.   The Presbytery responded by opening a four-room cabin near Canton for orphans.   R.P. Smith talked Lucy Smith Hare into riding horseback through the mountains finding the orphaned children and bringing them to what was then called the Mountain Orphanage.   In the early, days, in order to be a resident at the Home, they had to have a Presbyterian sponsor. The members of that church would, in a sense, "adopt" the child, giving them Christmas gifts, regular allowances, even taking the child home on weekends and vacations.

In just a few short years, the cabin became far too crowded and a new location was sought. In 1910, the Mountain Orphanage moved to the Balfour/ Hendersonville area. It was there that the Orphanage was given the church bell from First Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville when that congregation built a new church building. The bell is still rung today on special occasions. Soon after moving, the Home expanded its definition of orphan to include half-orphans, meaning children who had a living parent, but that parent was unable or unwilling to care for the child. So after just a decade, this location also proved too small.  

A committee of the Presbytery began to look for a larger site, and think in terms of a "fire proof" building.   The Canton and Hendersonville houses were both wood.   In 1922, they found a 135-acre tract of land near Black Mountain and began building a "fireproof building." In 1923, they opened what is now called the Robert Perry Smith Administration and Services Building. In those days, everything took place in that one building - sleeping, learning, and eating. The children were all expected to help farm the land. The farm raised apples, strawberries, potatoes, tomatoes, wheat, pigs, chicken, and cows. In the decades that followed, the Orphanage added a superintendent's home, the Terry Gymnasium, and the Barkley Building. There were also two barns and some out buildings, which have since been torn down. Two original silos still remain on the property. By the time the Home moved to Black Mountain, most of the children were recommended through an informal network of Presbyterians.

As time passed, the definition of those eligible to live at the Orphanage changed.   Originally only full orphans could live at the Home.   Then children who were half orphans were admitted. Later, children who had living parents that could not or would not care for them were eligible for admission. Eventually, children with mental health problems, victims of abuse, non-white children, and children whose parents were having their rights terminated were admitted. Today, there is a new category of full orphans - children whose parents have had their legal rights terminated. No category of child was ever eliminated. The Home over time became more inclusive. In 1947, the Home was incorporated and a board replaced a committee of presbytery. The word orphanage became unpopular and in 1960, Mountain Orphanage became Presbyterian Home for Children.

Through most of those early years, the staff consisted of four matrons, the farm manager, and the superintendent and his wife. Until the end of the 1980's, the Home had the capacity for 55 to 65 children. The average stay for a child was ten years. Today, the Home has capacity for 36 children, and serves approximately 65 children in a year. The average stay is one year to 18 months.   The farm was phased out in the early 1960's.

The nineties brought dramatic changes.   In 1993, the Home was licensed by the North Carolina Department of Human Services. This license allows North Carolina counties to refer children to the Home. Today, many of the children come through county departments of Social Services referrals because the parental rights of their parents have been terminated or are in the process of being terminated. Each county reimburses the Home for the children it places there.   Unfortunately, the reimbursal rate is about 30% of what it actually costs to care for a child.   During this process, the Home rediscovered a ministry to children that were abused, neglected, and suffering from mental and social disabilities, and began to be at capacity again.   Numbers of children at the Home had dropped precipitously prior to that.  

The way to care for these children had to change and it did.   In 1999 and 2000, four family-like houses were built and staffed with married couples modeling good marriages and child care.   A support services department was created to make sure that the children's medical, education, recreation, spiritual, and mental health needs were met.   Presbyterian Home for Children believes strongly that while the child is at the Home, they must make what would be at least normal progress for their age. They still need love, and care, and encouragement to be all that God has created them to be. They need to do everyday, normal childhood activities. Today, Presbyterian Home has 30 staff members and a budget of $1.5 million to care for the 36 children entrusted to our care.  

Ideally, every child should be a part of a good family. But the reality is that some families are dangerous and some children don't make it in adoptions. Many of our children are from failed adoptions.   This week, in America, 25 children will be murdered by parents or caretakers.   There need to be safe places for children where they can feel secure. Presbyterian Home for Children is one of those special places.

During 2002-2003, the Home looked at the possibility of merger with another agency.   After a year of negotiation, the Presbyterian board voted to withdraw from negotiations and move toward enhancing the current program for the children now at the Home.  

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